Big Hollywood Interview: Robert Duvall Discusses America’s Heartland, Faith and His New Film ‘Get Low’

[Geee]

Big Hollywood:

Big Hollywood Interview: Robert Duvall Discusses America’s Heartland, Faith and His New Film ‘Get Low’
by Carl Kozlowski

Robert Duvall has been an American cinematic icon for nearly five decades, ever since his memorable debut as Boo Radley in the 1962 film adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Since then, he’s been in some of the greatest films of all time, as well as what is considered one of TV’s greatest accomplishments with “Lonesome Dove.”

Better yet, Duvall is a proud conservative who recently made it clear in an interview on Fox News Network’s “Huckabee” show that he did not vote for Obama, and if given the chance, won’t vote for him again. That flinty sense of humor combined with an effortless modesty makes him one of the most down-to-earth and human of stars, and has carried him through work in numerous independent projects that he had his heart into and staked his reputation upon.

Another hallmark of Duvall is his Christian faith, which he won’t discuss in particulars, but which shines through in some of his films as a vibrant example of walking the walk rather than just talking the talk. He put $5 million of his own money up for the budget of 1997’s“The Apostle,” a film he wrote, starred in and directed about a tormented Pentecostal preacher who faces a period of reckoning.

Duvall’s latest film is the Depression-era, character-driven dramedy “Get Low.” Once again, it’s filled with issues of faith, forgiveness and redemption, and once again he knocks it out of the park with one of the absolute best performances of his career. Duvall spoke with me personally by phone from his home in rural Virginia, where he happily lives a continent away from the Hollywood rat race.

Q. What inspires you to live in Virginia, away from the big-media capitals of Los Angeles and New York?
DUVALL: I live in Virginia, my wife’s from Argentina and she said Virginia is the last station before Heaven.

Q. This is your third big film to deal with strong Christian themes in your career, following “Tender Mercies” (for which he won a Best Actor Oscar) and “The Apostle.” What draws you to these kinds of films?

Duvall (with Tommy Lee Jones) as Gus McCrae in “Lonesome Dove”

DUVALL: They present themselves. Horton Foote wrote “Tender Mercies” with me in mind somewhat. I had a good history with him from “To Kill” on down. With “The Apostle,” I had attended a little Pentecostal church in Hughes, AR years ago, a funny town where all the shops were run by Chinese. The sheriff gave me dirty look but I was in town for the night to research something, and I decided I wanted to put something on film someday as it’s such an indigenous part of American culture. So I wrote, directed and put my own money into it. Hollywood wouldn’t put money into it without a twist.
I don’t always play good or noble people, though. Sometimes military things come along like Stalin and Eichmann and you have to find a way to humanize those evil guys too, even with all their faults.

Q. What do you feel “Get Low” has to say about forgiveness and dealing with one’s past? How do you hope to affect audiences with its message and themes?

DUVALL: I don’t believe in message movies, but if there’s a message about humanity and a positive thing that a man can gain from his faults and go into his future in a positive way, that’s good. This is a fictional version of a true life guy. There was a guy named Billy Bush in the ‘30s who set up and went to his own funeral to see what people would say about him. We fictionalized that premise and ran with it so to speak.

[Valin]

“Tender Mercies” might not be my favorite movie of all time, but it's right up there near the top. If you have never seen it do yourself a really really big favor.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i5A_nTqz-g

[Valin]

[Sanguine]

“Tender Mercies” might not be my favorite movie of all time, but it's right up there near the top. If you have never seen it do yourself a really really big favor.

 

 

Agreed, Valin. One of my all time favorites, too.

[righteousmomma]

“Tender Mercies” might not be my favorite movie of all time, but it's right up there near the top. If you have never seen it do yourself a really really big favor.

 

 

Agreed, Valin. One of my all time favorites, too.

OURS TOO!!

[nickydog]

Huh. I've never watched it. It is now at the top of my Netflix queue.

[nickydog]

I just finished watching "Tender Mercies." I liked it a lot!! Thanks, everyone.

[pollyannaish]

I just finished watching "Tender Mercies." I liked it a lot!! Thanks, everyone.

 

Oh wow. I don't know how I missed this conversation, because that is one of my favorite movies of all time!

 

I'm a weird person. My top ten list includes the unpretentious, profound Tender Mercies, and the strange, hopeless, bleak Brazil.

[Valin]

I just finished watching "Tender Mercies." I liked it a lot!! Thanks, everyone.

 

Oh wow. I don't know how I missed this conversation, because that is one of my favorite movies of all time!

 

I'm a weird person. My top ten list includes the unpretentious, profound Tender Mercies, and the strange, hopeless, bleak Brazil.

 

 

You might also want to take a look at The Great Santini

 

 

[nickydog]

Hmmm....it doesn't look quite like my taste, but I trust your judgment, Valin, plus Netflix reviewers liked Blythe Danner who plays his wife so that has me intrigued as well. I will let you know. (I sort of tend to resent Hollywood's exaggerated notion of the "typical" military fighter pilot kind of guy. They really do come with all sorts of personalities, just like everyone else.)