I bet. I can’t even imagine much you were sweating on those days.
Bruce Greenwood: Yeah, and we had fire undies on head to toe so that makes it even hotter.
Was there anything you added to this role that wasn’t in the script?
Bruce Greenwood: Umm… That’s a question you should ask Shana Feste, the director.
I always sort of assume that actors are trying to put something in there when they feel strongly about a character.
Bruce Greenwood: Yeah, that’s why they hire us in the first place.
You’re one of those actors who has gone effortlessly from theater to film to television, and I understand that you just finished a 20 city American tour of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (written by Stephen King and with music by John Mellencamp and T. Bone Burnett) which must have been a lot of fun to do.
Bruce Greenwood: It was so fun! Oh God!
I bet. Is there one medium that you prefer over the other, or do you enjoy them all equally?
Bruce Greenwood: I enjoy them all for different reasons. I mean, there is nothing like being on stage. It’s very intense.
Most of this film was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. What was that like?
Bruce Greenwood: As a city I love Atlanta. I really liked the people and the restaurants, and the weather was just off the hook weird. There were these insane thunderstorms that come rolling in at three in the afternoon. If you want to shoot something outdoors, you better do it in the morning.
I lived in Georgia back when I was in Kindergarten and I still have vivid memories of what it was like to be there. I haven’t been back since I moved away, so I’m always interested in what it’s like to be there now.
Bruce Greenwood: It’s hopping. There were seven productions that were in our hotel.
Did you do any medical research for this role? Did you feel it necessary to learn more about being a doctor for this part?
Bruce Greenwood: No, it’s more a mindset. I wasn’t spouting medical dialogue or anything like that. I was never bent over a gurney seeing things that had to be accurate. I’ve played doctors before and they are all the same, but his worldview and his sense of control was part of what made him become a doctor in the first place. I think that came before his decision to be a doctor.
Were there any other roles where you played a doctor that informed your performance in this movie?
Bruce Greenwood: No, because this is just more about a man and he happened to be a doctor.
I did want to ask about your daughter… (during the Endless Love press conference, it was said that Bruce had a daughter with his wife, which isn’t accurate). I’ve seen a lot of information on Wikipedia and IMDB that’s not necessarily accurate. What gives?
Bruce Greenwood: Yeah, I don’t even know how to go about cutting that because I don’t want to get sucked into controlling my image online. It’s like, “Fuck, are you kidding me?” If people want to think that I have a daughter, who gives a flying fuck? So what? I’m not going to waste my energy trying to shovel sand… It’s like going down to the beach and trying to shovel a hole in the waves.
It reminds me of what Clint Eastwood once said: “You have to not take yourself seriously. You can take the work seriously, but don’t ever take yourself seriously.”
Bruce Greenwood: Yeah, exactly.
That concludes our interview but we’d like to thank Bruce very much for his time. Be sure to check out Endless Love when it hits theatres on February 14th.
