Friday, October 31, 1997
Back to basics
FILM: Character, content convince Dennis Quaid to star in
"Switchback"
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
There seem to be two types of actors in Hollywood: the stars and
the unemployed.
Dennis Quaid, star of such movies as "Wyatt Earp," "The Big
Easy" and the upcoming "Switchback," is thriving quite comfortably
in the middle.
Although Quaid has appeared in feature films for almost 20
years, the actor best recognized for his Joker smile still hasn’t
quite attained the cushy box-office status of such actors as Jim
Carrey, Tom Cruise or even his wife of six years, Meg Ryan.
It might have something to do with his quirky film selection.
Unlike other actors who are still looking for that star vehicle to
make them world-famous, Quaid prefers films with strong story
content and characterizations.
"If the story really holds me, then that’s what attracts me to
(the project)," Quaid says. "There are things I’ve turned down
because the logic didn’t work for me. Sometimes, they wind up being
$200 million blockbusters, but (those films) just didn’t appeal to
me."
And while his choices have not exactly made him a big star,
Quaid has no problems with his current working status in Hollywood.
Instead, he relishes privacy over celebrity when it comes to wife
Ryan and their young son, Jack.
"You don’t see us in the tabloids and they don’t really follow
us around," Quaid says. "We don’t really go out all that much or
put ourselves in that situation where we’re sort of asking for it.
We’re lucky it doesn’t happen."
Quaid’s protectiveness over his family mirrors the character he
plays in "Switchback." Quaid plays the determined FBI Agent Frank
LaCrosse searching for the serial killer who has kidnapped his son.
Quaid sympathizes with Frank’s anguish as the character searches
for his little boy, knowing the fears that many parents have about
the possibility that their own children can be taken away.
"It’s every parent’s nightmare that something like this could
happen," Quaid says. "You wake up and you have to catch yourself
sometimes. We have always been very protective of (Jack) especially
since the both of us are high-profile people."
One of the benefits of accepting this role for Quaid was getting
to research his role as an FBI agent.
"Doing the research is really my favorite part of acting," Quaid
says. "I get to go to Quantico, Va., and go behind the doors that
say ‘Authorized Personnel Only.’"
While there, Quaid was able to examine his character more
closely as he spent time with real agents who do the job he
pretends to do in the movie.
"I found that FBI profilers are very intuitive and have a lot in
common with actors since they really do the same thing," Quaid
says. "They’re really questioning the human psyche and digging
under the surface and trying to find out what makes (serial
killers) think."
Another benefit of acting in this film was working with popular
screenwriter Jeb Stuart ("The Fugitive," "Die Hard") who is making
his directorial debut with "Switchback."
"I loved the script; it kept me on the edge of my seat while I
was reading it," Quaid says. "I’ve been a Jeb Stuart fan from way
before. A lot of people know Jeb, but they don’t know that they
know him because we love his movies."
Stuart is not the only one who is crossing career paths to
directing. Quaid has recently finished up his directorial debut for
a TNT movie called "Everything that Rises," which is set to air in
July. Quaid admits he was apprehensive the first day on the set,
but soon warmed up to the creative process that directing
entails.
"I hate all the tedium you feel as an actor," Quaid says. "For
me, the acting is free, they pay me to basically wait on a set. But
as a director, you’re never in your trailer, you’re on your feet
all day long. There’s all these kind of little decisions to make in
between takes and trying to get a picture in your head up on the
screen."
Another upcoming project that Quaid is working on is a re-make
of the classic Disney film "The Parent Trap" with the same
filmmakers who remade "Father of the Bride" with Steve Martin.
"This is an updated version of it," Quaid says. "I always had a
crush on Hayley Mills and I read the script and it was very
romantic."
Whether this film or "Switchback" will raise Quaid’s marquee
value in Hollywood, though, is of no concern. Quaid plans to
continue finding projects that inspire him and has no interest in
trying to become a mega-movie star.
"To tell you the truth, I really wouldn’t want that kind of Tom
Cruise bright light," Quaid says. "Where’s your privacy? Where’s
your life? I’m sure he’s probably a happy guy, but for me, I really
wouldn’t like that sort of bright light."
FILM: "Switchback" opens today.
Paramont Pictures
Dennis Quaid plays an FBI agent on the trail of an elusive
serial killer in "Switchback."
Paramont Pictures
Bob Godall (Danny Glover, left) and Lane Dixon (Jared Leto,
right) wander the Colorado Rockies by railroad in "Switchback."