Interview : Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman recently talked about his villainous role in the exciting new film, "Mission Impossible 3." Hoffman turns in a terrific performance as master criminal Owen Davian, a deadly international weapons and information trader, in this third installment of the popular spy thriller franchise directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Tom Cruise as Special Agent Ethan Hunt. Prior to MI 3, Hoffman starred in the feature film "Capote," which he executive produced through his company, Cooper’s Town Productions. Widely acclaimed, Hoffman was honored by eighteen critics’ groups as the best actor of the year for his performance in the title role and earned a Golden Globe for best actor (drama), a SAG Award, and an Academy Award.

"Mission Impossible 3" presented new challenges to Hoffman: "I’ve never done an action film before and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve known J.J. casually for many years, and I worked with Tom before on "Magnolia." When I read the script, I was impressed with what JJ had done with it. It’s just one of those things where all the ingredients seemed right. I think with Tom, with JJ, and with the script that I read – those three things combined -- I thought that the time was right to do this kind of project, with these people and with this script."

In "Mission Impossible 3," Hoffman takes on the role of Owen Davian, a chilling villain without remorse or conscience who turns out to be Ethan Hunt’s most ruthless opponent yet. Director J.J. Abrams explains that the writing team took special care to create a villain worthy of Hunt – one that could match up to the hero: "This is the first time that Hunt has come up against an adversary that is as scary, clever, and mysterious as the character play by Philip Seymour Hoffman." Hoffman describes Davian this way: "In this type of transaction, there’s a good cop and a bad cop. Davian’s the bad cop – he takes care of the dirty work." Cruise praises Hoffman’s unique approach to international villainy, "Whenever he plays a role, he makes the part his own; he never does what you expect, so his characters are never the same. When Ethan Hunt goes up against this guy, it’s terrifying – because Philip could go anywhere with Davian. Davian’s capable of anything. Ethan’s never faced a villain as ruthless and fearsome as Philip’s."

Davian was a role Hoffman found he could sink his teeth into. "He’s not just a villain – he’s a psychopath," explains Hoffman. "How far is this villain pushed, and when he is pushed that far, what does he ultimately do in revenge?….What you see in this film is that this villain is pushed to a certain place by the hero and because of that, the hero pays a huge price." In the process, Davian creates incredible empathy for Ethan. Hoffman explains, "The darker, more evil, more vicious this man is toward the hero, the more you want the hero to take this man down. What’s different about this picture, I think, is what J.J.’s done which is personalizing it in a way where you’re really…I think you’re going to be introduced to Ethan Hunt in a much more personal way in this film. And it’s going to create, like I said, an extraordinary amount of empathy for his character that maybe you always felt, but you’re going to feel on a much different level in this film."

According to Hoffman, Davian plays a pivotal role in the central tension of "Mission Impossible 3." "Ethan and Julia – Tom’s and Michelle Monaghan’s characters – are two people who have a lot of fear as they get married," says Hoffman. "It comes from the terror about what could happen. Am I going to lose this person? Am I going to lose myself if we unite? On an extreme level, they’re going through all the same things that keep people in everyday life from getting married. My character embodies that: the nightmare aspect that keeps people from making that kind of commitment. I do think you’re going to see this evil force coming to try to separate these two individuals who are very much in love, and I think that’s going to make for a very different way of looking at this story.

An experienced theater director as well as an accomplished actor, Hoffman thinks highly of the film’s director, J.J. Abrams. "I don’t think this film could have been done without J.J.," says Hoffman. "He brings an incredible sense of humor, he’s astonishingly bright and sharp, and he has a confidence about him that’s absolutely necessary to steer the ship of "Mission Impossible 3." He has such a sure hand that we all trust him implicitly – he kept us on the right path." And what does he think of the MI series? Hoffman describes it like this: "That thriller spy movie aspect of it is something that I think is…that’s how I see the Mission Impossible films. It’s a fine, thrilling piece of entertainment that takes us to a whole other place that we would never conceive of."

Hoffman’s next film will be "The Savages" directed by Tamara Jenkins and co-starring Laura Linney and Philip Bosco. The film is currently in production. Be sure to also read our Michelle Monaghan Interview and our Tom Cruise Interview