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(Interview with Michael Shannon)
Translation of Movie Review of Le Journal de Montréal for «The Iceman»
Michael Shannon as a cold-blooded killer
Used to playing psychopaths, Michael Shannon personifies in “The Iceman” Richard Kuklinski, a mafia hitman arrested by the FBI in 1986.
By Isabelle Hontebeyrie.QMI Agency
“I watched some of Kuklinski’s interviews that you find on YouTube after receiving the script. I found him fascinating and I told myself that to portray him would be a big a formidable challenge”, said Michael Shannon at a press screening for the movie, in Los Angeles.
Richard Kuklinski – baptised “The Iceman”, from where the film got its title – is suspected of having killed over a period of 30 years over a hundred men, most of all as mob hit contracts for the mafia.Condemned to five consecutive lifetime in jail sentences, he died behind bars under strange circumstances in 2006.
A mysterious man, Richard Kuklinski, never admitted the totality of his crimes and has often made doubtful confessions, as an example when he claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa, the famous American syndicalist.“The fact that is a true story increases the level of difficulty of y work. When all is fiction, it is more difficult to mess it up. In fact, “The Iceman” was doubly more complicated because if the script is based on true facts, nobody really knows the truth. The true story was never told, not even by the man who lived it. It is what makes such a role so fascinating: this mix of documentary, of reality and total fiction” he explains.
REDEMPTION BY LOVE?Strangely – and this is the basis of the movie – nobody knew of Kuklinski’s activities, a real serial killer. At the time of his arrest, his wife, Deborah Pellicotti (personified by Wynona Ryder) knew nothing of the second life of the man with whom she shared her life. Michael Shannon was very pleased to work with Wynona Ryder. He explains: “The question of chemistry between 2 actors is mysterious. The day before, we didn’t know each other, and the next day, we’re married. This is also what happened with Jessica (Chastain) for Take Shelter. I was nervous at the idea of working with Wynona Ryder, she is one of the greatest actresses of the past 20 years! When Wynona shows up somewhere, she gives immediately the envy to protect her, she is so small, she looks so fragile. But she is actually a strong woman but my first instinct was to look out for her.”If the real Deborah didn’t know anything of the life of her husband, this is more subtle in the movie, as Michael Shannon mentioned it.
“I know that Wynona had some difficulty with this (the fact that Deborah knew nothing). The way the script was written and the way she personified Deborah leave to believe that she knew that something was going on. But she surely didn’t know that her husband was a killer. In one of the scenes, you see Deborah describe to some friends the “fake” life of Kuklinski. I love this scene because we notice that she is doing it out of love. She loves him so much that she proves it by lying to all those people.”
This human side of this killer without a conscience was very important to the actor, used to play (notably in the excellent series Boardwalk Empire) with the fine line which separates passion from madness.
“I saw all the the Richard Kuklinsky’ s interviews. It is evident that he had sincere and profound feelings for his family. The truth must have been terrible for his children. For them, he was only their father. Far from me the idea to idealise their family life, I am as a matter of fact convinced that it more hideous than what we see on the screen. Nevertheless, I believe that Kuklinski loved his family and friends very much” he says.
“The secret to portray such a role, is to not think about it. In numerous cases, what prevent you from giving a good performance, is to intellectualize, to tell oneself you will look ridiculous if you move one way or another or to pronounce words in such a way or another. When you’re an actor for quite some time, you finish by realising that your brain can be your worst enemy. When I act, I try to empty my thoughts as much as possible before filming one scene. What permits me to get into the skin of my character, it is what is going on around me on the set.
“The Iceman” opens up in theaters throughout Quebec on May 17th.
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Либо это заразно, либо модно. 
