WE GET AN IMPRESSION THAT INDIA IS UPTIGHT, SAYS BILLY
Billy Bob Thornton hopes people can get over prejudices, see ‘beautiful and fun’ aspects of India
I have had friends from India. And they are very fun. BILLY BOB THORNTON, Acto and filmmaker
Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton always had a desire to dive deep into all things India. While his yearning to visit the country remains unfulfilled till now, his fondness for India and its people continues. “I was first introduced to India through The Beatles (rock band) and George Harrison (musician). And since then I always had a desire to visit, but I’ve never been to the country,” admits Thornton, who calls himself “a pretty spiritual person”.
The 66-year-old, who is working with actor Dhanush on The Gray Man, rues that misconceptions about India continue to prevail in the West in some or the other way. “Sometimes in America, we get the idea that everything in India is so uptight... Like you have to just concentrate on your job, spirituality and everything’s like this. But I’ve had friends from India before, I’ve also met people from the country over the years. And they’re very fun. So, I think people should see that aspect of the country more, that it is a place with beautiful and fun people”.
Thornton, who was recently seen in the web series, Goliath, is co-starring with Dhanush on Russo Brothers’ ambitious project. Ask him about how it’s going, and he tells us, “The experience has been so great and wonderful till now”.
Despite several film credits and accolades to his name, the Armageddon (1998) actor is well known for maintaining his distance from the “Hollywood game”. “I didn’t feel like one of them... I have acquaintances there. It helped me when I distanced myself from the business and the whole celebrity [culture],” says Thornton, who also made headlines for his marriage with actor Angelina Jolie in the 2000s. Noting that walking away from Hollywood made it easier for him to go to work, he adds, “When
you evolve as a person, it helps you evolve as an actor in some way. And that happened with me, at least I hope it has happened.”
He also reveals that his role as a brilliant but down-and-out lawyer seeking redemption in Goliath “has been the closest character to myself I’ve ever played”. “When I first read the script for the original season, I thought it was me,” Thornton concludes.