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 Billy Crudup
Interview By: Stephen Snart
Upon first glance, Billy Crudup is almost unrecognizable as Tobey in the new romantic comedy Trust the Man. It’s not just because of his oddly quaffed hairdo and the unconventional costuming. It’s also the nature of the material. His work as the pessimistic, self-absorbed Tobey is unlike anything he’s done before. But that isn’t really anything out of the ordinary for him. From playing real-life track star Steve Prefontaine in Without Limits to an incendiary guitarist in Almost Famous to an effeminate thespian in Stage Beauty, Crudup has never played the same role twice. What separates this latest performance from the rest of his work so drastically is the largely comedic tone of the film. For Crudup, this was a long overdue change of pace. “I’m kind of a class clown at heart. To get a chance to really explore that and be frivolous with some friends was, selfishly, a very happy experience for me.” The friends he refers to are his high profile co-stars Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal and David Duchovney, in addition to the writer/director Bart Freundlich, whom he had previously collaborated with on 2001’s World Traveller. “I don’t think I would have felt quite as safe being such a buffoon if I wasn’t doing it with a friend. Some of the films like Jesus’ Son or Almost Famous have some comedic elements that are kind of slapstick or a little buffoonish. But this one is a flat-out silly comedy and my character is the butt of many jokes, so it really helped that it was with a friend.” His transition to comedy is remarkably smooth. Every single one of his line readings zings thanks to perfect comedic timing. Because of his unpredictability and his fresh approach to comedy, Crudup steals the show away from this exceptionally talented ensemble on several occasions. Even David Duchovney is readily acknowledging this by making several mentions to how funny Crudup is while on the publicity tour. In proper form, Crudup responds to these complements with a deadpanned, “First off all David is not funny. He’s drunk often. Really drunk. And not a funny drunk. [He’s] a mean spirited drunk. So, the fact that he would think I was funny… not necessarily a complement.” After playfully lambasting his friend, Crudup changes tone to talk about something that is important to him professionally: characterization. Crudup is known for getting deep under the skin of the characters he inhabits from film to film. Unsurprisingly, he’s very thorough when it comes to choosing his next character to embody. “I think a lot. It doesn’t mean I’m smart or particularly dexterous at thinking, it’s just the way that I’m built. I think a lot about things. So, when I’m involved with something creatively, I don’t want to be able to solve it early on because then I get bored. I want something that will continue to stimulate me, continue to puzzle me, that I’ll continue to have to answer questions |
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