Journey of a lifetime
Sutherland hits the road in RV with terminally ill wife in ‘Leisure Seeker’
NEW YORK — Donald Sutherland finds a mystical link with his characters, including Alzheimer's plagued John Spencer in “The Leisure Seeker” (opening Friday).
Much to the horror of their grown children, Spencer and his terminally ill wife, Ella (Helen Mirren), take a spontaneous trip in their '70s-era RV christened The Leisure Seeker.
Driving from Boston to Key West, Fla., the couple discover new facets of their marriage on what could be their final adventure.
Why a movie in which two people are facing mortality?
“Because it's really good. It's just funny and universal,” Sutherland, 82, answered during a one-onone interview.
“It will make you weep if you're old. It will make you weep if you're young. It will make you remember your children, your father, your mother, your grandfather. You'll remember everything! And it's true; it's visceral. It's important that you go look at it.”
Sutherland's career stretches back to his teens in Canada, where he began onstage. In the early '60s, he moved to London for television. His big break came with the 1967 film “The Dirty Dozen,” and he hasn't stopped since.
Memorable roles range from “Klute,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Ordinary People” to “The Hunger Games.”
“I start by reading the script, listening to the guy in my head. With John Spencer, I didn't invite him in — but he came in.
“For research, I got some recordings, DVDs from a woman who is the primary caregiver for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. So I didn't go look at people with Alzheimer's. I looked at what the central situation was in their beings and how people responded to it.
“Then John Spencer decided to inhabit me — and he did.”
Was it easy to let John go?
“Oh yeah,” he said somewhat impishly. “My problem was he wouldn't let me go.” Which means? “You'd like to get rid of a bowel disorder, but it stays with you.”
Sutherland plays J. Paul Getty, the world's richest man, in the USA Network miniseries “Trust” (coming later this month), about the notorious 1973 kidnapping of his teenage grandson.
When he's not working, is Sutherland happy? Does it seem odd to have free time?
“I have things to think about. I don't have a lot of time yet. I'd love to be able to look forward to 20 years but I just can't.
“I just can't,” he added grinning, “when you're this flatulent.”