Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with a fun interview with an individual I never thought I'd have the opportunity to speak with, a man who has made a name for himself in music, spoken word poetry, film, and who is also a decorated author of nearly 25 books, Mr. Henry Rollins. When the opportunity to speak to him about his latest film THE LAST HEIST crossed my radar, I jumped at the chance, and as you will see in the below conversation, we cover quite a bit of ground. In full disclosure, I had roughly 10 or 15 minutes to speak with the man, so if you're at all curious about "Gah! Muldoon, why didn't you ask him about XYZ?" then there you go. I very much appreciate him taking the time to speak with me and enjoyed the film where he plays a very odd individual, a person I'd hope to never cross paths with, unlike Rollins himself. The film hits theaters this Friday, along with VOD and iTunes.
A bank heist descends into violent chaos when one of the hostages turns out to be a serial killer. Trapping the well-organized team of bank robbers in the building, the killer is now picking them off one by one.
Hi Mr. Rollins, how are you doing today, sir?
I’m good. How are you?
I’m very good. I’ve got no complaints. I know we don’t have much time, so would you mind if we just jump on in and get going with some fun questions?
Yeah, no problem.
First off, how did this project come to you? How did THE LAST HEIST land on your desk? Had you seen Mike Mendez’s previous works, like BIG ASS SPIDER?
I didn’t know of Mike before I met him. He’s a really cool guy and I loved him immediately. The script came my way and they said, “look, here’s this guy… You’d be the bad guy. What do you think?” I said, “Well I think there’s an interesting way to play this character.” They said, “Okay, so go meet the director.” He goes “What do you reckon?” I said, “Well here’s what I would like to do…” and I rolled off the part. He smiles, he’s pleasant, he’s never really gross…” He’s like “Yeah, that was kind of my idea as well, where he’s not yelling, he’s not hysterical, he’s just absolutely cold. He’s a real believer.” He’s kind of very polite and very, very isolated. He has no idea how weird he is to other people. So we both agreed and the next day we were working away. So that’s how it came to me. There was no audition. They said “We like you for this” and I said “I like me for this” and so we did it.
Your character, Bernard, is definitely an interesting guy. He’s calm, cool, a little demented in his quest for collecting some odd things… In terms of getting into the mindset of a character that wild, what did you do to prepare for the role?
I believed him. He really thinks he’s dispatching people to a better place and I’m not a religious person, but I believe in what I believe in, in that I believe I’m talking to you right now on a Tuesday. So I just basically assumed all of his truths and went forward. He really thinks he’s doing you a favor. He’s sending you to a better place and so I went with that, where he cannot be stopped. You might not like what he’s going to do, but believe me, you’re better off. That’s what propels him and that’s why when he gets injured, he just kind of is “Okay, well it’s all in a day’s work. These people just don’t understand.” He doesn’t fear drawn guns… He just takes weapons away and takes people out. He doesn’t hate these people. So that’s how I got into it, and it was very enjoyable. I can’t really say that I have anything in common with the guy, and so that’s what made going to the set everyday enjoyable. Also, it was just an odd way the film was shot where you see this whole cast of people filled with cops and cars and all of these SWAT guys and all this stuff… I didn’t meet any of these people. I was mainly in rooms encountering one or two people at a time, most of which I would just kill. At the end I win. (Laughs) I leave with the bonds. It was just a very interesting kind of work. With most of the cast, I didn’t meet them until the wrap party.
You don’t really share that much screen time given the large ensemble. As you mentioned, you’re primarily in small rooms…
It’s a story within a story. There are two things going on. There’s one guy doing his thing and there are these two brothers really realizing they are having this sad end to both of their lives…
There’s a lot going on in this film, absolutely.
It’s an interesting way to roll out something in this genre.
And as you said, you’re pretty much taking folks out left and right, primarily one on one. In one instance there was this one line that just put a smile on my face with your delivery, the “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you” bit. I don’t know if you remember that line from the movie, but it made me curious about the amount of improv, if any, there was on the day. Were there any moments when you sweetened the dialog and made it your own?
Oh yeah! When the actress is bleeding out from the excellently delivered knife thrust to the femoral artery, all of that, when she’s on the ground and I’m kind of fluttering around her… That was like five different takes with five differently improvised lines. That thing where I kind of pull her hand away from that gun like “let me see, let me see.” “What are you feeling right now? What are you thinking?” So we just went with the one that Mike liked the most, but we just completely winged all that.
It felt natural, even with such an unnatural character like Bernard. He’s an interesting guy to watch doing his thing.
