Monday, April 22, 1996
Chris Penn culls his acting talent from the best, including his
brother Sean and his recent costar Nick Nolte.
But even as he tries on a new hat for ‘Mulholland Falls,’ he
keeps acting and the film industry in perspective.By Dina
Gachman
Daily Bruin Staff
Chris Penn hates actors with attitude.
"Anybody that’s a movie star and has an ego because they’re a
movie star is an idiot," he says. "There’s no human being that’s
more important based on their status."
This humble philosophy comes from one of today’s most respected
character actors. Penn is not at all self-righteous, even though he
has worked with directors such as Robert Altman, Tony Scott,
Quentin Tarantino, and most recently with New Zealand director Lee
Tamahori ("Once Were Warriors") in "Mulholland Falls."
"Mulholland Falls," a gritty 1950s crime drama that opens
Friday, is based on a real group of tough Los Angeles cops
nicknamed the "Hat Squad." Penn plays the newest member of the team
alongside Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Melanie
Griffith and John Malkovich.
Penn believes that the opportunity to work on a film boasting
such talent is partly due to his role as Nice Guy Eddie in
Tarantino’s "Reservoir Dogs." Before this film, Penn says that his
career was "in the toilet." He read Tarantino’s script, and Penn
and his agent both knew that if he got the part it would boost his
career. It did.
Penn hails from a show business family  his mother was an
actress, and his brother Sean is one of the most sought after
actors of his generation. A film career came earlier for his
brother than for Penn, who initially thought of acting as a
frivolous hobby.
"Sean was more serious about (acting) as a craft," says Penn.
"For me it was just fun  it was another form of playing. I
had other interests. I did a little boxing, and acting to me was
like a big party."
This attitude changed a few years ago, and Penn came to realize
that acting is more than a party. He now sees his profession as an
integral part of American culture, and believes that films have the
power to "move people to change."
Penn says this new perspective is partly due to his brother’s
influence. Watching Sean, whose last two films contain the social
impact that Penn values, has taught him some valuable lessons in
acting.
"I can say through osmosis I have learned a lot from him," says
Penn. "Like a sponge would soak up knowledge. I can’t say ‘I
learned this technique or that technique.’ I have learned from him,
but I can’t articulate it."
Penn’s "Mulholland Falls" co-star Nick Nolte also taught him
some valuable lessons on the set. The actors first met when Penn
was only 14 years old, when they played Asteroids at a neighborhood
supermarket. When Penn was older, they ditched the video game for a
night of drinking, and have since become friends.
Even though Penn respects Nolte as an actor who does "so little
and expresses a lot," he returns to his abhorrence of actors as
demigods when asked who he most admires.
"I’ve learned from everyone I admire," he says. "I think you
have to admire someone, or despise them, to pay enough attention to
them to learn from them. But we have to realize we’re all just
people. I save my awe for God."
Penn may not have an ego as an actor, but he is now part of
"Mulholland Falls," a much anticipated, big budget studio movie.
His character Arthur Relyea has few lines, but he is an important
addition to the "Hat Squad" Â Relyea possesses the calm and
intelligence that the more volatile members need to solve the
grizzly murder of Allison Pond (Jennifer Connelly), a beautiful
woman who gets mixed up with the wrong men.
Penn was hesitant about accepting such a small role, but the
chance to work with such an amazing cast, and with Tamahori,
changed his mind. The "Hat Squad" are good cops who use some pretty
violent tactics for busting criminals. Tamahori’s reluctance to
portray the characters as either heroic or depraved intrigued
Penn.
"They’re not good or bad," he says. "They’re how police were
back then, and to a large degree still are. But now it has to be
quiet  unless you have a video camera or something."
Because "Mulholland Falls" is a 1950s urban crime drama, it is
already being compared to Roman Polanski’s "Chinatown." Penn feels
that the comparisons are unwarranted.
"Certainly the similarities are there," says Penn. "The heavy
intrigue with a powerful adversary. But I think the similarities
end there. Anytime you get into the ’50s, in L.A., and detectives,
you’re gonna be compared to ‘Chinatown.’"
As Penn talks about his new film, he shifts back into his mode
of diminishing the movie star mystique. He is a successful actor,
and his work in "Mulholland Falls" could benefit his career even
more than "Reservoir Dogs," but Penn does not let all of this go to
his head.
"Being a movie star," he says, "you’re still just a speck on a
planet, which is a speck in a solar system. It’s not that
important. There’s nothing wrong with feeling special, but feeling
superior  there’s the problem."
FILM: "Mulholland Falls," directed by Lee Tamahori. Opens
Friday.
Chris Penn stars as Detective Relyea in the new crime drama
"Mulholland Falls"(right)
From left to right, John Malkovich, Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri
and Treat Williams in "Mulholland Falls"The ’50s crime drama
features (left to right) Chazz Palminteri, Nick Nolte, Kyle
Chandler and Treat Williams
"Mulholland Falls," a gritty 1950s crime drama … is based on a
real group of tough Los Angeles cops nicknamed the "Hat Squad."