Tim Roth to share life lessons in acting today
‘Four Rooms,’ ‘Rob Roy’ actor speaks in Ackerman at noon
By Dina Gachman
Daily Bruin Contributor
Actor Tim Roth gets to the point.
"There’s a lot of bullshit in town," he says, "but I don’t deal
with it."
Roth, who is speaking today in Ackerman Grand Ballroom at noon,
has played roles ranging from the passionate, tortured Vincent Van
Gogh ("Vincent and Theo"), to the naive, bloody Mr. Orange
("Reservoir Dogs"), to the almost-slapstick bellhop in the recently
released "Four Rooms."
The actor prefers working on independent films by first-time
writers and directors because most big-budget Hollywood films lack
the creativity and freedom that Roth gravitates toward. "Generally
with low-budget films," he says, "the scripts aren’t as
predictable."
Roth’s recent turn in "Rob Roy" earned him a Best Supporting
Actor nomination at the Golden Globes this year as the cruel
Archibald Cunningham. "Rob Roy" was one of Roth’s most commercially
successful Hollywood movies to date, and a good experience for the
actor.
"I enjoyed the character a lot," Roth says. "It was interesting
to me, because they spend so much time on a scene. You definitely
get paid."
Acting was not always his means of supporting himself. Roth, who
was born in England, always wanted a career in the arts. His first
taste of acting came just before he entered art college, in a high
school play. Being on the stage may have been like a drug for him,
but it didn’t pay the bills.
During college, Roth worked in a supermarket, sold
advertisements over the phone (which he claims he was terrible at),
and when these jobs failed him, just hung out as an unemployed
artist.
The decision to move to America happened more as a fluke for
Roth. He was in New York shooting the film "Jumpin’ at the
Boneyard" (directed by Jeff Stanzler) and decided to visit Los
Angeles for a few weeks. He stayed.
Roth does not regret his move to the United States, but he
misses some things about England.
"I miss the culture," he says, "the history of it, and the
passions, which are hidden in America."
Passion is a word that describes Roth’s performances – a passion
often hidden by his cool, reserved exterior. While many actors
depend on "method acting," and extensively research each character,
Roth relies only on his own emotions and disclaims the techniques
of many stars.
"I don’t buy any of it," he says. "I’ve never studied acting.
Never read a book on it."
If he were forced to stop acting, Roth would not give up on
films. He says that he might, however, experiment in other
fields.
"I would direct, but never write. I’ve tried writing and I can’t
do it," he says. "The problem with directing for an actor is that
you have to stop acting. I can’t see being in it and directing it –
I’d want to concentrate on getting the performances out."
And who would Roth cast in his first film?
"I’d want to cast Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Benicio del Torro,
Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Miranda Richardson – there are so
many," he says.
One level present in many, but not all, of Roth’s films, is an
uninhibited, realistic portrayal of violence, and the capability of
anyone, and everyone, to succumb to this violence. Roth becomes
passionate when confronted with people’s (namely American’s)
increasing fear of and aversion to violence in films. Roth does not
preach his ideas, but there is no need to.
"Violence only bothers me if it’s commercial violence," says
Roth. "If you’re worried about violence in any part of the media,
stop going to the theater, stop watching Shakespeare (except maybe
the light comedies), beware of poetry, don’t read the Bible and
don’t see any films except maybe ‘Father of the Bride.’"
Daily Bruin File Photo
Tim Roth speaks at noon today in Ackerman.
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