Barry Pepper - CinemaSpy: Exclusive Interview

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Exclusive Interview: Barry Pepper

The Canadian actor talks about his career, working with Clint Eastwood, and sailing the world

By Robert Falconer | Monday, March 30, 2009

Ever since his defining role as the devoutly religious sharp shooter in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Canadian actor Barry Pepper has established himself as a solid character actor whose performances, whether big or small, are always memorable. And while Pepper may have seemingly made war films a specialty — Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers, Flags of Our Fathers — it’s a label the actor dismisses as merely coincidental.

He may be right. Pepper has also starred in two sports biopics, playing real life characters in both: 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, in which he played Dale Earnhardt and 61, in which he starred as baseball legend Roger Maris.

Still, in Flags of Our Fathers, there’s an irony that cannot be overlooked: Not only does Pepper play a soldier, but a real life soldier—Sgt. Michael Strank, a Slovakian-born Marine immortalized in Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-wining photo of the United States Marines who raised the American flag over Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, around which Clint Eastwood’s WWII film is centered. Strank fought in tough battles like Bougainville, and his subordinates all looked to him as a leader.

As if all of that weren’t enough, George Lucas is considering Pepper for a role in his next project, Red Tails, a chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War.

Apparently, Pepper isn’t worried about typecasting. His last few films, including the role of Dan in Seven Pounds, and that of Rip Porter in the forthcoming adaptation of Karen Kingsbury’s novel "Like Dandelion Dust", are about as far removed from soldiering as one can get, yet still squarely within the realm of his growing repertoire as one of Hollywood's most versatile character actors.

A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: How would you describe the directing styles of Steven Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan versus Clint Eastwood on Flags of Our Fathers?

Barry Pepper: Well, they’re both very expeditious directors. And they’re both very relaxed when it comes to the script. They work in a completely organic way and give the actor full responsibility to explore the boundaries of the character, regardless of the dialogue. If something comes up in the scene where either you’ve forgotten the dialogue, or you think of something better to say, then you can say it. There’s an incredible amount of freedom that comes with that. You feel as though you’re being treated as a peer, or as a filmmaker. But it’s also a maturing process, because you’re not being held by the hand, you’re not being given literal direction. You’re being asked to take responsibility and perform as a professional. And at their level, which is daunting at first. Steven will give you a little more time. He likes to talk more about character and scene, because he has an incredible gift for storytelling.