A Goldblum revival
> The 65-year-old is loving his career renaissance with roles such as the devilishly hilarious Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok
ACTORS don’t often ask questions at junkets, preferring to move swiftly onto being questioned. But that’s not Jeff Goldblum. Instead, the 65-yearold keeps asking me about everything from family to my acting abilities. Cynics may say that he’s diverting attention away from himself and merely being charming for a positive write-up. To me, Goldblum just seems downright charming – perhaps I’ve been duped? Directed by Taika Waititi, the wildly fun Thor: Ragnarok sees Goldblum play the devilishly hilarious Grandmaster, the tyrannical ruler of the planet Sakaar and an all-out pleasure seeker. The role seems very Jeff Goldblum. “I don’t know how much was me,” the actor says. “But, Taika Waititi, he’s an improviser.
“He said: ‘If you want to, I have a notion that we’ll improvise a lot. And it’ll be a character who will make use of several of the things you do. It won’t be comicbook-y. Your character is theatrical’.”
Sure enough, when they were on set in Australia, Goldblum was able to improvise, often offering 10 completely differing takes on a single scene.
“We fooled around a lot. I was very anxious to see which version made the final cut. I liked what they used. They took out the bad stuff and made me look okay.”
Of course, Goldblum has worked on many big-budget pictures before, including Jurassic Park, Independence Day and both their respective sequels.
For Ragnarok, everything seems to have been a little looser, the final project having – at times – more in common with an indie movie than the US$180 million (RM760.7 million) blockbuster.
“You can’t imagine the team it takes to make these big epic productions,” he says. “And add the element of having someone like Taika coming along.
“It’s this free actor workshop. They build in extra time to redo some scenes if need be.”
Goldblum certainly doesn’t need any more work at the moment. Last year, he reprised his role from Independence Day for the sequel Resurgence.
Next year, the actor will once again play Dr Ian Malcolm, this time alongside Chris Pratt in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Goldblum is also voicing a canine in Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs.
The question, then, is why are we having a Goldblumaissance now?
“Don’t worry everyone, it’ll be over soon enough!” he quips.
The tone shifts to one that’s slightly more serious. “There’s coming and going, and that includes me. But, I’m sitting up and taking nourishment at this point with much delight.
“I don’t know why I’m so lucky. I’m lucky that I’ve stayed continually active. That’s a pretty good trick in itself.”
Goldblum studied acting under Sandy Meisner, whose pupils include Steve McQueen, Naomi Watts, Sandra Bullock, and Jeff Bridges.
Meisner told Goldblum something very early on that stuck with the actor throughout his life: “It takes 20 years to even call yourself an actor, and then a lifetime to keep getting better.”
Goldblum says: “Maybe that has something to do with it. I do aim to ... to have a chance to get better. I’m on the threshold of doing something better.
“Maybe babies are lucky. That’s what my wife says. We had one a couple of years ago, then one six months ago.”
Goldblum shares a quick story about wanting nothing more than to be an actor since being 10 years old.
“I just wanted to do it the best way,” he says. “My father was a doctor. Everyone I knew in Pittsburgh was similar.
“I was embarrassed to tell anybody until I left for New York. Nobody knew it, because, you know, it was this romantic idea.”
Perhaps then, one should ask which path Goldblum would have gone down if acting hadn’t worked out.
“I like to play the piano, and having a weekly gig,” he says. “I don’t know if I would have been a rock star. I like jazz. I taught acting for a couple of years.
“I like the activity and the challenge of trying to transmit something, awaken that in someone else. That’s a fun and worthy thing.”
Now that he’s achieved that dream, does he feel fulfilled?
“Fulfilment means you bring an ability to be satisfied, to be fulfilled in any circumstance,” he says.
“The talent I aspire to is, no matter what cards present themselves, you find something that you’re able to call fulfilment.” – The Independent