BOP Interview:
Dennis Quaid and Ramin Bahrani of At Any Price
By Ryan Mazie
May 6, 2013
Dennis, one thing I noticed about your performance is that a lot of it is in your physicality; how you character changes posture when he meets different people.
DQ: That was the thing, especially in the first part of the movie; it was me playing Henry Whipple playing Henry Whipple "the Salesman." He has this exterior of confidence when he wants to sell you something, he wants to be number one so desperately, and he puts this gregarious exterior on. But on the inside, he is filled with self-loathing, because of the pressures he had. He compromises a lot of his values and morals and has gotten to this deluded thinking that he believes himself.
The character of Henry Whipple works in a very competitive industry and he is on top of his competition. The industry you work in is also very competitive. What have you done to survive the competition and still be here today?
DQ: I think that I am still here today, because of perseverance (laughs). And I still got fire in my belly for it. I’m grateful to still be here and working. I remember a lot of the guys that I started out with and I wonder where they are today.
Do you see that fire with Zac?
DQ: Oh, absolutely. Zac definitely wants to be an actor. The movie star tag is already there and that helps him out in a sense. But what he wants to be is a great actor and he is well on his way. He’s got all of the tools in the toolbox. He came out and dove into the character he is playing and gave me something to play off of, that’s for sure.
Ramin, what was it like directing Zac and Dennis and the other actors?
RB: Working with the professional actors was in many ways easier, because I didn’t have time. So when the actors come in and two days later we start shooting, they are already there. With a nonprofessional actor I have to work a lot with them in advance, but the professional doesn’t require that. Also, they add things you never think about. Dennis’ physicality; the way he holds himself. I would have never asked a nonprofessional actor to do that. So after he did that on the first day, I gave him a huge bear hug (laughs). All of my nerves were relieved and he made the character something much greater than I could have imagined.
I would be often impressed by what Dennis did on set and I would ask him, “How did you know how to do that?” and he would say, “Thirty years, kid.” (laughs). Pretty good answer!
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