StudioLA's Jim Ferguson interviews Geoffrey Rush Star of The Quills

Geoffrey Rush graciously sits to talk with StudioLA's Jim Ferguson and chats about his movie The Quills

Jim: Congratulations on "Quills." Ah, you know I like the title. Would you agree? Begin right there, thats a wonderful metaphor?

Geoffrey: Yeah, I often think that when its a film set in contemporary time, youd have to call it "push-pen." But its an important thing because... whatever people might know of him, hes certainly got a tabloid reputation ...But the intention of this film, I think, is very much about him being a writer, and whats the difference between the man that we dont know a lot about and the writing that we do know a lot about.

Jim: And the quill is mightier than the sword sometimes.

Geoffrey: Yeah.

Jim: In your performance of this character, the Marquis, had so many personality ranges. So do you add a lot of extremes and levels to this character? Would you find that enjoyable as an actor?

Geoffrey: Oh yeah, oh, absolutely. That was pretty much the reason that I was attracted to it, because I do like pitching myself into those dangerous and slightly scary...thats my own form of masochism.

Jim: You do it so well. In your research of the Marquis, would you think, was he, in your opinion, a pornographer or a...a misunderstood genius?

Geoffrey: Id take both of those boxes.

Jim: You would?

Geoffrey: Yeah, I mean his writing is even todaythe word that the author of the screenplay uses is toxic, and it still had the ability to shock. But I think theres a pretty strong and perverse and challenging philosophy running through that...

Jim: Totally. Anybody that has read his work, he lived and worked in the eighteenth century, and yet as you said, hes still considered shocking today.

Geoffrey: Great. By the entire reading. You just have to dip in.

Jim: And go for it. For a film like this to work, Geoffrey, and be successful, it takes a wonderful team, a supporting cast. You certainly have it here.

Geoffrey: Phil Kaufman, the director, I met him to talk about the project, and thats an important part of the process for me...you have to sense that everyones gonna be making the same film and that this is going to be some genuine exploration that you dont know where its heading because its got so many textures to it. Phil, right from the first go and then into rehearsal and then the shooting of the film, was always generating this extraordinary sense of play and daring and, creating a great feeling of generosity ...on the set which was fantastic.

Jim: And you look at this wonderful cast, Kate Winslet, Michael Caine, you go right down the whole list... a lot of talent there.

Geoffrey: The central quartet of the movie is what its about. It doesnt really follow or adhere to one persons view in the film. I mean, youve got four different levels of morality from the libertine; hes kind of the ringmaster, hes the alchemist... a provocateur, and youve got...Kate as thethe laundry worker, who has this source of simplicity and purity, but shes a smart, feisty young woman. And then theres the Priest and then theres the doctor... and you throw them together and you get very lively dinner party conversation.

Jim: An explosion.

Geoffrey: Yeah.

Jim: I think at dinner last night thats all we talked for hours about this film and the many levels it has. Im just about out of time, but a question about scenes being totally nude. Ive been on many movie sets, but [was this] somewhat uncomfortable?

Geoffrey: Um, nah. No, Im used to it. The great thing was we shot this film in sequence. Once we got into the studio, they did all the location stuff and then through preference and choice Phil decided that we could only travel with this...from day to day. By the very nature, the sort of dimension that [it] reaches by the end, its sort of civilized and edgy at the beginning and then at the end its quite... primitive. So that was a really important factor in how the actors journey together.

Jim: Well, its a wonderful journey through this whole film of "Quills," and the Marquis survives the French Revolution, and you wont survive unless you see this movie. Dont miss it! Thank you so much.

Geoffrey: Thank you.

Jim: Thanks, Geoff. Alright, I gotta go see it again!