By Fred Topel | Image property of Universal Pictures.
Chris Cooper has played many real life characters, from Seabiscuit’s trainer to Orchid Thief John Laroche. Now he plays Robert Hanssen, the most damaging traitor in FBI history. Yet somehow, this job was easier than others for the actor.
Interview: Chris Cooper Ready to Breach
“As a rule it usually takes 3 or 4 readings for me to be interested in a script, and if I’m interested I’ll read it 3 or 4 times before I make a strong decision,” said Cooper. “This was unusual, it took one reading. The first step was certainly to find if there was any research material and there was a lot. I looked around the house. I needed to refresh my memory because I knew this was coming up, and I found at least five of the books I had used and they are pretty in-depth studies about Hanssen from his childhood all the way to his capture. They were very helpful and of course we had the true Eric O'Neill who made himself available about a week before we started shooting to both and Ryan and I and we would spend anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a day peppering him with all sorts of questions, any bits of information about Robert Hanssen and their relationship. He was shadowing Hanssen so there was a lot to draw from.”
Even though there were some embarrassing and treasonous acts committed, I still felt responsible and respectable of primarily his family. No doubt this is terrible embarrassment for the country and his wife Bonnie and the children. I think the script handled some of those aspects very tastefully.”
Breach
Though Hanssen is still alive in prison, he was not accessible to Cooper. “He’s in a super-max prison, and I believe to this day he’s caused so much trouble over the amount of material he gave the Soviets over a 15-year period that from time to time, he may well still be interrogated on occasion. “
Cooper did have to learn some of the God fearing religious practices that defined Hanssen’s deception. “I'm not Catholic, my wife is. And Patty Clarkson, another actor friend, because we're going to be working with her, gave the house a call and Marianne picked up the phone, and it was a Saturday night, and Patty said, ‘What are you guys doing tonight?’ Marianne said, ‘I'm teaching Chris the rosary.’ And I had no idea how lengthy a rosary could be and how involved it was. The religious aspect was all my responsibility, how serious and what religious fervor he held for Opus Dei and the Catholic religion.”
Breach opens to theatres on February 16th.
For trailers, synopsis and more movie info, head over to the Breach Movie Page.
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