Benjamin McKenzie Interview, 88 Minutes

MoviesOnline recently caught up with Benjamin McKenzie to talk about his role in 88 Minutes, which is heading to theatres on April 18th, 2008.

Jon Avnet directs Al Pacino in the tension filled thriller 88 Minutes.  Dr. Jack Gramm is a Forensic Psychologist and University professor who finds himself in the middle of murder mystery.  His testimony in the trial of serial killer Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) seems to have sparked a copycat, who has advised Gramm that he has only 88 minutes to live.  Surrounded by suspects, Gramm uses his forensic skills to track down the killer, but can he do it in time?  Amy Brenneman, Alicia Witt, Benjamin McKenzie, and Leelee Sobieski co-star.

Benjamin McKenzie stars as Mike Stemp, an angry college student who Gramm suspects may be involved with the killings.

In addition to McKenzie’s success on The OC, he has impressed audiences on stage, made several television guest appearances, appeared in the indie hit Junebug, and stars in the upcoming film Johnny Got His Gun.

MoviesOnline: Matthew Fox has said that after Party of Five he had to spend a lot of time out of the spotlight so that people would forget about his character.  What do you make of that reasoning? And do you feel similarly?

Benjamin McKenzie:  I think there is a lot of truth to that.  Television is a very powerful medium, which permeates the pop culture zeitgeist.  As a result people associate you with that character.  In choosing projects since The OC, I’ve made an effort to choose things that are quite different, rather than teen film versions of the show.  Junebug and 88 Minutes are examples of that.  I have and continue to try to do things outside of the norm, but you only have so much power in these choices.  A lot of it has to do with how people view you.  As far as spending time out of the spotlight, maybe I’ll hole up in a cabin somewhere for a few years and practice horseback riding (chuckles).

MoviesOnline: What attracted you to this role?

Benjamin McKenzie:  My agent called me and said that I had a role in a new Al Pacino movie and would get to have scenes with him.  It was that simple.  Anytime you have a chance to work with a screen legend like that, you have to jump at the chance.  Now I can say that I have worked with Al, and I take some pleasure in that.  I’d met (director) Jon Avnet socially a year prior, so we knew each other a bit, which helped as well.  The main question was whether or not it would fit my schedule, as it was filming concurrent to The OC.  Thankfully it did, and I was able to do this film.

MoviesOnline: If you had to play one role that would really change things for you as a person and the perception of you, for 88 minutes, what kind of role would that be?

Benjamin McKenzie:  Perhaps Dustin Hoffman’s role in Tootsie.  That would certainly change the perception of me. 

MoviesOnline: In addition to Al Pacino, who are some other actors you admire and would like to work with?

Benjamin McKenzie:  I have been a big fan of a lot of the actors that have come before me so far.  As far as people I would like to work with, there are quite a few; everyone from Paul Newman to Robert Redford to De Niro.  Also, I particularly love character actors like David Stathhairn or Philip Seymour Hoffman and that’s just covering men.  There are many great actresses I would love to work with as well, like Frances McDormand or Meryl Streep.  This list could go on and on.  One thing I have gained from working with Al (Pacino) is that there is a lot to learn from these icons in how they prepare for scenes and act on screen, in addition to how they conduct themselves offscreen.

MoviesOnline: People say that Gossip Girl is the new OC.  Having been on a teen oriented show, what advice would you have for those castmembers currently on that show and how to transition afterward?

Benjamin McKenzie:  Enjoy it as much as you can.  There is a lot of pressure when shooting a show for a long time.  It’s a lot of work.  It is important to focus on that work and get as much satisfaction as you can from it, while trying to keep it fresh.  In terms of getting parts outside of the show, my personal advice and philosophy is to stretch oneself as an actor.  However, that is just my opinion.  Other people find success in getting a big role that may be similar to the television work they’re doing, which is great as well.  But for me it was about switching things up a bit.

MoviesOnline:  Do you have any upcoming movies?

Benjamin McKenzie:  I recently shot an independent film called Johnny Got his Gun, which is based on a one man play that came out in the 80’s, which in turn was adapted from the original novel by Dalton Trumbo.  The movie is somewhere between Lars Von Trier’s Dogville and Spalding Gray’s Monster in a Box.  Hopefully that will be out sometime this year. 

MoviesOnline:  Since 88 Minutes takes place in real time on screen, were the scenes shot in order?  Or was it done out of sequence like a regular movie?

Benjamin McKenzie:  It was done out of sequence.  From a logistics perspective it is too difficult to shoot sequentially.  However, we needed to be aware of the pacing of the film while shooting.  The film starts out at a high pace and continues to ramp up throughout, building intensity and urgency.  As actors, we needed to remain aware of that timeline and real time aspect to effectively convey the story and feeling to the audience.
 
MoviesOnline: How did your role in Junebug prepare you for this role?  Or did it?

Benjamin McKenzie:  I don’t know that it did.  As I had spent such a great amount of time on The OC, Junebug acted as a new experience with its own challenges and rewards.  88 Minutes was another opportunity to do something different. It’s a much more conventional film than Junebug, in the sense that it’s a thriller with good guys, bad guys and those you aren’t sure about (my character).  The main thing I got from this experience was the opportunity to watch a fantastic actor at work (Al Pacino).

 
MoviesOnline:  We live in a celebrity obsessed culture.  How has that affected your life since becoming high profile? And how you handle it?

Benjamin McKenzie:  In general I am a pretty low profile person who hasn’t courted media attention.  I really prefer that any attention paid to me be for the show or movie that I happen to be appearing in, rather than where I shop or who I’m dating.  I’m a relatively private person and would prefer to stay that way.  In regards to the celebrity obsession present in modern culture; it’s bizarre.  Most of the people I have come to know in this industry are not that much more interesting than the average person, which makes the obsession seem kind of strange and silly.  That said, I can understand why people would pick up an issue of US magazine to read about someone they see on TV, or a musician they enjoy. 

MoviesOnline:  You have done some stage work in the past.  Would you like to try that again?

Benjamin McKenzie: I would love to.  The opportunity hasn’t presented itself mainly due to time constraints.  While shooting The OC, there simply wasn’t enough of a break to fully rehearse and perform a show on stage. The closest I have come is Johnny Got His Gun, which is a one-man-play/film hybrid.  I would love to go back to New York and do a play though.  It’s really good for the soul; helping you as a person, while enhancing your acting chops.