Mark Strong stars alongside an impressive cast - Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch - in the dramatic thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on the novel by John LeCarre. Strong, most recently seen on screen colored green in Green Lantern, was familiar with LeCarre's book and was impressed with Alfredson's work before signing on to Tinker's cast."I thought Tomas was a great director, and film is a director's medium so you want to make sure you're in safe hands. Then I found out what the cast was, some of them. Most importantly, I just thought Jim Prideaux was a really interesting character to play in light of what I've been doing recently. So all those things meant it was an easy choice," said Strong.
Dec 9 2011
Mark Strong has built up an impressive filmography, tackling roles that require the 48 year old actor to completely disappear into his character so much so that moviegoers forget it's Strong they're watching. But with a slew of standout roles in major releases (including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), it's gotten harder for movie fans to forget his face."I think inevitably I can’t hide in the way that I’ve always enjoyed in the past, because part of the joy of this has been cropping up in things that people have no idea it’s me," explained Strong at the LA press day for the Focus Features release. "I really enjoy that. I love that. I love it if somebody makes the connection during the film or after the film, 'My God, that’s that guy.' I take a kind of perverse pleasure in that."
His recognition factor has gone up with people on the streets, however Strong really prefers to fly under the radar. "In England I still travel on the tube, I walk the streets, my life hasn’t changed at all. I’ll find people looking at me slightly longer than normal," said Strong, adding, "But that’s all very good. People are usually very polite and come and say hello, and that’s great in a way because it means whatever it is you’re doing, you’re doing it right."
Inside Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Prior to taking on one of the lead roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Strong says he was familiar with the book and with director Tomas Alfredson's work. "You grow up as a schoolboy in England and if you’re reading anything at all, eventually you’re going to come across John LeCarre. I read it in my late teens, so I was aware of it," said Strong. "Then I really enjoyed Let the Right One In. I thought Tomas was a great director, and film is a director’s medium so you want to make sure you’re in safe hands. Then I found out what the cast was, some of them. Most importantly, I just thought Jim Prideaux was a really interesting character to play in light of what I’ve been doing recently. So all those things meant it was an easy choice."A word of warning to viewers: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of those films where it's necessary to pay thorough attention all the way through (no popcorn breaks or you'll miss an important plot point). The story is complex, but Strong said he didn't have to read the script multiple times to get it. "I know it’s a complicated film and it’s brilliant in that it mirrors the book in that way, because the book is really kind of arcane and difficult. You never quite know what’s going on and are you with Smiley, is he ahead of you, do you know more than him, does he know more than you? And the film is the same. But in the script, essentially your job is to present those moments as written."
"Often what I’ll do is take out of the script all the stuff that I’m not in, because that’s irrelevant. You don’t know about that stuff, unless it says specifically in the scene that you’re aware of something’s happened. You’re just dealing with your own thing. My journey for Jim was to do the scene in Hungary which goes wrong, then arrive at the school, the relationship with the boy, the realization that his world is coming crashing back in and ultimately his despair in the fact that he realizes he’s been used and has to take revenge or mercy on his closest friend who he loves," explained Strong.
Filmmaker Woody Allen likes to give his actors only the page they're in, and Strong thinks that's not a bad idea. "It takes away the responsibility, in a sense, because then all you can do is do what’s on the page. You can’t second guess what’s going on in the rest of the movie, which can sometimes be a bit of a burden. Because obviously you don’t know because you won’t be in the edit; it’s not your film."
Another aspect of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy that Strong admired had to do with the quietness of the film. "I find it more satisfying because you’re not having to worry about performance. Theatrical performance, for example, in the theater you need to make people who are sitting 50 yards away - or however far they are at the back of the theater - hear and see what you’re doing. I love film because the camera examines you. For example, when you watch documentaries, you know instantly whether people are telling the truth or not. I don’t know how or why, but you kind of know. You just feel it in the air. What this film allowed us to do was to be incredibly subtle with every moment. I didn’t feel I had to transmit anything to make anybody understand anything. I just had to feel it and be it. There is this saying in film: 'Don’t show it, be it.' Some people would argue that’s the difference between good and bad film acting, so I enjoyed it."
When asked about his normal preparation process for a role, Strong revealed that he really takes it character by character. "There is a checklist that you have to think about. Probably the most important, and I learned this way back in drama school, is you go through the script and in trying to discern what your character is, you look at what your character says and does but you also look at what everybody else says about your character in case there’s something in there, so you can get a sense of your through-line. You have to take into consideration what else is said about you, to be aware of that, which is just one of the things you do."
"It’s fun creating a character, the look, the mood. And then you play each scene for itself. I think people who [do a] general wash on a script, saying, 'This character is going to be melancholy.’ Then it’s boring if every scene is melancholy, because in life it’s not like that. So if you’re playing a melancholic character, you can still give him a scene which is very, very hyper and it will be that wonderful jigsaw that makes up all of us, which is full of very different moods and emotions. And that’s how you create an interesting character, I think."
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is rated R for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language
http://movies.about.com/od/tinkertailorsoldierspy/a/mark-strong.htm
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