YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?
FILM QUOTES POSE AS QUESTIONS. FILM STARS TRY TO COPE.
Are you talkin’ to me?
I am. I’m in Hawaii at the moment and there are tourists everywhere. I was in a restaurant last night and a woman grabbed me as I walked past, wanting to talk about Barbarian. She was drunk, so it wasn’t her fault, I guess.
Do you have an off switch?
I do. But I sometimes find it hard to access. Not to sound like a ‘wanker’, as you Brits might say, but I found meditation really helps. [Long’s girlfriend, Kate Bosworth, interrupts to remind him that he also enjoys mowing the lawn.] Yes! Mowing really gets me there too. Any kind of menial task like yard work or something.
How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?
I’ve never been successful in fights, but fortunately I’ve rarely been in them. You do learn about your fight-or-flight instinct, I guess, and mine is pretty much always flight. I’m on the smaller side, so fighting isn’t something I ever lean into.
What’s your favourite scary movie?
My girlfriend and I are excited for October. We’re gonna hole up in my place in Massachusetts and watch a scary movie every night. I think the one that scares me the most, the one that played on my darkest primal fears, is Invasion Of The Body Snatchers with Donald Sutherland. I was always so intrigued by the covers of horror movies in the video store as a kid. I knew them so well. I would study the boxes for A Nightmare On Elm Street and Basket Case because I wasn’t allowed to watch them. I get scared watching my own horror movies in a different way, because I’m an insecure actor. Jeepers Creepers is a little tough to watch…
Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting?
I feel a real freedom in what I do. I remember when I was a kid I used to be really nervous on stage. And I would ask myself all the time why I was doing it. If I was being honest, I’d probably say it was just a good way to meet girls. But then I did a Neil Simon play and it was a really transformative moment for me. I felt liberated. It’s a feeling like you can do anything and be anyone. With Barbarian, I got to play a pretty reprehensible person, but I find human behaviour so interesting.
We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?
I feel mad when I’m overwhelmed by things. Weirdly, I also find myself behaving like a child when I’m triggered by family members. I once went really mad when
I ate too many edibles as well. It made me feel like I had a bit of a psychotic break, and that was so vivid. Nothing like Anthony Perkins, though, I hope.
Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?
Well obviously, Kate Bosworth! Early on in my career, though, I had so many influences that I admired. Sam Rockwell was the biggest, and he really took me under his wing on Galaxy Quest. I’d never been to LA, I’d never been on a film set, and I think he saw that I was green and that I needed a pal. He became a great friend and I just love the way he works.
I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you?
I’m really limited when it comes to courage. The other day I went swimming with sharks. Intellectually, I know that they’re not going to kill me. But I saw Jaws at such a formative age, so that was a big deal for me. I’m almost positive I would never jump out of a plane. It’s funny, though, if there was a camera rolling, I’d probably do it in a heartbeat. I’ve done so much that I shouldn’t have done for a movie. I’ve thrown my body around. I’ve got a concussion. I have a fearlessness when it comes to performance, but definitely not in life.
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. Any other questions?
People often say that to me and I wish I had some kind of pithy, prepared answer, but I never really know what to say. Maybe I should start carrying a wrench around with me?! The other one I tend to get, weirdly, is from Zack And Miri Make A Porno.
They always say… [politely stalls for time while he waits for a crowd of tourists to walk past] “You better shut your mouth or I’m gonna fuck it!” A security guard said it to me as I went through the metal detector at an airport once. I was with my ex-girlfriend at the time and she had never seen the movie. That took a bit of explaining…