Richard Gere in Brooklyn's Finest
Richard Gere makes a return to the big screen next month in Antoine Faqua's latest police drama Brooklyn's Finest.
It's the actors second movie of the year after making us all get our handkerchiefs out for Hachiko: A Dog's Story.
Gere joins an all star cast of Done Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes and Will Patton.
- Tell us about your character, Office Eddie Dugan.
There was something at his core that I really wanted to explore and I wasn’t quite sure what it was until we’d actually done the scenes.
I realised what was coming out and what was being expressed in these scenes. a lot of emotion, a lot of self loathing, a lot of anger but a lot of tenderness, a lot of rage about God and how a universe can allow a horrible things to happen. That it can allow so much pain and so much suffering.
- What attracted you to the script?
It’s deceptive how subtle the interplay amongst men, the kind of self loathing that comes along with this territory of cops and ex-servicemen is.
These are men who have killed or hurt people and are constantly in danger and there can be a kind of tender heart that’s at the centre of it all.
- You have an interesting relationship with Chantel, a neighbourhood hooker, played by newcomer Shannon Kane. How was it working with her?
I don’t know that Antoine and I were really clear about what this character had to be. I think we were aware that it could go many different directions and there were wonderful actresses who came in and read for the role but there was something that Shannon had.
She’s a gorgeous woman but she’s also got this girlish. Something unformed about her and at the same time being very secure in her own skin and it’s a wonderful combination.
- How was working with director Antoine Fuqua?
The best directors I’ve worked with are like how Antoine is. The way I come to the work is that it’s all a voyage of discovery and you can’t know exactly what it’s going to be when you walk in.
There are other possibilities that present themselves and emotions are mercurial. They come in unforeseen ways and you take advantage of what’s happening in the moment and ideas as well as possibilities and spontaneity of expression that you couldn’t have thought of in advance.
- How about the rest of the cast?
This cast is just extraordinary, especially these young actors that I didn’t know about. The two rookies that I worked with were very kinetic, very immediate kind of actors who can flow and we changed things; went off script and messed with things.
We had fight scenes which can be difficult especially with young actors, who kind of lose their cool under pressure, but I could see right away I could trust theses guys to stay within the bounds of not breaking arms and losing eyes.
We did some pretty far out there things very quickly, you know, we do fight scenes in ten minutes.
Brooklyn’s Finest is released in UK cinemas on 9 June
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