Everything I did with that was there to slow the action down and personalize it. Because everyone around him is hysterical. They are agenda driven. They are robbing this place or they are getting robbed and they see me as just another hassle. The bad guys see me as an impediment to getting the bonds and leaving. Then other people see me as this sick guy who tares out eyes. Like the nice old lady I dispatched, she probably didn’t enjoy what she got. I didn’t do anything fast, like “Look, I just want to go home.” All of those moves in that safety deposit box room were really slow and I let those people freak out on me, where I’m not freaking out. “I’m not freaking out on anything. I’m fine, because I’m protected by the lord. These people… they’ve got guns. It’s all coming down, but not for me.” I wanted to show that so the rest of the film would be hectic and we would really have these moments of speed and moments that were slow. I realized it was up to me as I’m the only slow thing in the whole film.
You’re what I’d, and most people, would consider a renaissance man. You’ve done pretty much everything. I could talk to you for hours about music alone, but I know we don’t have that. Specifically with film and TV, is there anything you are wanting to that you’ve not done yet? More comedy? More Sci-Fi?
I want to do more of it, basically. Just “more” would be fine, but there’s not any specific part I’m looking to do or a person I’m looking to work with, I just take opportunities and I’m just grateful for what I get, but “more” would be the one word answer. I find it really enjoyable and now at this point I think I can really contribute where I can hold my own and actually be an asset.
You’re proving it more and more. Backing off a little bit, what are some of your favorite films? You’ve written roughly twenty five books, so how about your favorite books? I’m really just interested in seeing what you yourself look to for entertainment.
For me, I like films were the characters stick with me where the story is so great and the acting is great and I want to return to those moments. For example, SLING BLADE, which I thought was a textbook perfect independent film where there’s not a lot of budget, but you can’t tell, because the acting was so good, and the writing, and the story is so compelling… The acting is really pure. It’s a beautiful story. Karl is one of my favorite cinematic characters. It’s due to him and the relationship to the kid. It’s amazing. Dwight Yoakam’s character is such a scumbag and damn can that guy act. Every move of his was believable, every thing. It’s a film I’ve watched six or seven times. It’s like returning to all of those moments, like the lawn more repair guy… It’s just beautifully made. I guess I like sincerity. It doesn’t matter of the genre, I just want to find these characters that are beautifully written, beautifully acted, and beautifully coaxed out by a great director and that’s what I keep returning to. As far as writing, I’m more reactive. I report. I’m not much of a fiction writer or anything. I go way out into the world, like all seven continents I’ve been to, and I report back with the human story. I’m not writing fiction really.
Looking at what all you have accomplished, which is pretty hard to do actually, what advice would you give your younger self, as in the “Henry Rollins of Black Flag” days? If you could step in a time machine and talk to yourself, what would you say?
“Listen more. Talk less.” “Don’t be so judgmental.” “Remember that everyone else has a story, too. Everyone else is going through something and yours is not the only story in the world.” That’s all stuff that I would tell my younger self, and perhaps offer it with a little less fear. I had a lot of trepidation when I was growing up and I realized that was just wasted energy, something standing in the way of what I was trying to do.
That’s great advice for just about anybody really. Last question, but an obvious one… What projects do you have lined up that you pushing into existence? Do you have any projects that aren’t being presented to you, but that you are trying to get off the ground?
No, only because I have pitched and pitched and pitched different ideas to everybody in the world, from the History Channel to whatever else and everyone went “Ah… no.” I am kind of rounding third base on a pitch to kind of follow up on the film HE NEVER DIED with another one, another installment of that story, a film that’s out now. So the producers and the director are in those pitch meetings. I am not, but I’ve been in all of them up to the ones that they are in now and so the last thing I was trying to hurl over the wall was that and that had me flying all over the place taking meetings with different countries trying to further that. Beyond that, all of my other projects are kind of in the bag. A screenplay I wrote, that film got made; it’s shot, it’s done, and out now. So this year I’m basically bouncing all over the world from here to Johannesburg on stage doing this and that.
Before I let you go, I did want to take advantage of the opportunity to just say "thank you" for doing what you do for the troops, for visiting Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more… I’m not in the military, but I still do appreciate our troops and the fact that a guy like you who doesn’t have to do that, chooses to go out there and support, listen, and hear their stories… that’s just one of the many things I think you’ll eventually be remembered for, aside from movies and music, for sure.
Thank you very much. I have one blanket statement with doing anything with the USO and it’s “Never easy. Always worth it.” Those are tough journeys, but not as tough as the journeys of those you are visiting. I’m not going out on a mission. No one is shooting at me. To meet those troops is very worthwhile, because you really meet truly exceptional people.
Well sir, I genuinely appreciate your time and I know you’ve probably got a whole line of folks banging on the door right behind me. I do appreciate your time very much. It was a real pleasure.
Thank you. It was good talking to you. Have a great day.
There we have it, ladies and gentlemen - a brief chat with Mr. Henry Rollins, a class act badass. I hope you found the interview as interesting as I did (and still do). I'm curious to see where they go with the HE NEVER DIED sequel he mentioned, and just curious to see what other projects find their way to him. THE LAST HEIST hits select theaters, VOD and iTunes on June 17th.
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
