7 Questions With Tim Roth

by Cheri Barner

When you are press, a round table interview is the closest you can come to Dante's purgatory. There is a tempting view of heaven, but it is just out of reach. Even actors who are naturally intelligent and witty falter when faced with a firing squad of journalists, and turn into poster children for dumb and dumber. Tim Roth doesn't falter, and he certainly isn't dumb. The Oscar nominated actor who has made his name playing psychos is still high from the birth of his son, his third child, earlier this week and speaks more like a suburban doting father. It is a testament to his acting ability that I am suprised by his quiet manner and his easy charm.

indieWIRE: You seem to be drawn to indies, is that a conscious decision?

Tim Roth: Let's just say that the stories are better. If one of those comes along and a studio film comes along at the same time generally, I'm gonna pick the independant because the story is better.

iW: But you'll be paid less.

Roth: ...but in a sense that doesn't matter, I mean I do get paid well and I don't need twenty million dollars. What do I need twenty million dollars for?

iW: Are you happy with how "Gridlock'd" turned out?

Roth: I love it. It was one of the happiest experiences I've had, which my wife was very pleased about - I wasn't coming home and breaking up the furniture. It was a really wonderful time, but that was from the script up, and I got the script a long time before we got to shoot it.

iW: Was Tupac the first actor brought in?

Roth: No, it (the script) went to a lot of actors, and they passed on it, or the financeers at the time wouldn't give it a green light with that actor.

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iW: What was your reaction to the casting of Tupac? Roth: They said "listen there is this guy, Tupac Shakur, and I didn't know who he was being an English cat. My son knew who he was, my twelve year old. He's like, "Dad, your gonna be cool! Do it! You've gotta work with him!" iW: How did you prepare your accent for the piece? Roth: I have a dialect coach, Suzanne Celeste, I've worked with her since Reservoir Dogs, she's extrodinary. Generally we've got it down to... three weeks before hand, then she's on set with me every day. So it's a whole process. iW: What will you be doing next? Roth: I'll be doing a film called "Animals." It's about a cab driver that follows an angel around. posted on January 19, 1997 |Share