Gabriel Macht The Spirit Interview

GABRIEL MACHT HAS THE SPIRIT.

EXCLUSIVE Gabriel Macht, The Spirit Interview by Paul Fischer

Gabriel Macht is making a reputation as one of Hollywood's true up and coming stars. Married to Aussie actress Jacinda Barrett, Gabriel Macht stars as the title role of the new comic book movie, The Spirit, as an ex-cop, once shot dead, now reborn as it were, as a womanizing avenging angel of sorts. Gabriel Macht talked exclusively to Paul Fischer.

QUESTION: This is a very kind of strange project, I guess, to be involved with, when you're working - and I was on set, so I know what that environment was like.

GABRIEL MACHT: Well, first and foremost, I think to work with a legend in the comic book world - , Frank Miller is - he's an icon. And his visionary style is so unique. I don't know if you've hung out with him at all.


QUESTION: I met him on set.

GABRIEL MACHT: Right. Wellhe's an incredible guy. He's so bright, and very charismatic and pretty hilarious. He's a really funny man. So that was a huge attraction. And not to mention working on a film that was taken from one of the pioneers of the comic book industry, Will Eisner. It's not the most famous comic book in the world, but he did start it off in the early '40s. So there's something about being involved in something that has a lot of potential, as far as a visionary masterpiece. I actually think that each scene - if you take just a frame here and there is like a piece of art, Is a work of art. So, that's the first draw. The second draw is - gosh, when you're a kid, you want to be an actor - I mean, for me, I would have loved to have been a superhero as a kid, And then to be a grown man and get that opportunity? It was a dream come true.


QUESTION: So, when you put on the costume and do all of that, does it kind of remind you of the reasons why you became an actor in the first place?

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah. I mean, sure. Part of the reason I wanted to become an actor was, A, because I was a storyteller as a kid. I'd go to these movie sets with my father, and see that it was a real ensemble environment. People were working together to tell a story. I grew up with three siblings, and we did that as kids. And as much as my father was influential, my mother was as well. Instead of talking to each other, we'd sing to each other. And so, , I made a film when I was eight years old, along with going to the movie sets with my father, and I just liked the atmosphere so much. And I liked the magic behind the move-making, and what made scenes work, and how the illusion came across. And so I wanted to be in that business.


QUESTION: What are the challenges for you, when you're shooting something like this, to work in that particular environment that Frank works in, which is the whole green screen environment?

GABRIEL MACHT: I would imagine it to be very challenging if I had to work with, like, a tennis ball in place of, like, a dinosaur. I think that would be really, really difficult. But as far as this is concerned, I'm a New Yorker. And it's just in my blood, so it was very easy for me to envision the backgrounds, because again, if the scene called for me driving up in a car, getting out, slamming the door, walking down a street, we had the car. We had a cobblestone street with cement sidewalk. It was just the backgrounds that were all green. And, , Frank's unique perspective on how he saw Central City was very articulately described to me every time we went out, and he called "action."


QUESTION: What sets Denny Colt apart from other superheros like Batman and other characters who also work in these fictionalized cities, who consider the city to be as much a part of their psyche as anything else?

GABRIEL MACHT: Well, I don't know, I think The Spirit has a bit more self-deprecating humor. I think that the essence of the Spirit that we created was the real innate natural goodness that he brings to the world. And that he wants to return to the city. So when the city screams, he wants to put it at ease, and use reason, and his kindness, to make the city operate in a more humane way.


QUESTION: Now, the last three times I've spoken to Kate Beckinsale, we've mentioned White Out.

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah.


QUESTION: It seems like it's a movie that has been striving to come out now for quite some time. Are you finally looking forward to this movie seeing the light of the day?

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah. I mean, I'd love to see it. I don't know what's going on with it. I really haven't been involved with the producers. I mean, I talk to Kate, but I have no idea where it's at. I mean, I think it's - I think they want to put it out there when it's ready. And I think they've got a great movie on their hands. I can't wait to see it.


QUESTION: What's the nature of your character in it?

