Matthew Broderick
Interview By: Rocco Passafuime
RoccoPassafuime@TheCinemaSource.com
Matthew Broderick has one of the most remarkably quiet long careers in Hollywood. Starting out in teen roles in hit films like War Games and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, he has quietly transitioned to more adult roles.
While often relegated to playing everyman roles in clunkers like Godzilla, Inspector Gadget, and Deck The Halls, Broderick has fairly quietly played highly acclaimed roles in films like Glory, The Lion King, Election and the Broadway productions of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and The Producers. However, through it all, the now 46 year-old actor doesn’t mind one bit having gained a quietly long career and continues to flex his considerable skill as gambling producer Taylor Peters in the independent comedy Finding Amanda.
We first discussed with Matthew what it was like filming with writer/director Peter Tolan, best known for writing and directing several episodes of FX’s Rescue Me.
“Backbreaking,” he replies, “No, we had a very good time. It was a four week shoot.”
We asked Broderick whether or not it was in fact true that the film’s Las Vegas-based setting was culled from Tolan’s own experiences there.
“That’s true, a lot of it was Peter, actually,” he replies.
However, he is quick to note that unlike his character, the actor has no real affinity for gambling.
“I can see the appeal of it, but I didn’t learn it somehow growing up,” Broderick says, “I didn’t even know how. I’ll bet on a sport game, once in a while, but I don’t know about odds and all the complex…[Peter’s] at the race track, the bets are very sophisticated. And I didn’t even know what I was saying half the time. I had to say, ‘What does this mean?’
We asked Broderick if there was any vices he had.
“Oh, God, I don’t know what is my biggest vice is,” Matthew replies, “I might have a little of every vice. I spread it around. I can’t think of what it is. Am I messy? Not really. I’m pretty perfect. I really am. I avoid confrontation. After two takes, I get like, ‘I don’t know why I’m saying this’ and ‘I don’t like this scene.’”
“Take two, the director gives me a little criticism and I’m like,
Matthew is also quick to note that he had a good rapport with Tolan.
“We both, sort of intuit from each other, we never really had a problem,” he claims, “I’ve always wanted to be an actor who was cast in parts when you just say, (in raspy voice) ‘Baby, I’m going out.’ Cut, perfect. Great work, Bob. I think Peter did say things, but he’s not a confrontational-type director or something like that.”
”One nice thing about Peter, also, is that because sometimes when people have written and edited and directing it get very locked into wanting to sound it like it sounded in their head or whatever,” Broderick adds, “It can be a hard thing for a director to direct his own words. I never felt that. Peter seemed like he was directing somebody else’s script in a way. I mean that in a good way, because he saw it as a fresh thing, not like he was trying to repeat something.”
However, Broderick says that despite a generally relaxed atmosphere, despite the frenetic space of the shooting, there was no improvising from any of the actors during filming.
“There was no improvisation, really,” Matthew says, “There’s some scenes that Peter cut out. Sometimes when you get in front of an actual person, when you see a 20 year-old girl being a hooker and say a flip thing to her face, it’s not as funny as it felt.”
With that, we asked Matthew what it was that drew him to such a role in the first place.
“Well, I like the writing,” he replies, “I thought it was very funny and it was a good story, an original story. I just thought it was compelling and it was not a part that I often get to play, too, which I suppose was nice for me. It’s rare to read a script that you want to keep reading, it’s hard.”
“And with this, I really wanted to know what was going to happen,”
Having had a career that has now spanned three decades with incredible acclaim on Broadway, we asked Broderick if he’s become any bit more selective with the roles he plays.
“No, not really, but it’s easier to talk me into doing a cartoon voice now. I don’t mean that glibly, by the way, like I’ll take any work basically,” Matthew replies, “But I always try to do things that I would show a potential son or daughter. I don’t think so. There’s things that I would be uncomfortable with and I would be before, too.”
“I’m not playing vaguely middle-age Simba, but I’ve done it three times basically, keeping track,” he adds, “I’m an adult Simba, I’m a younger adult Simba when I do a flashback, and Lion King 3, I think. The last couple, I think I didn’t even read. They were like, ‘Here, it is.”
Matthew even maintains this low-key approach when asked about what his ideal role would be.
“I don’t know. I never know, but I just read things and hope,” he replies, “I don’t know what role I would like. I don’t know, maybe I’ll do a more classic play.”
One role he is undoubtedly proud of is in the independent comedy Diminished Capacity, which comes the week after Finding Amanda.
“That was a great role,” Broderick believes, “Alan Alda and me, no Peter. I don’t know what to say, but that was a nice part. I’ve been very lucky, ladies and gentleman. That comes out a week after. I don’t know how they ended up both coming out a week apart. If it was up to me, that really would not be it. But I’m glad they both got distributors. They’re both smaller movies and they both turned out really well and I’m really happy with them, so that’s good.”
