The Black Dahlia
Josh Hartnett Talks The Black Dahlia
“The inclination of noir films to pose that
question and then turn it on its head is, I think, part of what was intriguing
about the films, back in the 40's and 50's,” said Hartnett. “It
was so opposed to the way people were viewing the nuclear family back then.
I also think that the post-war era, where people came home and moved to
the suburbs and had their families living in seclusion from these grittier
details of life, made them lust for it a little bit, and it turned Hollywood
on its head, in a way. Noir was the opposite of what Hollywood had grown
to expect and market. People were lusting for that darker side of life when
they were living in such seeming isolation from that darkness.”
Based on James Ellroy’s book, the film gave Hartnett some juicy old
school dialogue to speak, plus that hint of Brian De Palma macabre. “Brian
added elements of comedy, like the shot that becomes first person. The meeting
of the Linscotts was very funny, I thought. Brian has a devil may care attitude
about filmmaking, which I love. He wants to make it entertaining. He wants
to make it pulpy, in a way. He wants to make it operatic and fun. I appreciate
that. There are certain films that you need to take with the utmost seriousness,
if you’re telling a true story, through and through. This film is
fictionalized. It’s based on Ellroy’s book, which also has some
of that humor. We added little humorous elements, all the time. We never
wanted unintentional laughs.”
Playing an obsessed character can come somewhat
naturally for an actor. “There’s a certain obsessive tendency
in actors, as I think there is with anybody who has a job that has a finite
amount of time. You have to complete it, and you have to complete it in
a certain amount of time, so you ultimately think you’re going to
be relieved of this obsession at a certain point, and that justifies you
really pouring yourself into it, heart and soul, much to the chagrin of
anyone you know and love.”
Hartnett’s character is intended as a stand-in for Ellroy himself,
and his obsession with his mother’s murder. The actor didn’t
find that out until after he finished his job. “He didn’t tell
me that until Venice, a week and a half ago. For me, I guess that’s
a compliment, if he sees himself in what I did. But, it was kind of obvious
that he had written from a personal perspective because it’s a first-person
narrative and because he has said, many times, that this book was written
in this way to exorcize the demons that were haunting him, due to his mother’s
death. The Dahlia and his mother’s murder were inextricably linked
for him, and so I assume that there was some sort of autobiographical tendency
to the character. But, my job was just to take the work that was on the
page because if I tried to play James in this film, it would have been a
wild film, man.”
The Black Dahlia opens to theatres Friday, September
15th.
For the trailer, posters, more interviews, synopsis and additional movie
info, go to The
Black Dahlia Movie Page.
Stay tuned for updates.
|
Add to Heffee!
