An interview is a complicated, intoxicating beast. You rarely ever know who will be presented in front of you. Sure, you know their name, seen their film, read their book or listened to their CD, but these are flesh and blood human beings we are talking about. They are only predictable in their unpredictability. I knew deep down in my bones my newest interviewee, Brian Dennehy, would, well, be Brian Dennehy. Star of stage and screen, Mr. Dennehy could be anyway he wants to be, and who could blame him? He's Brian Dennehy. He has chased Rambo, wandered through a Peter Greenaway film, found the fountain of youth in Cocoon and its sequel.
I could go on for days. Mr. Dennehy has a new picture out called Knight of Cups in which he plays the father of mega-star Christian Bale. The film was written and directed by Terrence Malick. Mr. Dennehy stopped by Classicalite to talk about the work of art Terrence Malick has created. It is a highlight of my career that I got to chat with Brian and talk cinema, as Mr.Dennehy is a warm and gracious man.
He is very Brian Dennehy.
Classicalite - Reading your biography, I was surprised to find out you started out as a stockbroker. Why did you decide to become an actor?
Brian Dennehy - (laughs) Well, I was a stockbroker for all of six months and I don't think I even sold one stock. As for acting, like most people in this business, it's always something I wanted to do. I came from a very different environment. My father was a hard-working Irish Catholic and I was always kind of expected to go to law school. When I got out of the Marine Corp, I decided I didn't want to do that. I wanted to do this and eventually, in maybe 3 or 4 years, I began to get cast in things and, eventually everything worked out.
Classicalite - What are the biggest do's and don'ts you would give to a young person who approached you for advice?
Brian Dennehy - Take every job that is offered to you. Do something different. Make something special out of it. Don't just expect that they are going to come to you with the right part at the right time and the right place. Do as much as you can and do it wherever you have to do it, even if it is in some craphole theater in the middle of nowhere. Do you much as you can, because you always learn something, even if it's a terrible movie. Maybe, somebody will see you and give you something a little bit better. That's the way it worked out for me. I never turned anything down. I really don't turn anything down today.
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