Life is ‘ un- freakin’- real’
Woody Harrelson says he doesn’t care about awards, wants people to see his movies
LOS ANGELES — There are some years when prolific doesn’t begin to describe Woody Harrelson’s output.
In the past 12 months, Harrelson has appeared on screen as acerbic history teacher ( The Edge of Seventeen), a neurotic divorcee ( Wilson), a terrifying military leader ( War for the Planet of the Apes), the brilliant but troubled father of Jeannette Walls ( The Glass Castle), the local police chief who turns a grieving mother into an avenger ( Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and the 36th U. S. president ( LBJ).
And the 56- year- old still has the young Han Solo film, Solo, to come in May ( he plays the space smuggler’s mentor).
“I don’t have ‘ no’ in my vocabulary, other than the k- n- o- w, right?” Harrelson laughs.
Q: Do you enjoy working so much?
A: I’ve been maybe overworking it a bit. You know, eventually they’ll get bored of you. So I’m going to put my foot on the brakes. I’m tappin’ the brakes.
Q: How did Rob Reiner convince you to take on the role of Lyndon B. Johnson?
A: Rob had the same kind of attitude — even more extreme than me — about LBJ because he was draft age. He hated LBJ because he might send him to his death. A really good friend of mine who’s a producer says, “You’ve got to play LBJ.” And I said, “Well dude, I’m sorry, but I just don’t like him because of Vietnam.” It’s hard for me to overlook that. But I decided that I would at least read up on him a little bit.
So I read a book and it softened me a little. And then literally right at that time Rob Reiner calls me and says “I want you to play LBJ.” It’s too bizarre. And I do think, although you can’t overlook genocide, he did a lot of great things. I’ve now come to feel like I kind of begrudgingly admire the man.
Q: How do you choose projects lately?
A: Things have gotten better and better in terms of choices. And I’m really psyched about the last couple of years of unbeliev- ably cool projects. Even the ones that didn’t work at the box office, I feel very lucky to be part of. I watched LBJ in Austin with people who either knew LBJ or knew Lady Bird. Never would there be a more right audience for saying, “No, this is bull----, this isn’t good.” Their response was just so gratifying. Three Billboards I don’t even worry about, I just know it’s going to do great.
Q: Do you care about awards recognition?
A: Not even a little bit. I got awarded this life. It’s un- freakin’real, you know? And the statues wouldn’t change my life one way or the other. My main thing is I want people to see these movies. You don’t want to make them for a dusty closet.
Q: And then you have Solo.
A: Yeah I’m not worried about that one.
Q: I think everyone was surprised when directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller exited the film. How was that transition?
A: We got Ron Howard, how OK can you get? I love Ron. He’s been in this industry almost longer than anyone else and he’s still a kid. He still has this childlike exuberance for life. He didn’t get stained by life. It’s beautiful to see a person like that. It can be pretty unforgiving, this industry.
Q: There is obviously a lot going on in the industry with all the revelations of sexual harassment and assault, with something new every day it seems — like James Toback.
A: See, I didn’t know anything about James Toback, but some people say he was a less well- kept secret. But these guys, it’s good they’re getting their comeuppance. On the other hand it’s like the last thing I want to talk about.
Q: Do you feel a responsibility to do anything? How can men in this industry help this era end?
A: Well, I can’t imagine anybody doing anything now! Who’s going to be that stupid? I think it’s ended. I really think it’s ended. On the other hand, who knows after time how things shift, but I can’t imagine anybody, even if that’s their inclination, behaving that way. So it’s shifted. It has happened. It’s seismic. It’s a 9.0 frickin’ earthquake. Tectonic plates have moved.