Andy Garcia has made a career out of playing serious-minded cops in films–The Untouchables, Black Rain, Internal Affairs, to name a few. He’s back at it again in the thriller Twisted, also starring Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson, as a detective who may be a suspect in a series of murders involving his new partner’s one-night stands. He gives us the lowdown.
Hollywood.com: I like Samuel L. Jackson’s line in the movie, “You have to be a little crazy to be a cop.”
Andy Garcia: Yeah, well, I don’t know. I only play them in the movies.
So, you’re not crazy in real life?
[Laughs] No, not really.
Think you’ve tapped into that cop mentality?
I think it varies with each personality. There’s a certain camaraderie and loyalty that develops in that kind of profession, with your partner. It’s a very important relationship. It’s a very sacred relationship. Also cops to other cops. It’s like a secret private society sometimes.
But Ashley Judd’s character doesn’t exactly fit into that, does she?
No, not from the dynamics of the movie. She’s new at [being a detective], coming from being a patrol officer and basically being promoted by her stepfather, played by Samuel L. Jackson. And then she has to prove herself.
What do you think are the key elements to making a good thriller?
Suspense. A sleight-of-hand situation, whenever you’re trying to figure out a mystery. If you can keep people on their toes, guessing. There’s an art form to that. And there are directors out there who are very adept at that kind of filmmaking.
Is that one of the reasons you wanted to work with [Twisted director] Philip Kaufman [Quills, The Right Stuff]?
I’ve always been an admirer of Phil‘s work and I wanted to spend some time with him. I enjoy that relationship with a director, to watch him work and try to be a collaborator. Every movie is sort of a learning experience. Akira Kurosawa [the late Japanese director] once said that every movie he made was like he’d doing it for the first time. He believed he must start from scratch over and over, like going to school. So, I think you have to approach [films] with a certain freshness.
Do you feel that’s hard to do with this genre?
It is hard because a police thriller is a genre that is very familiar. Obviously, it’s a very commercial genre so studios like to finance those movies. As a director, you have to find material in that genre that appeals to you. And as an actor, you also have to find things that appeal to you in that genre. Everything these days is driven by commerce–OK, maybe not everything–but certainly in the studio system, things are driven by commerce.
Besides Twisted, what’s the last thriller that’s grabbed you?
The last movie I did, in Canada, called The Unsaid, that I’m very proud of. To me, that was a psychological type of thriller, also. I also really enjoyed movies like Memento and Narc.
What do you think is “twisted” in today’s world?
[Pauses] My schedule. [Laughs] I have to keep it light because if I talk about what’s truly twisted in today’s world, well….
Twisted is in theaters now.
