You will hear a lot about him.
Not only because he will play Charles Manson in one of the most anticipated films of the recent years, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” directed by Quentin Tarantino, not only because he will play the same role as Manson in the Netflix series “Mindhunter,” but because Damon Herriman is an actor with a unique talent.
Used to the roles as the “villain,” especially if you think about next year when he will play (twice) one of the evilest people in History, we met him in Venice to talk about his latest film: the drama by director and screenwriter Jennifer Kent, “The Nightingale,” in which he plays Ruse.
We had seen the film the night before meeting him, and after an initial moment of bewilderment in which we connected his kind face to the one of his (not so kind) character, we dived into asking him everything we could about the film, his role, but also other small curiosities such as his favorite movie or the last TV series he has seen.
Since the first moment, Damon has transmitted to us a passion and a sweetness that are rare and made us realize how important it is, in the world of cinema, to tell stories with truth, rawness and without holding back. It’s not showing the horror that we can perceive the truth but it’s in the mastery of the story and the interpretation that we can truly feel it. And with “The Nightingale” Damon manages to convey all that to us.
A movie to watch. An actor to keep an eye on. And that we are lucky to have met on that sunny morning in the heart of Venice.
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How does it feel to be in Venice, at the Venice Film Festival?
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It’s amazing, I’ve never been to Italy, and so Venice is my first taste of Italy, and it’s kind of blowing my mind. It’s so beautiful and magical; it feels like Disneyland for adults.
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We saw the movie, and let me tell you, it’s amazing, for now for me it’s the winner.
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It’s so nice to hear.
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It’s a very violent and dark movie. How did you prepare to portrait such an intense character?
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We did quite a bit of preparation, Jennifer Kent, the writer and director, was very conscious of wanting to make sure that everything was done the right way and with integrity. So, any of the actors who were involved in any of the violence, whether it be the physical violence or the sexual violence, spoke with a psychologist who was working with Jennifer on the script; and we also read material that Jennifer wanted us to read up on. Other than that, for me personally, it’s really about taking what’s in the script and trying to bring to life. The character I play is a pretty horrible person, there is no way around that. You people say that you got to find the positive even in the evilest characters, but it’s pretty hard with Ruse, he doesn’t have a lot of positive attributes, but really it’s just about being faithful to the script and try to bring to life the character that Jennifer had written.
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On the scene where you are at Clare’s house and you all destroy completely her life, it was very hard to watch. How difficult and challenging was for you to play it?
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It was absolutely horrible. We shot that scene over two full days, when we found out we would have to do it over two days we were like, “Oh Jennifer no, please, please don’t make us come back.” Usually, in filmmaking, scenes that are horrible to watch are not necessarily horrible to shoot, but that one was genuinely horrible to film. All of us were crying at different times because it felt so real, and because we shoot over two days we were having to act out or to watch the same scenario over and over again. You know it’s acting but you are also watching a woman who’s screaming and crying, and you are watching or performing something horrible and then there is the baby…and yeah, it’s certainly the most brutal scene I have ever had to act in, and I think that all the actors would agree on that. And I’m sure it’s one of the most brutal scenes that an audience would ever have to see.
“Usually, in filmmaking, scenes that are horrible to watch are not necessarily horrible to shoot, but that one was genuinely horrible to film.”
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It’s really raw, it seems real…the direction is amazing in a good way even if it’s a very violent scene, it’s really great.
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Yeah, I know Jennifer felt that she didn’t wanna hold back, she certainly didn’t want to eroticize it at all, and the thing is that most of the horror takes place on Clare’s face. We don’t actually see nudity or anything like that, but the horror you are experiencing is through her reactions. Jennifer didn’t want to hold back from that because what’s happening is really brutal; She feels that it’s very important to share that brutality, as it actually would have been.
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About “The Nightingale,” what was the thing that captured you the most when reading the script?
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It’s just an incredible screenplay, it’s an incredible piece of writing, everyone who read the script was blown away, there were A-list Hollywood actors wanting to play roles in this film because the script was going around the place, and it is just an unbelievable piece to read, it’s so powerful, every single character is well defined. They all feel different from each other, there is an incredible story, and there is an incredible emotional act. So, all of those things and then getting to work with Jennifer Kent who is one of the best directors working today.
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You are Australian and so is Jennifer, the director. What is for you a unique aspect of Australian cinema?
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It’s very hard, when you work inside something, to sometimes work out what it is about it that sets it apart. I think there is something very Australian about Australian cinema, nailing down exactly what that is it’s harder. I think perhaps there is in a general sense, not always, an attempt with Australian filmmaking to make films that have integrity and that are going to be critically well received and we are less likely, I guess, to make Popcorn movies in Australia, not to say we don’t make commercial films, we do, but certainly not as much as they do in America, there tend to be a bravery surrounding a film like “The Nightingale,” that’s not a film you’ll likely to see come out of the Hollywood system.
“…there is in a general sense, not always, an attempt with Australian filmmaking to make films that have integrity…”
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On “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” first of all congratulations.
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Thank you so much.
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Do you think that there are aspects of your role in “The Nightingale” that could be useful also for your preparation for the role of Charles Manson? I know it’s a completely different thing but they are both evil.
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I think probably every role you play can contribute in some way to roles you play in future. I can’t really say too much about the proper way that Manson appears in the movie but it is a very different version of Manson than perhaps the one that…look certainly the time it takes place within the film…I’m trying to work out a way I can say this without getting in trouble. [laugh]
But yeah, let’s just say that probably all roles contribute to the next role you are doing, and there is certainly a crossover in characteristics between Ruse and Charles Manson, although the scenes in both films are quite different for nature.
“…every role you play can contribute in some way to roles you play in future.”
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What’s your favorite evil character of all time?
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Oh boy! Let me think, I mean, it’s hard, that’s what I need to do my homework on, let me keep thinking on that, ask me that again in the end.
I do love John Malkovich in “In the Line of Fire.”
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What’s your favorite accent?
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I think the one I felt most comfortable doing is Southern American accent because I’ve done that a few times now. I did a series in America called “Justified” and I played a Southern redneck character on that over 6 years. So I really like that accent because it comes quite naturally and also it’s got a fun to it, it makes the dialogue come alive when you do that accent.
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What’s your favorite movie of all time?
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I think probably “Goodfellas,” I love “Goodfellas.“ I keep feeling like I need to update because it’s 25 years old now that I love that film.
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You have done a lot of TV series, but what is the last you watched and loved?
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Goodness, there is something, I’m trying to remember what it is. I just can’t think of what series I’ve watched recently but I know I’ve watched “Stranger Things” but that’s old now (laugh).
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The most beautiful thing while filming “The Nightingale”?
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I think the feeling that we had as a group, Jennifer and the actors and the crew all felt like we were making something very special. And the cast, you wouldn’t know that from watching the film, but the cast love each other very much, and we kind of created that random family and we are also very proud.
Photos by Johnny Carrano.
