midnightpulp
02-25-2011, 06:31 AM
in his upcoming movie "Hesher."
Except from the interview:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/23/arts/23hesher/blogSpan.jpg
Shad Jenkinship: What exactly is a "hesher?"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: (laughs) How can I describe this while still being politically correct. (pauses) They're typically a lower-class Southern male - but they have been known to exist all over the country and world - who are very aggressive and anti-social, but have a unique style and attitude. They have long hair, a perpetual black eye and bloody lip, listen to heavy metal, and seemingly can't grow facial hair beyond the peach fuzz phase, no matter how old they are.
Basically, they're the guy who carves the Slayer logo into his chest, sells bags of Oregano disguised as marijuana to middle-schoolers, dismisses personal hygiene, huffs paint, dreams of one day owning a Camaro I-ROC, lights small animals on fire, carries nunchucks in his back pocket, jerks off into the mayonnaise at the grocery store before putting it back onto the shelf, and generally just likes to cause trouble for the hell of it.
SJ: I understand your character in the movie was based off a real person.
JGL: Yeah. A guy named Perry who lives in San Antonio.
SJ: Tell me about your preparation for the role, which took you to San Antonio where you spent six weeks with Perry.
JGL: (laughs for a good minute) This guy is something else. He picks me up at the airport in this 1984 Firebird that looks like complete hell. Like it just had an accident. I get in, and the odor of turpentine hits me like a hammer. At my feet are a pile of turpentine soaked rags that I presume Perry was using to get high. I politely tell him that the odor is making me sick and then ask him if we could put them in the trunk. He simply tells me, "Fuck no, fag."
http://www.nordstromsauto.com/CARPHOTOS/1/GG6920-1.jpg
Perry's 1984 Firebird
SJ: (laughs) How was the ride to your hotel?
JGL: Brutal. I have my head out the window like a dog, gasping for air, feeling near death, and here's Perry head-banging away to Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law" with not a care in the world.
SJ: Most people would've walked away at the point.
JGL: I was close, trust me. Especially when Perry started masturbating at a railroad stop. But the reason I signed on to "Hesher" was for the challenge, so enduring six weeks with this person was simply going to be another part of that challenge. And I figured it would all be worth it if it would allow me to bring more authenticity to the character.
SJ: Tell me about some of your experiences with Perry.
JGL: Hanging out with him, I never knew what the next day would bring...
SJ: Before you begin, I have to ask: Did you actually participate in any of these situations, many of which I assume were illegal?
JGL: No. I just observed. And I told Perry that I would report him if he were to do anything super serious, like kill a dog, blow up a car, call in a bomb threat to the Alamo, or something. He called me a "pussy ass bitch" for that, but I could tell the message got through to him. Still, he was disappointed. Later he confessed to me that he wanted to dig up a grave.
SJ: So what did you see Perry do?
JGL: Wow. Not sure if I can remember everything. The guy literally lives to bother other people, so each day was filled with such. He'd drive down the street and call every passing pedestrian a fag. He filled water balloons with urine and threw them at parked cars. He bought a stack of pornographic magazines and put them on the steps at a church. He tried to crash a local high-school dance. One of his favorite things to do is to go to a public place and step into someone's picture as they're taking it. As funny as that seems, I think it's an expression of his desire to have friends and to be accepted by normal society.
SJ: He doesn't have any friends?
JGL: No. Everyone seems to hate the guy, which I felt bad about, but at the same time, could completely understand. He's a very abrasive, obnoxious, and destructive individual.
SJ: Did you become friends with him?
JGL: I tried, but he made things difficult. I told him that when "Hesher" premieres at Sundance, I'd fly him out, all expenses paid. He responded by asking me if he'd be able to dry hump Natalie Portman. At that point, I felt it best to cut off all contact with him. I will say this, though, without his "tutelage," so to speak, I don't think I would've been able to bring the same level of realism to the role as I did. For that, I will always be indebted to him.
SJ: Do you think you'll contact him again?
JGL: It's doubtful. I can only take being called a fag so many times.