GABRIEL MACHT: I play a US diplomat that was sent down to solve the first murder in Antarctica, with the only US Marshal down there, that's played by Kate Beckinsale.


QUESTION: It sounds fun.

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah. I mean, it's a great thriller, And it's set in a really icy cold world, where - , we only had, like, three days to solve this murder before we were stuck there for the next six months, because you can't get out.


QUESTION: You've got another couple of things coming out that sound very interesting. Talk about Karen Goodman's One Way to Valhalla.

GABRIEL MACHT: That film is a small, independent film about a guy who is sort of complacent, and because of an injury, he changes his mind about things. And he sees a new light. It's a really interesting little film. And I look forward to seeing that one, too, when it's finished.


QUESTION: It must be nice to work on something which is much more character-based than, like, bigger films, like these two.

GABRIEL MACHT: Well, , it's funny. I found The Spirit to be very character-driven. Even though there's tons of action and romance and stuff, I found - , to slip on a mask and a trench coat with a red tie - I mean, that's not me. I really love creating that guy.


QUESTION: So you didn't take the costume home, wear it at night.

GABRIEL MACHT: No, I didn't. No. I took it home, and I dressed my daughter in it for Halloween.


QUESTION: Ah, okay. That'll be cool. I guess you're working with Jacinda on Middle Men. Do you two have scenes together?

GABRIEL MACHT: We don't, but it was terrific working on the same film together. We just wrapped two days ago in Vegas and the film was written by George Gallo, who wrote Midnight Run. So it has a very similar feel to that. But we're dealing this time with two guys who make hundreds of millions of dollars really early on in the adult entertainment industry, on the Internet. And they get into - they make a lot of wrong decisions. They get involved with the Russian Mafia, and the FBI's after them. And Luke Wilson is a businessman who takes care of the business, and fixes a bunch of mishaps.


QUESTION: And you worked with James Caan in this.

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah. Jimmy Caan is in it, and Giovanni Ribisi plays my partner. He plays a veterinarian who is fired for taking the drug that he's supposed to administer to the dogs and cats. And I play a rocket scientist who actually came up with the code for credit billing on the Internet. Itt's loosely based on some real people and there's some amazing stuff in this film. Again, that's an independent film, but we created really great characters with that.


QUESTION: Do you have anything else that you're planning on working on?

GABRIEL MACHT: No, not right now. I plan on spending time with the family back in Australia for the holidays.


QUESTION: When are you leaving?

GABRIEL MACHT: Leaving next week.


QUESTION: And is Jacinda and your child, are they already there now?

GABRIEL MACHT: No, they're not, they're in LA, but we're all going together. We're going for a month. We can't wait.


QUESTION: Do you guys go to Queensland, or do you have any other places that you like to visit while you're in Australia?

GABRIEL MACHT: Well, we'll be in Queensland, but we'll come down into New South Wales. My brother-in-law lives down there with his wife and child. And we'll be up on the Sunshine Coast. And - yeah, we'll be at the beach. And - , I look forward to having a bit of a relaxing time. We've been working hard this past year, so. Every summer - every Christmas in Australia, we get summer again. We get two summers a year, so it's great.

The Spirit

Starring: Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King
Director: Frank Miller
Genre: Action/Adventure
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Adapted from the legendary comic strip, THE SPIRIT is a classic action-adventure-romance told by genre-twister FRANK MILLER (creator of 300 and SIN CITY). It is the story of a former rookie cop... Adapted from the legendary comic strip, THE SPIRIT is a classic action-adventure-romance told by genre-twister FRANK MILLER (creator of 300 and SIN CITY).

It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the SPIRIT (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the OCTOPUS (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: hes going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central Citys rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader.

Surrounding him at every turn are ELLEN DOLAN (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; SILKEN FLOSS (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; PLASTER OF PARIS (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; LORELEI (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and MORGENSTERN (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, theres SAND SAREF (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. Shes the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him?

In the vein of BATMAN BEGINS and SIN CITY, THE SPIRIT takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

Scarlett Johansson The Spirit Interview - www.web.com