Spend any time with Woody Harrelson and you quickly realize that he’s one of the sharpest tools in the Hollywood woodshed, a man passionate and educated about a variety of topics.
So how did it happen that he spent so much time in his career playing Class A idiots?
Probably cause he’s good at it, of course. But maybe there’s something else to it?
“Savvy is never a term that’s been used on,” Harrelson chuckled recently, talking about his new project, “Transsiberian,” where he plays, you guessed it, another guy who has the lights on but nobody home.
In a departure for Harrelson, though, this time it’s not played for laughs. Set on the famous cross continental train that runs through China and Russia, “Transsiberian” follows Roy (Harrelson) and his wife (Emily Mortimer) as they get caught up in a dangerous game of violence and submission with some very bad folk.
“Roy doesn’t see all the things that are happening behind the scenes. He doesn’t know what’s going on with his wife. There are a lot of hijinks afoot,” Harrelson said of his character. “I would say ugly American is a good, apt description for him.”
As is perhaps befitting a man who goes to great lengths to defend his friends, though, Harrelson chose the project for the people that came along with it, he said.
“I definitely wanted to work with [director] Brad Anderson,” Harrelson said. “At the time Samantha Morton was also signed up. She ended up falling out of it at the last minute [but] I think it’s a great movie. I loved the way it turned out.”
Also starring Ben Kingsley and Kate Mara, “Transsiberian” opens this week in limited release.
Comments