"Hesher" comes to theaters in limited release on April 1st.
www.hesherinfo.com
Trailer:
4EEi4MFlh5g
Except from the interview:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/23/arts/23hesher/blogSpan.jpg
Shad Jenkinship: What exactly is a "hesher?"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: (laughs) How can I describe this while still being politically correct. (pauses) They're typically a lower-class Southern male - but they have been known to exist all over the country and world - who are very aggressive and anti-social, but have a unique style and attitude. They have long hair, a perpetual black eye and bloody lip, listen to heavy metal, and seemingly can't grow facial hair beyond the peach fuzz phase, no matter how old they are.
Basically, they're the guy who carves the Slayer logo into his chest, sells bags of Oregano disguised as marijuana to middle-schoolers, dismisses personal hygiene, huffs paint, dreams of one day owning a Camaro I-ROC, lights small animals on fire, carries nunchucks in his back pocket, jerks off into the mayonnaise at the grocery store before putting it back onto the shelf, and generally just likes to cause trouble for the hell of it.
SJ: I understand your character in the movie was based off a real person.
JGL: Yeah. A guy named Perry who lives in San Antonio.
SJ: Tell me about your preparation for the role, which took you to San Antonio where you spent six weeks with Perry.
JGL: (laughs for a good minute) This guy is something else. He picks me up at the airport in this 1984 Firebird that looks like complete hell. Like it just had an accident. I get in, and the odor of turpentine hits me like a hammer. At my feet are a pile of turpentine soaked rags that I presume Perry was using to get high. I politely tell him that the odor is making me sick and then ask him if we could put them in the trunk. He simply tells me, "Fuck no, fag."
http://www.nordstromsauto.com/CARPHOTOS/1/GG6920-1.jpg
Perry's 1984 Firebird
SJ: (laughs) How was the ride to your hotel?
JGL: Brutal. I have my head out the window like a dog, gasping for air, feeling near death, and here's Perry head-banging away to Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law" with not a care in the world.
SJ: Most people would've walked away at the point.
JGL: I was close, trust me. Especially when Perry started masturbating at a railroad stop. But the reason I signed on to "Hesher" was for the challenge, so enduring six weeks with this person was simply going to be another part of that challenge. And I figured it would all be worth it if it would allow me to bring more authenticity to the character.
SJ: Tell me about some of your experiences with Perry.
JGL: Hanging out with him, I never knew what the next day would bring...
SJ: Before you begin, I have to ask: Did you actually participate in any of these situations, many of which I assume were illegal?
JGL: No. I just observed. And I told Perry that I would report him if he were to do anything super serious, like kill a dog, blow up a car, call in a bomb threat to the Alamo, or something. He called me a "pussy ass bitch" for that, but I could tell the message got through to him. Still, he was disappointed. Later he confessed to me that he wanted to dig up a grave.
SJ: So what did you see Perry do?
JGL: Wow. Not sure if I can remember everything. The guy literally lives to bother other people, so each day was filled with such. He'd drive down the street and call every passing pedestrian a fag. He filled water balloons with urine and threw them at parked cars. He bought a stack of pornographic magazines and put them on the steps at a church. He tried to crash a local high-school dance. One of his favorite things to do is to go to a public place and step into someone's picture as they're taking it. As funny as that seems, I think it's an expression of his desire to have friends and to be accepted by normal society.
SJ: He doesn't have any friends?
JGL: No. Everyone seems to hate the guy, which I felt bad about, but at the same time, could completely understand. He's a very abrasive, obnoxious, and destructive individual.
SJ: Did you become friends with him?
JGL: I tried, but he made things difficult. I told him that when "Hesher" premieres at Sundance, I'd fly him out, all expenses paid. He responded by asking me if he'd be able to dry hump Natalie Portman. At that point, I felt it best to cut off all contact with him. I will say this, though, without his "tutelage," so to speak, I don't think I would've been able to bring the same level of realism to the role as I did. For that, I will always be indebted to him.
SJ: Do you think you'll contact him again?
JGL: It's doubtful. I can only take being called a fag so many times.
"Hesher" comes to theaters in limited release on April 1st.
www.hesherinfo.com
Trailer:
4EEi4MFlh5g