He may be best known for going to battle over his beloved red stapler in “Office Space,” but character actor Stephen Root has also stood out in several films with a darker edge, including “No Country for Old Men,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Leatherheads.” Now, the "Zelig"-like supporting star is working alongside George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges in one of the most eagerly-anticipated -– and oddly named –- films of this upcoming winter.
“It’s a movie about the late Seventies, when the army was in a dispirited state and was trying a lot of things,” Root said of “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” the sci-fi/drama/comedy directing debut of frequent Clooney collaborator Grant Heslov. “[The military] was open to a lot of hippie-dippie stuff.”
Based on the 2004 non-fiction book by Jon Ronson, “Goats” tells stories about the government’s ill-advised attempts to explore New Age concepts, with the intention of using the paranormal to help military efforts. “This is when they were open to trying experiments psychically, and trying to change people’s heads,” Root explained. “And it’s an exploration of that time period.”
Reuniting Root with “Leatherheads” masterminds Clooney and Heslov, the December film follows a journalist (McGregor) who meets a Special Forces agent (Clooney) who opens his eyes to the secret military unit trying to abolish war. “I didn’t work with George this time,” Root revealed, saying his scenes are primarily with the former Obi-Wan Kenobi. “I worked with Ewan McGregor for my scenes in this one.”
“It’s funny, the script is great, Ewan McGregor is great,” Root said of his co-star. And as for that really weird title? “‘Men Who Stare at Goats,’ specifically, [refers to] one guy who could stop a goat’s heart at 50 yards by staring at him.”
Although the flick marks the directorial debut of Heslov, Root insisted that it would maintain the same quirky tone that made the fledgling director's football film with Clooney such a distinctive experience. “It’s something that [Clooney] and his partner Grant had wanted to do,” the actor explained. “He and Grant produced ‘Leatherheads’ and other stuff, but in this incarnation Grant got to direct the movie -- his first directorial debut -- and George starred in it.”
The movie opens in December, a notorious Oscar-bait release month. In a little while, we’ll see if Clooney, McGregor, Heslov and Bridges can add a few more shiny statues to their collections, as we stare at them -– and those goats -– on the big screen.
Is “Leatherheads” an underrated film? What do you think of Clooney/Heslov’s upcoming venture?
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