sam, i am
by Cheryl Chang

What do Brad Pitt and a pedophilic death row inmate have in common? Not much unless you happen to look into the life of Sam Rockwell.

The 32-year-old chameleon actor who ascended to Sundance "It" boy status with beautifully crafted performances in indie films such as Box of Moonlight, Safe Men, and Lawn Dogs, has demonstrated an unquestionably fine touch for versatility. So much that he as simultaneously excited the New York Times into bestowing him with Mr. Pitt comparisons, while disgusting audiences with his phlegm-spitting "Wild Bill" hedonism in The Green Mile.

Though grateful for his place in Hollywood independents as the uncontested "male Parker Posey," Rockwell is prepared to take his talent for a limitless spectrum of characters to major films, playing Drew Barrymore's computer tycoon boyfriend in this month's Charlie's Angels and a Jewish mafioso opposite Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito in The Heist. Cheryl Chang: Tell me a little about your role in Charlie's Angels.

Sam Rockwell: I'm just the love interest of Drew Barrymore. I'm a computer genius client, a sort of Bill Gates/John F. Kennedy Jr. type.

CC: Are there any truths to the rumors about the on-set battles between Lucy Liu and Bill Murray?

Sam: Oh, I think they had a little spat at one point. But it wasn't a big deal. Sometimes it happens in the creative process and quite often in filming. You know, movie sets are like family. People just get into things sometimes because everything becomes so close and tightly knit. I don't know why they make such a big deal.

CC: Does it happen with you?

Sam: Sure, it happens all the time. You develop friction. It's always there on the set, otherwise it wouldn't be a movie set, I think.

CC: Recently your career path has been moving in the direction of major films. Was that a conscious decision to move on from independents?

Sam: I've done a lot of leads, about seven or eight. But they're all in movies nearly no one has seen. They gave me the chance to practice. So now that I'm getting supporting parts in bigger movies, I feel like I'm qualified. I feel like I'm ready for them. So yeah, it's all conscious I think. You have to make tough decisions.

I had to turn down an independent film that I was really keen on in order to do the Guy Fleegleman role in Galaxy Quest. But I knew that doing Galaxy Quest was going to be a good thing for me, because it was going to come out around the same time as The Green Mile. Sometimes you have to think about things like that. For me it was the right thing to do at the time.

CC: Why do you think you've played a lot of blue collar and white trash roles?

Sam: I think I have some sort of affinity for the blue-collar characters. I guess I feel closer to them because I've always rooted for the underdog. I don't really sympathize with the problems of the rich. Although it's all relative, I mean, everybody has problems obviously. But let's just say I've never been a big fan of Chekhov. I've always been more of the type to like high drama, high comedy.

I don't know, movies like Badland, Deerhunter, Taxi Driver, those are all blue-collar guys. Those are the movies that influenced me, the grit and manliness of movies like The French Connection and Dog Day Afternoon.

CC: Are you looking to stretch out and look for different types of characters?

Sam: Yeah, I mean this character I'm playing right now [in The Heist] is more of an aristocratic kind of guy.

It's a really great part that I modeled after a combination of Michael Corleone and Sonny Corleone with a bit of George C. Scott from The Hustler. He's a sort of Jewish gangster, and he's probably spent some time on the street, but he's also college-educated and sort of a more refined man.

CC: Do you think the characters you play affect the way your audiences perceive you personally?

Sam: I was afraid that The Green Mile would destroy my love life because was this crazy pedophile. I think Galaxy Quest helped take the edge off of The Green Mile character. In fact, I think I've gotten a lot of notoriety for those two films. It's amazing. I get all these tough young kids coming up to me, homeboys and all kinds of kids. You know, young men who love the "Wild Bill" character.

I think they somehow identify with him because he's an outlaw with a lot of testosterone. I modeled that character after a young Muhammad Ali and Beetlejuice. The stand-up comic quality. Guys like that rebellious side, breaking the rule.

CC: Were you rebellious as a young child?

Sam: I was a bit rebellious. I was young and angry and all of that stuff. I grew up in San Fransisco with my father, but I got into acting when I was a kid visiting my mother in New York. I did a play with her when I was about ten. I loved it and decided to move to New York because it was more of an adventure, but not necessarily to further my career.

I really didn't anticipate getting any work as an actor. I just wanted to experience the bohemian lifestyle, so that was a bit of rebellion. Even now, though I kind of want the yuppie lifestyle with a nice place in New York and San Fransisco, I still have a fear of success.

CC: Why?

Sam: Oh, sometimes it's too rich for my blood.

CC: So you're comfortable with the bohemian lifestyle?

Sam: Well I'm definitely attracted to it. But I need to be more of a yuppie in certain ways.

CC: What are you going to do if the SAG strike actually lasts?

Sam: I guess I'm not taking that whole thing seriously. I could do some theatre. I did a play at Williamstown this summer. I think it's the best thing I've done in a long time. It was just an amazing experience. And that's where I met my current girlfriend.

CC: Where you acting together?

Sam: We were doing two different plays, but all the actors are put up in houses, and we ended up living in the same house. She just kind of hit me with a thunderbolt. She just made me happy, and I wanted to spend more time with her. You know, my heart started beating faster whenever I was around her. And there was the thunderbolt. That...and she smells good.

CC: You've been quoted several times about chasing an ex-girlfriend across the Atlantic and actively searching for a new girlfriend since then. Are you the type of guy who always needs to be in a relationship?

Sam: Yeah, I'm more of a relationship type of guy. I don't think I'm good at being single. It's really not that fun and ultimately it's an empty experience. You can't really make a connection with another human being.

CC: Do you have any hobbies outside of acting and dating?

Sam: No, I don't. It's a problem.

CC: How about some vices that you should get rid of?

Sam: I don't have very many vices either. I'm just kind of a lightweight. I should pick up some vices actually.

CC: Like some of your gritty characters maybe?

Sam: Yeah, they're a little more hardcore than I am. I'm kind of a sissy in comparison.

CC: What do you think you would be doing if you weren't an actor?

Sam: Nothing. I have no skills. There's absolutely nothing I know how to do. So I'd be fucked otherwise. I'm very fortunate to be an actor. I know I'm very lucky to be doing this. And though I'm not sure where I'm going to end up -- whether it's in major films, independents, or threatre work--I'm just happy getting to do roles that are really juicy, meaningful, and allow me to keep adventuring the way I have been.