Last week tableau, along with college journalists from across the country, had the opportunity to speak with actor John C. Reilly about his new film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
As he said himself (or sang, rather) in the song "A Comedian at the Oscars" at the 2007 Academy Awards, Reilly has continually crossed that often-treacherous line between drama and comedy.
Very few actors have played such diverse roles; he has been a sword fisherman, a murderess' jilted husband, a racecar driver's sidekick (twice) and a porn star, to name a few. His ability to fully embody any character has allowed him to avoid the typecasting that can befall both dramatic and comedic actors -- and may be the reason why he is not quite a household name ... yet.
This is set to change Dec. 21, when audiences will see him in his starring role as Dewey Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (title reminiscent of a recent biopic, anyone?). The Judd Apatow-produced spoof tells the story of a self-absorbed rock musician who battles drugs, women and himself as he tries to navigate his way through the music industry.
"It's almost like I've been preparing my entire life to play this part, in a way, because of all the different aspects of the movie; from the music to the actual dramatic scenes to the comedy stuff," Reilly said about his role. "It was a lot of different things all mixed together, so that was a challenge."
The film begins with Dewey Cox's blues-filled musical childhood (the blues influence stems from when he accidentally cuts his brother in half), and throughout the years he encounters countless musical legends including Elvis Presley (played by Jack White) and The Beatles. The film is full of real-life rockers, Saturday Night Live comedians and Judd Apatow regulars -- all of whom collaborate and improvise to create what should be a truly hilarious movie.
Fortunately, Reilly has experience singing on film; most notably in his Oscar-nominated turn as Roxie Hart's tortured husband Amos in Chicago. For Walk Hard, Reilly helped write the approximately 30 original songs, and it was in the recording studio that he had to make choices about the troubled musician's life.
"My favorite thing about playing Dewey was getting to be a rock star and the fact that even though he made bad decisions as he went along ... He wouldn't let himself get too down ... It was a lot of fun playing someone who was so oblivious to his own, I don't know, his own narcissistic side. It's always fun to play someone who's a little bit delusional."
In addition to working on the music, Reilly played a pivotal part in the conception of the film and the character. While still in the writing process, screenwriters Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan contacted him to get his input on what rock stories they should tell (and spoof).
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story will finish up what may be known in the future as the year of Judd Apatow, whose other movies this year include summer hits Superbad and Knocked Up.
Having been in the industry for 20 years, Reilly is well aware of the transient nature of comedy.
"It seems to be this thing that's constantly evolving, almost like hourly -- what people find funny and what they want to see in a movie that will make them laugh."
The creators found themselves in a difficult position at times when considering how real and how much of a spoof the character should be. The solution was to have both, Reilly said.
"I would try to play the scene as emotionally honest as I could and as realistic as I could, but then at the end of the scene I'd take PCP and run out in my underwear. We always found ourselves getting into these kind of heavy, dramatic situations and then [make] a full left turn at the end of the scene ... So yeah, that was a challenge. But it was a lot of fun, you know"
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