Spike Lee and Michael Imperioli have worked together on countless films, so it’s no surprise that Michael will be showing up in Lee’s upcoming Oldboy remake as Josh Brolin’s barkeep friend. From what we were shown, Imperioli’s character Chucky is more of a support line for Brolin’s character, being there to help him out when all seems dark.
While I was attending the New York Comic Con this weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in a roundtable interview with Michael and a few other journalists, right before we sat down with actress Pom Klementieff and writer Mark Protosevich.
Imperioli gave us his take on Spike’s vision for this Western remake as he discussed what Michael’s character means to the story, how he interacts with Josh Brolin’s character, and what other projects he’s is working on.
Enjoy!
Trying to get a sense of who Michael’s character is, we asked if he has a friendly connection with Josh Brolin’s main character:
Michael Imperioli: We’re friends from school days, like prep school, and we stayed in touch up until the point where he disappears. Actually, I’m one of the last people who sees him before he disappears. Then, when he resurfaces, he shows up at my bar. I own and operate a pub, and he comes in and I help him land – just try to figure out what happened. Try to get him back into society again.
Knowing this is a remake, we asked Michael if he’d seen Park Chan-Wook’s original film:
Michael Imperioli: No, I never do that kind of thing. I always think it’s better to start from scratch. I’d rather go into it completely open, no preconceptions.
In two special clips that all press members were shown, we noticed the material had been “Westernized” to a degree, so we asked him if the themes were geared specifically for US audiences:
Michael Imperioli: I don’t know if it’s necessarily America, I’d say it’s modern society in general. To me it’s about karma, and maybe that’s why there’s a Buddha in there. This guy was not a good guy, he was kind of an asshole. Does the crime deserve that kind of punishment? I don’t know. You realize that you set certain things in motion with your actions through the world, and can he redeem himself? He suffered, he did his punishment, and now can he go beyond that, rather than just pay back a debt.
Expanding upon Michael’s answer, we asked where his character stands if he knows how much of an “asshole” Josh’s character is yet still is such a good friend:
Michael Imperioli: It’s something that he tolerated. It’s ironic because I own a bar and he has a drinking problem, and that’s kind of a tricky thing. He could be a really good customer but you’re doing a disservice by serving him. They have such a history that he forgives that side of him.
Because films can sometimes be very tight, we asked if Michael had time to rehearse with Josh before filming:
Michael Imperioli: We rehearsed before production began in New Orleans, I was there for a few days, and they were there quite longer filming specific stuff that involved specific characters. That’s great, because we got to spend time together, we got to hang out, we did a little bonding, and got along really well. It was good to just delve into the script, particularly the dialogue. This was the sixth film I did with Spike [Lee], so I’m kind of used to his process, and I always look forward to that. It’s really seeing how the words come out of your mouth. Spike really encourages a lot of input, which is something that surprises a lot of people because they assume Spike runs a really tight ship, which he does, but you can be as creative as you want, and he encourages that. You can re-write dialogue and come up with new stuff, and if he doesn’t like it he’ll tell you, but he wants that kind of input, and that’s really fun.
Michael Imperioli: It was a departure for Spike because it’s originally based on a graphic novel, and I think there’s that heightened sense of reality, and a certain tone visually. Colors that pop in that kind of graphic novel way, which is really exciting. I think he really embraced it. We’re not just making a gritty, reality driven movie, it takes place in this alternate universe in a way.
With Spike, he’s a very character driven director, he loves actors, so you’re going to get that combination. That’s what’s really exciting. Spike Lee is not the first name you would probably think about redoing Oldboy. What’s amazing about Spike is – well, now he’s doing something he raised himself on Kickstarter, and Red Hook Summer he did for half a million dollars. He’s willing to play in very different arenas, and that’s what makes him a great artist.
Talking about his character, Michael revealed how physical his own role is:
Michael Imperioli: It’s not so physical. There’s one very physical scene, and I shouldn’t say anything so I don’t give it away, but it was more connecting with Josh, that was my way in with the character, being a lifeline with him.
We asked Michael if Spike Lee’s Oldboy will be as crazy and violent as Park Chan-Wook’s original, which showcased the violence as an important piece of the movie:
Michael Imperioli: Oh yeah, it’s violent. I think that’s part of the story, part of the themes. I think it’s unfortunately part of the world we live in because of technology. The first thing that pops in my head – the bikers that just recently attacked that guy. I mean, twenty, thirty years ago you would never see images of that. You see beheadings when they happen, with terrorists and that shit. We’re much more aware in society about that, we’re immune to it in some degree, or we’re becoming immune to it. I think that’s why this plays such a role in this film. It’s elemental to the story.
Since Michael is a Buddhist in real life, we asked if playing in such a violent film raised any conflicting emotions:
Michael Imperioli: Getting to act those things is a good outlet, it’s therapeutic – so you don’t have to do it in real life.
Ending the interview, we asked Michael what he’s currently working on, and what’s coming next:
Michael Imperioli: I wrote a pilot I’m pitching, and I would love to direct it if we get to do it. I
He also referenced an upcoming role he has on Californication:
I play a TV showrunner/writer/ex-cop who moves to Hollywood, hates what he’s doing, he’s bitter and angry. He’s running a TV show called Santa Monica Cop, which is a really bad detective show, as it sounds. Cops rollerblading – it was really fun, that was a blast. I hire [David Duchovny] as a writer on the show, and hijinks ensue.
I’ve also got a couple indies, one that was a graphic novel called The Scribbler. The lead actress is the daughter of David Cassidy, Sasha Grey is in it, some pretty good actors, and they’re really going for a graphic novel look, very visual.
I’d like to thank Michael Imperioli for his time and for this roundtable interview. Be sure to check out Oldboy when it hits theatres on November 27th.