Written by Jennifer
March 13, 2009
I watched Al Pacino's interview until two in the morning, and it was easily one of the best bedtime stories I've ever heard.
If you love interviews, it's impossible not to appreciate Inside the Actor's Studio. James Lipton is so thorough that his questioning borders on interrogation, but how else are we supposed to get the details out of Hollywood's finest? The recently released Leading Men collection is a testament to his skills as he pries answers out of some of our most private and most talented living actors: Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro, Russell Crowe, and Al Pacino.
Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro (interviewed in 1999) have both been known to leave interviewers dead in the water with their dead-end replies and unapologetic contrariness. Lipton keeps the answers coming, but there's a flat information-only quality to these episodes. Robert DeNiro's body language gives away his discomfort, and it's hard not to adopt some of it as a viewer.
Russell Crowe doesn't seem much more comfortable than DeNiro as he puffs a cigarette or mumbles answers into his breast pocket, but he's still funny and spirited in this 2004 interview. He gamely entertains audience questions as though he's just one of the guys, and his own nervousness doesn't affect the viewing experience. In fact, his candid discussion of the lean just-starting-out years is surprisingly revealing and inspiring, and he's good at taking the ball and rolling with it. No dead-end answers here!
The cornerstone of the collection is certainly the 2006 Al Pacino interview, and I'm not just saying that because he's my imaginary husband. Not only is he co-President of the Actor's Studio, he's the only actor in the collection to give a full two-hour interview. He's relaxed, funny, and open, and boy does he love to talk about theater. He emphasizes how important it was just to be working as an actor when he first started out, despite the fact that he was homeless and without food at times. Somehow having a part in a great play made up for the fact that he had to sleep on the stage at night, and this is certainly the sort of enthusiasm that inspires young artists to hang in there and work toward that big break. With long-time collaborator Martin Bregman and fellow Actor's Studio co-President Ellen Burstyn sitting in the front row, the evening has a festive old-home-week feel to it. I watched Al's interview until two in the morning, and it was easily one of the best bedtime stories I've ever heard.
All in all this is an impressive collection for anyone interested in the careers of these gifted actors. Lipton spares us the silly questions about romantic relationships, and avoids all the traps that leave actors shaking their heads and saying, "I can't believe you went there!" Consequently, his interviews give us real insight into the craft of acting, and will certainly stand the test of time. Extras include "Great Moments That Didn't Make The Cut", entertaining clips that, obviously, didn't make it into the show.
