An interview with Tom from Spanish newspaper El Periodico (translated with the help of google). Some interesting comments on fame etc here.
The Drop is based on a story by Dennis Lehane. Was that what attracted you to the project?
Partly, yes. That is, I like to represent a more realistic form of dark cinema, in which there are no typical femme fatales, no fedoras, and no atmospheric wisps of smoke but flesh and blood characters and social commentary and much fatalism. But what attracted me was working with director Michaël R. Roskam. Have you seen his first film, Bullhead? He left me knackered, to the brink.
You shared with James Gandolfini the last scenes he filmed before his death. What do you remember about him?
He was a very generous actor and had a huge heart. He was also very hard on himself because he was not sure of his own talent, never believed in his fame. He was often angry with himself. At the same time he was always open to the ideas of others. I don’t know, I really miss him.
You also have a reputation for demanding much of yourself.
In my opinion there are two types of actors: those who are willing to do anything to be convincing, and those who don’t. I am the former type. My profession is being a liar, to be able to fake credibly. I try to disappear completely within my characters, so I’ll never be a movie star. That will not happen.
You seem particularly drawn to dark characters. Why?
I can’t help it, it’s part of who I am. Also in my personal life I have felt unconsciously pushed the dark side. But I don’t wanna talk about it. Furthermore, in this business everyone tries to put you into a stereotype when they get the slightest chance. The easiest and most effective way to get both producers and the public to like you is to be who they expect you to be. But I’m still fighting it. To please the public is not my priority, on the contrary. If you hate me, I take it as a compliment, it’s a sign that I must have done something right.
Be that as it may, you are an increasingly famous actor. Does popularity bother you?
I don’t know. To see your face on the side of a bus is a nuisance, really. The problem comes when you can’t walk down the street without you looking, because I like being the one who observes others and not the other way around. Fame doesn’t interest me at all. If my interest was to be famous and make as much money as possible, then I would have done things differently. Do not misunderstand me, part of me wants to win an Oscar and appear on the covers of magazines and all that nonsense, but the other he could not care less. I’m not the right actor to please the audience and become role model. If you dig inside me, you’ll find a lot of dirt.
But how do you deal with public attention?
Well, I try not to let it affect me too much. Only if you don’t have warm blood punping through your veins, it’s difficult to feel comfortable attending to microphones on red carpets. No I’m not good at giving quick answers to stupid questions, and that is precisely what they want. I try to do it and immediately think, ‘What the hell did I just say?’. I feel like an idiot.
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