Reel life of a lovable rascal
HE has honed his action hero image in dozens of films, including the series and more recently, the remake of This time, Tom Cruise takes on the role of a real-life American adventurer, whose exploits were real and pretty outrageous.
The American actor plays Barry Seal, a pilot who is unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in US history, in which opened in cinemas yesterday.
In the Universal Pictures production, Cruise reunites with his director Doug Liman (also of
and fame), in an international escapade based on the crazy exploits of hustler Seal.
Cruise says it was a dream role to portray a man who lived life to the fullest.
also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, E. Roger Mitchell, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke, Alejandro Edda, Benito Martinez, Caleb Landry Jones and Jayma Mays.
The film is produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer
Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver
and Tyler Thompson
Quadrant Pictures’ Doug Davison
and Kim Roth
Gary Spinelli wrote the screenplay. Below, Cruise and Liman talk more on the biographical crime action comedy.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO MAKE AMERICAN MADE?
It is such a unique adventure. The problems are very human in this film, even though the story is an epic adventure. This movie is a wish fulfilment. Barry Seal’s antihero that, although we don’t condone what he did, is a wish fulfilment.
“Members” of the Medelin cartel in a scene from the movie.
Barry sticks it to the man, sticks it to the system and everybody’s got some of that in them, right?
Everyone has some of that and everyone wants to — Barry just lived without boundaries. It’s a time in the history of aviation that’s very of the time and can never be replicated again. Nothing like this could ever occur today, back then, you could get away with stuff. You felt how Barry pushed those boundaries. He didn’t even push them, he just went.
Went through them.
Barry Seal is riding through these historic and epic times, without even knowing how historic and epic they really were. He is going towards that sun at a blazing speed that is quite naive at times, joyous, and heartbreaking. It’s so human — he gets caught on this train.
What I loved about is that it really is not a movie about the drug business. Barry’s like UPS. He doesn’t really care what he’s flying. He just cares how heavy it is. If the CIA wants to put guns in the back of his airplane, fine. If the cartel wants to put cocaine in the back of the airplane, fine.
The film also has that sense of
adventure in the way that we made the film. We went to Colombia; all the flying in the film is practical. Doug and I literally went to the jungle and camped during production. And the movie has so many layers and textures. It’s all in the details. It’s the type of film that people will enjoy watching. There are Easter eggs throughout.
WAS THERE ANYTHING INTERESTING YOU LEARNT ABOUT BARRY SEAL IN THE COURSE OF MAKING THE FILM?
Filming in Colombia, some of the people we worked with knew Barry Seal. There was one pilot who said Barry Seal stole an airplane from him. This pilot was showing Barry an airplane and Barry took it up for a flight to see if he liked it, and then just took off. Yes, he flew it to America.
It’s just such a classic — how do you not love Barry for that? This guy never saw an opportunity that he didn’t take.
He just left.
He jumped. We always talked about this — it’s like if you walk down the street and you see a US$100 bill just lying there, why not pick it up?
That was Barry. People loved him.
Tom Cruise and Sarah Wright.