William Fichtner stars in new horror Drive Angry - profile
The US actor on playing the accountant from Hell
Name
William Fichtner
Born
27 November, 1956, Long Island, New York.
Background
‘I’ve got a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice but I had to take one arts course as part of my core requirements,’ explains Fichtner, ‘so I took an improv class and by the end of college I was just taking theatre classes.’ Leading to roles in The Longest Yard, Mr & Mrs Smith and The Perfect Storm. However it was high profile roles on TV in Invasion, Prison Break and Entourage that really brought him into the public consciousness.
What’s he in next?
Fichtner plays ‘The Accountant’ in high octane horror movie Drive Angry 3D as he is sent from Hell to settle the debt Nicolas Cage owes the Devil after breaking out from the underworld to save his granddaughter from a bloodthirsty cult.
On filming in 3D
‘3D has no effect on a character’s journey or emotions but [director] Patrick [Lussier] really knows his way round 3D and sometimes you do need to exaggerate your actions, because certain elements of your movement really translate into 3D. It really reminds me of a 70s road movie, really amped up tough talking characters, muscle cars, sex and violence.’
On playing The Accountant
‘There’s no reference points for a guy who works in Hell, which is great because you can just fill in all the blanks. You really need to find what they care about, that defines how a character acts, it doesn’t need to be grounded in reality but then you can figure out the motivations for all their actions.’
On choosing projects
‘You just read the script, if it’s a great part I’ll take it even if it’s just a scene like in Crash or Dark Knight. I read those scripts and just wanted to be in the film, you can make an impact with just a scene when it’s that well written.’
What’s next?
Fichtner has been working on his own script for a new ‘project’ but is keeping things close to his chest. ‘Whether it gets made or not I’m proud of it.’