New Zealand director Roger Donaldson made his directorial debut in 1977 with Kiwi pic "Sleeping Dogs". But it's the late 80s movies "No Way Out" and teen hit "Cocktail" that put him on the Hollywood A-list. His later films include "Dante's Peak", "Species", and "Thirteen Days". His current movie, the thriller "The Recruit", stars Al Pacino and Colin Farrell.
In your films you've dealt with the Pentagon, The White House, and now the CIA. What is it about these secret institutions that appeals to you?
I grew up in Australia, and American politics has always had a big impact on Australia. When I went to America and started making films there, I was interested in seeing Washington a bit closer. I started off with a film called "Marie", which was about politics in Tennessee. I got to meet a guy, Fred Thompson, who became quite powerful in the US Government, and got to make "No Way Out", "Thirteen Days", and now "The Recruit".
What were the reasons for casting Colin Farrell?
Colin was attached to the movie when I was hired. Al and Colin were already committed to the movie. I think that was a good thing. The truth is, I didn't really know much about Colin's work, so I went and looked at the films he'd done and liked what I saw. And then I met with the guy and he was pretty upfront with me. What you see is what you get.
With Al and Colin, you have the veteran and the new guy. Did you have to adapt your directing style for them?
Some of the myths of Hollywood get created as myths. Everybody wants to think they are working somewhere special. But I think that Hollywood is just a lot of mostly hardworking filmmakers who are trying hard, like we are, to have a career. There are some shysters and some ambitious people who come to town and get exploited. But for me, it has been pretty straightforward. If you keep your eyes open and work with people who your own judgment tells you to, then the people you avoid are the ones who promise the earth but your own intuition tells you to steer clear of them.
"The Recruit" says "Nothing's what it seems". Do you think this is also an accurate description of Hollywood?
Some of the myths of Hollywood get created as myths. Everybody wants to think they are working somewhere special. But I think that Hollywood is just a lot of mostly hardworking filmmakers who are trying hard, like we are, to have a career. There are some shysters and some ambitious people who come to town and get exploited. But for me, it has been pretty straightforward. If you keep your eyes open and work with people who your own judgment tells you to, then the people you avoid are the ones who promise the earth but your own intuition tells you to steer clear of them.
What sort of reactions have there been in the States to your version of the CIA?
The CIA is not the only organisation in the world that spies on people. I didn't make this film thinking about American foreign policy, which I have my own opinions about. I just tried to make a film about the CIA as I saw it from the limited observation point that I had. I had a tour of Langley, but that is as much as I could comment on. I did try to make a film that was apolitical.
We all have an opinion about the CIA and American foreign policy. But I tried to make a film that was wasn't selling this organisation. It was just a film set in this organisation to present it as I saw it, which was not really about what their work is but what it was like to be a member of this organisation.
Did the CIA answer any of your enquiries?
The nature of anyone who works for the CIA is to perpetuate the myth of it. The fact is, you won't get the facts out of them, so it's hard to get anything other than what you need. One of the most useful things was a book Colin gave me talking about the stars on the wall - about people who died in service of the CIA and whose names were represented by the stars on the wall. That was informative and gave me more depth and built up my confidence about telling this story.
We also had a guy who was responsible for PR for the CIA. They were more than happy to give me information about what size the logos were or where the badges are, or what you have to do to drive through the front gate. But if you start wanting to know too much, then the facts dry up fairly quickly.
What is the best and worst advice you've ever been given?
I made a movie that shall remain nameless. The reviews were less than favourable and the movie did really well. I was at a lunch with Sam Arkoff, the legend of Hollywood, and I was down in the dumps. He asked me, "Did you get paid for this movie?" I said "Yes". And he said "It was a good movie then." Sometimes you have to lick your wounds and just move on.
