IN THE CROSSHAIRS THIS MONTH KEVIN POLLAK
Are you talkin’ to me?
[Launches into a perfect Robert De Niro impression] Unfortunately, your readers can’t see the face that I’m making or hear the voice that I am using, because as it turns out, you are in fact talking to me. And I heard things. I heard things… I worked with Bob, as I was forced to call him, on Casino, and I absolutely did not do this impression for him. It’s a parlour trick. If the actual person is there, I’m just a chimp. Although Alan Arkin loved it… [launches into a perfect Alan Arkin impression].
Why don’t you tell me the story of your life?
I knew what my destiny was by age
10, when my mother caught me lipsynching to a comedy album. My mother watched me and said, ‘Right, you’re doing that at the Zurcher’s for Passover’. Like so many gigs that then followed, I didn’t get paid. I’ve done a few films. I don’t know the exact number… 91? But I will say that seven of them are quite good.
Who’s the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?
I’ve now directed a couple of movies, but I put it off for the longest time because I loved being trusted by a director. I enjoyed playing the fool. And then, as director, I felt like I needed to fool these fools into following me. It was a greater joy for me in many ways because it drew on everything I had learned my whole creative life. Acting is just playing in the sandbox with no real responsibility.
How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?
Being a stand-up is like being a fighter. You know, you have people in your corner, but until you step into the ring, you don’t know what loneliness is. I’m a ‘make peace not war’ kind of guy. I knew nothing about the world of MMA before I made Notorious Nick. I am an old-school boxing fan though. I remember being 12, betting on Muhammad Ali fights. I was ringside for the Tyson-Holyfield bite.
Do you have an off switch?
Most days I probably don’t. But I like to hit the off switch in my personal life. I very much like the life of the character actor. My face is known just enough to get a table at a restaurant, but I’m never chased down the street by paparazzi. The title of my book is How I Slept My Way To The Middle and I’m here to tell you it’s fan-fuckin-tastic in the middle. I wonder if that book title would get me cancelled today?
Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?
I certainly have. I was born in San Francisco and I saw a lot after the turbulent ’60s. All through my teens and early twenties I certainly saw the pale moonlight more than your average bear.
What’s your favourite scary movie?
Alien. It’s a haunted-house movie and it also remains a pure, perfect film, perfect in its intent and execution, and its ability to entertain and scare. I don’t feel its potency will ever fade. I don’t generally enjoy horror movies, though. I’ve been in a few, but I’ve never seen them.
Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting?
There’s nothing more magical than realising your dreams. Oh man, it’s a joy to get up. When I worked with Jack Nicholson on A Few Good Men, he was making $5 million for 10 days’ work, which is half a million dollars a day, and I offered up the question, “Do you hit the snooze alarm when you make half a million dollars a day?” He just laughed. In a way only Jack can.
What are you afraid of?
Mediocrity, in all facets of work and life. As a comedian or actor, you’re sort of trained to wait for the phone to ring. I took a long time to realise you can spin as many plates as you want – you’re only limited by your imagination. But within that freedom comes great responsibility to never be mediocre.
Who is Keyser Söze?
When I first read the script for The Usual Suspects, it was magical. It was the greatest script I’ve ever read. And as devastatingly wonderful as the surprise ending is in the movie, reading the script, imagining all these details in your own mind, it was that much more surprising. The film apparently didn’t play well in Turkey, because the word ‘Söze’ means ‘Verbal’, which is obviously the name of Kevin Spacey’s character. And then of course he turned out to be Keyser Söze in real life too… spoiler alert! PB
ETA | 6 SEPTEMBER / NOTORIOUS NICK IS AVAILABLE ON DVD AND DIGITAL HD NEXT MONTH.
‘AS A COMEDIAN OR ACTOR, YOU’RE SORT OF TRAINED TO WAIT FOR THE PHONE TO RING’