Ed Harris' directorial 'obsession'
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Talk about obsession. Ed Harris has devoted only the last 10 years of his life
to a movie that has left him both exhausted and exhilarated.
The project is "Pollock," a biopic about the tumultuous life of American
painter Jackson Pollock, in which the 49-year-old Harris makes his directorial
debut. He also plays the title role, and those who have seen his work in the
film are whispering Oscar.
Yet, Harris is nowhere near done.
"Even though I'm going on to other things, I'm still very much involved with
the marketing aspect of [the movie]," said Harris after the film was screened
last week at the Guggenheim Museum.
"Pollock" will be released in New York and Los Angeles for one week in December
— for Academy Award consideration — but audiences across the country will
have to wait until February for the nationwide release.
"I just hope it has a nice life out there in the world," Harris said.
The actor-director seems not at all worried that people who have never heard of
the master of drip technique might not choose to see the movie.
"I'm hoping that if it gets out a little bit, people will see it's not just an
art film," said Harris, who was surrounded at the screening by such A-listers
as Robert De Niro, Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe, Chazz Palminteri, Angie Harmon,
Joe Pantoliano, David Bowie and Iman, and the movie's co-stars, Marcia Gay
Harden and Stephanie Seymour.
"There are some universal things going on in terms of struggle, relationships,
the desire to create, the battles people fight with themselves," said Harris.
"So, hopefully, ["Pollock"] has a larger appeal than just to painters."
Harden, who plays Pollock's wife, the artist Lee Krasner, agreed.
"This story is a very classic relationship story, and I think people will be
drawn to that," she said. "And on top of that, [Pollock] is a great American
painter."
Harden added that she felt extremely lucky to have been able to work with
Harris in his first stint as a director.
"It was a labor of passion for him. It was a story that he wanted to tell and
needed to tell," she said. "He dove into the deep end. I felt like he guided me
and pulled from me a performance that was surprising to me. He took me deeper
than I had thought I could — or probably was even ready to — go. I felt
safe, though."
Swank, who won the Best Actress Oscar last March for her starring role in "Boys
Don't Cry," seemed impressed that Harris managed to pull off the movie without
a lot of Hollywood support.
"It's very hard to show both sides of the creative life and the actual life,"
she said. "They did it so well and so beautifully. Any movie that's made with
very little money — more power to you."
"[Harris] is at the top of his game," added Swank's husband and fellow actor,
Lowe. "You can tell his heart and soul, every cell in his body, is devoted and
committed to the role. It's very inspiring."
Even though Harris himself wouldn't go that far in praising his film, he did
smile and allow himself a small pat on the back.
"I feel good about it," he said. "It's hard to be objective about it, but I'm
very proud of the film."