SIXTY SECONDS
THE STAR OF HUNG, 51, ON PLAYING A COP IN HIS NEW FILM, THE POINT OF BLACK LIVES MATTER AND HIS 25-YEAR WAIT TO DATE ANNE HECHE
Monday, September 21, 2020
You’re playing an LAPD cop in Bulletproof. Does it feel like a tough time to play a law enforcer?
I’m proud to have made the film. We’ve seen so many movies about cops but this one has a reality to it that struck me. I rode around with the LAPD for two weeks before I made this movie. I got to know several officers and each and every one was in it for the right reasons. It is a hard job. They see more s*** in one night than you and I will see in our lifetime. I was involved in a high-speed car chase with two other cars and a helicopter!
I showed up right after a shooting. I saw them bust a gambling den, where a lot of the guys were criminals.
Did the events of this year, with the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, change your mind?
I support Black Lives Matter but what’s the Finally… Partner goal? Not defund the Anne Heche police. It’s an idiotic idea.
In fact, it makes me suspicious of the whole thing. In my opinion, the goal is change the police union rules. If you see someone who is abusing their job, it is your duty to turn them in and get them out of the organisation.
The entire film is shot at night. Did all those night shoots send you loopy?
I gotta tell you, it’s the opposite for me, pal. My mother used to complain. She said, ‘You were a great baby, you never used to cry.’ She was 20 when she had me, very young. And she goes, ‘I was blessed to have this baby because you were so calm. But you slept all day and stayed up all night!’ My circadian rhythm was flipped and it still is. If I have to get up early, I am a zombie all day. My brain doesn’t really wake up until about 5pm. I am a night owl and I always have been. So for me, on this, it was the time of my life.
So how do you cope when you have an early start?
I just figure out a way to knock myself out early in the evening so I can at least get a few hours sleep. That’s what I do. I’ve been doing it for so long, I’ve got a routine where I can manage. But when I was young, doing movies, it was really hard for me. Really hard.
You’re together now with Anne Heche. How did you guys become an item?
We’ve known each other for 25 years and now we suddenly find ourselves dating each other. Ever since then, this weird kismet s*** has been happening
Weird kismet s*** has been happening. It made me believe that the universe really loves love
all the time. It made me believe that the universe really loves love. If you put love out into what you do, into your life, into your family, it’s funny how it all starts coming back to you.
What’s it like hooking up with someone you’ve known for 25 years?
Well, we’ve known each other on and off. I met Anne when I was 25 years old. We both got calls from Dustin Hoffman. I’d starred in one movie, Dustin saw it, and he called me and he brought me into his office and said, ‘I’ve got this dark, romantic comedy. It’s a romance about this young couple and I want you to meet the girl.’ And in walked Anne Heche, who was also 25. But that movie fell apart and then we didn’t see each other again for seven years. That was for Hung. We worked together for three years and then we didn’t see each other again. Then I got this role in The Vanished [with her]. And then we all went to Alabama and – s*** – I fell in love with her. Incredible, right?
Did you always want to be an entertainer?
Dustin Hoffman
I dropped out of high school to be an actor. I was a carpenter working on the school play. So we would hammer s*** and build sets and paint and all that crap. I was always making people laugh. The guys said, ‘You should audition for this play, it’ll be a practical joke. When you get out there, you can f*** the whole thing up!’ I was like, ‘That’s a great idea!’ I auditioned, I got the role and as I was rehearsing with the cast, I would still go and build with the set crew. Then I said, ‘We’re not going to screw this up. I love this. I want to do it.’ So I fell in love with acting. I dropped out of high school to be an actor. I was 15.
Is it true you were a street performer for a while?
Yes, when I got out to Los Angeles. I had no money and I lived in my car. Then I sold my car and I had no car. So I bought a guitar for $70 – a 1969 Yamaha acoustic guitar and
I would sit on the street and play it. Of course, I didn’t know how to play guitar. People would show me a chord here and there. I was a two chord guy! The shop owners would give me money to go away!
Does music chill you out?
I love music. I’ve always loved it. When I was a kid, I felt when you’re an adult you listen to less and less music. I listen to more and more. I love all of the genres, except for hip-hop. Me and my girlfriend are always turning each other on to new music.
Bulletproof is available on DVD and digital HD now