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Aaron Eckhart on Towelhead
By Fred Topel | Image property of Warner Independent
Aaron Eckhart's parents like to go see their son's movies in theaters. "They like to go for the audience and they can tell people that I'm in the movie, like the popcorn people," said Eckhart. Every once in a while though, he tells them to stay home. Towelhead may be one of those times since he plays a racist who molests his 13-year-old neighbor.
Aaron Eckhart on Towelhead
"It's such a great movie that I want them to see it," said Eckhart. "If they weren't my parents, I would want them to see it. Being my parents, they're kind of right now in a holding pattern. I told them that they're maybe not allowed to see this one but they're adults, they can do what they like. I think it's different if they're you're parents. This isn't the only movie that I've made that's been sort of difficult for my parents to see. I don't think they ever saw Your Friends and Neighbors."
For what he has to do in the film, Towelhead was a sensitive challenge to the actor. "I did find it difficult. For me, it was especially hard only because I had to physically do things that for me to do with a child, 13 years old, however you want to slice it, was difficult for me. Even though Summer [Bishil]'s obviously 18, the audience looks at her as a 13-year-old and I had to look at her as a 13-year-old so that was difficult, but I think we handled it tastefully and weren't too egregious and I think it served the story."
 Towelhead
Stuck with the role for the months of shooting, Eckhart found some insight into his character's sordid motivations. "This is another reason for me to do the movie is think of all around the world, guys that have made choices young in life and are not necessarily satisfied with those choices, didn't feel like they did enough or they'd gone far enough or realized enough in their life and their jobs. They're looking at their life and not seeing what they wanted. Their dreams have faded. And having to live the rest of your life with that, coming home, doing this, blah blah blah, on that cul de sac and not seeing a way out, I look at that as a black and white existence, monotone. Jasira is color. She's Fuji Film, Kodak Ektachrome color vibrancy. She awakes in him his inner child, what he used to be, all those feelings and senses, all the five senses, the music and hearing and taste and sound and adventure. He finds a reason to live, a reason to get out of bed."
Not that that in any way justifies it, but it provides a psychological analysis. "I think at that point, and it doesn't happen immediately either, it happens over time and he tries to quell the feelings that he has and tries to do the right thing, but he's taken over. I think at that point she no longer becomes a 13-year-old or a babysitter or the neighbor. She becomes his, to use a Jungian term, his anima."
It was also tough for Eckhart to say some of the racist things his character believes. "It's ugly. You say it. You say it. You believe it and you say it and you do it. That's what you do. That's what drama's all about. I don’t necessarily like to hear it and I don't like to say it but that's who my character was. You have to justify it as your character. That's the movie you're making. You have to look at the bigger picture and say, 'This is the movie we're making.' It's hard for Peter as Rifat to do what he does. We had many discussions with Peter and I, all the characters, what Maria has to do and Toni, to say things like that and just be so malicious about it."
Don't be afraid. Eckhart still wants you to go see Towelhead. "I gotta sell this film, dude. Sometimes it's hard in the theater hearing that. I've been in the theater where things have been said and you're sitting next to the person it's being said about, it's very difficult. It's ugly."
Towelhead is out in theaters.
For the trailer, poster, review and more movie info, go to the Towelhead Movie Page.
Fred Topel
Sources: Image property of Warner Independent
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