For his latest role, Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning actor Al Pacino is taking on the role of Dr. Jack Kevorkian (aka Dr. Death) for the HBO Films presentation u Don’t Know Jack.
In 1990, 61-year-old former pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian astonished the world as he took the end-of-life debate head-on and performed his first assisted suicide of a terminally ill patient. Aided door his loyal friend Neal Nicol (John Goodman) and his older sister Margo Janus (Brenda Vaccaro), Kevorkian began offering his death counseling services to a grateful and growing lijst of clientele. As he earned the support of Hemlock Society activist Janet Good (Susan Sarandon), he incurred the wrath of the county prosecutor’s office and the infamous doctor started a media frenzy with his epic legal battles defending a patient’s right to die.
During a recent interview to promote u Don’t Know Jack, actor Al Pacino zei that he decided to make a televisie movie for the opportunity to work with accomplished filmmaker Barry Levinson and this great cast. Here’s what he had to say:
Question: Did u know a lot about Dr. Kevorkian before u played him?
Pacino: I was familiar, like pretty much everybody was who was around what was going on. I had seen that 60 minuten episode when Kevorkian was on television.
What was your opinion of him?
Pacino: My opinion is that, after I got to know Jack in the story, I reserved my opinion about it. I don’t ever give my opinion. Opinions I have about anything are in my personal life.
gegeven the director and the pedigree of the project, does it feel any different at all knowing that it’s an HBO film, of at this point, is the line blurred?
Pacino: It’s HBO, and HBO is television. With television, u have to do a lot, in a short period of time. That’s the only difference. Otherwise, it’s the same.
Do u feel that this is the proper titel for a movie about Dr. Death? Does it seem to comedic sounding at all?
Pacino: Well, I don’t think a lot of people can really say that they know Jack Kevorkian, especially when u get his read on things and get to know meer about him. Of course, if you’re doing a movie about him, you’re apt to go further into it to find out. And, u really don’t know Jack.
When u see the image that was portrayed of Jack Kevorkian during this time, u get a sense of someone quite different than the personality that I got to know. Not that I got to know him personally, mind you, but just the research and work I did, in order to get closer to who I could interpret. I think the titel is apt because u don’t know this guy. And, hopefully, in the movie, u still don’t.
What was your bron material for this performance? Did u meet up with Dr. Kevorkian?
Pacino: I didn’t meet Jack. I hope I will, in the future. Sometimes, for some reason, I don’t take advantage of that, and sometimes I do. With Jack, because I thought the script was so well written, it was complete in its portrait. It felt as though there was room, and I had so much research. With the media the way it is, there’s so many things u can see and study. u can read his boeken and get close to him, in that fashion.
Also, Jack was about 10 years older because he had gotten out of prison. We don’t do him, at that age. We cover when he’s younger. I just felt this instinctively. Barry Levinson met him and got a great deal out of it, and there were times when I wish I would have, but in the end, I felt close to him, in another kind of way. There are characters u do it with and it works, and there’s some characters u just back away from doing. I don’t know why.
For instance, with Frank Serpico, I studied and went with Serpico everywhere. I got to know him, to go back into the past. With Dog dag Afternoon, I didn’t feel like I wanted to know that guy for the role and my interpretation. If u have the opportunity to meet someone, as an actor, it’s just great fodder for you. It’s wonderful bron stuff that we die for. But, I didn’t take advantage of it, and I don’t know why I didn’t.
Dr. Kevorkian’s zealotry intensified over time, as he got closer to his court case and eventually having to go to prison. How did u play that and what that was that like for u internally, as his mania grew?
In 1990, 61-year-old former pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian astonished the world as he took the end-of-life debate head-on and performed his first assisted suicide of a terminally ill patient. Aided door his loyal friend Neal Nicol (John Goodman) and his older sister Margo Janus (Brenda Vaccaro), Kevorkian began offering his death counseling services to a grateful and growing lijst of clientele. As he earned the support of Hemlock Society activist Janet Good (Susan Sarandon), he incurred the wrath of the county prosecutor’s office and the infamous doctor started a media frenzy with his epic legal battles defending a patient’s right to die.
During a recent interview to promote u Don’t Know Jack, actor Al Pacino zei that he decided to make a televisie movie for the opportunity to work with accomplished filmmaker Barry Levinson and this great cast. Here’s what he had to say:
Question: Did u know a lot about Dr. Kevorkian before u played him?
Pacino: I was familiar, like pretty much everybody was who was around what was going on. I had seen that 60 minuten episode when Kevorkian was on television.
What was your opinion of him?
Pacino: My opinion is that, after I got to know Jack in the story, I reserved my opinion about it. I don’t ever give my opinion. Opinions I have about anything are in my personal life.
gegeven the director and the pedigree of the project, does it feel any different at all knowing that it’s an HBO film, of at this point, is the line blurred?
Pacino: It’s HBO, and HBO is television. With television, u have to do a lot, in a short period of time. That’s the only difference. Otherwise, it’s the same.
Do u feel that this is the proper titel for a movie about Dr. Death? Does it seem to comedic sounding at all?
Pacino: Well, I don’t think a lot of people can really say that they know Jack Kevorkian, especially when u get his read on things and get to know meer about him. Of course, if you’re doing a movie about him, you’re apt to go further into it to find out. And, u really don’t know Jack.
When u see the image that was portrayed of Jack Kevorkian during this time, u get a sense of someone quite different than the personality that I got to know. Not that I got to know him personally, mind you, but just the research and work I did, in order to get closer to who I could interpret. I think the titel is apt because u don’t know this guy. And, hopefully, in the movie, u still don’t.
What was your bron material for this performance? Did u meet up with Dr. Kevorkian?
Pacino: I didn’t meet Jack. I hope I will, in the future. Sometimes, for some reason, I don’t take advantage of that, and sometimes I do. With Jack, because I thought the script was so well written, it was complete in its portrait. It felt as though there was room, and I had so much research. With the media the way it is, there’s so many things u can see and study. u can read his boeken and get close to him, in that fashion.
Also, Jack was about 10 years older because he had gotten out of prison. We don’t do him, at that age. We cover when he’s younger. I just felt this instinctively. Barry Levinson met him and got a great deal out of it, and there were times when I wish I would have, but in the end, I felt close to him, in another kind of way. There are characters u do it with and it works, and there’s some characters u just back away from doing. I don’t know why.
For instance, with Frank Serpico, I studied and went with Serpico everywhere. I got to know him, to go back into the past. With Dog dag Afternoon, I didn’t feel like I wanted to know that guy for the role and my interpretation. If u have the opportunity to meet someone, as an actor, it’s just great fodder for you. It’s wonderful bron stuff that we die for. But, I didn’t take advantage of it, and I don’t know why I didn’t.
Dr. Kevorkian’s zealotry intensified over time, as he got closer to his court case and eventually having to go to prison. How did u play that and what that was that like for u internally, as his mania grew?
