State of Play - Brennan Brown interview

BRENNAN Brown – aka Mr Dresden from the Orange goldspots – about starring alongside Ben Affleck and Jeff Daniels in State of Play, making the leap from commercials and TV to movies, filming the Orange ads and working with some truly great co-stars, and appearing on Broadway in the new play from Ethan Coen. This was an exclusive interview I organised on behalf of Orange, having spotted Brennan in State of Play and suggesting it to my commissioning editors…

Q. I gather Kevin Macdonald had to pull some strings to get you for your cameo in State of Play. Was that flattering to hear?
Brennan Brown: Very much so. He knew me from the Orange adverts. And then I think I went on tape and just did a normal audition. He saw it and liked it and I got the part in the movie.

Q. Did you do much research into the type of spin-doctor you play?
Brennan Brown: Well, I'd actually known some people in that field previously. I'd worked with a political lawyer when I first moved into the city. I also asked some folks I knew who had connections with [Washington] DC and met some of those types of people, so my character is really a composite of those power players, communication directors and spin doctors that I got the chance to speak to.

Q. Are they as sinister as you portray them in the film?
Brennan Brown: [Laughs] They're not always that sinister, no. But they can be, I guess. It's accentuated for the movie. But they're just doing their jobs, of course.

Q. How was getting to work alongside Jeff Daniels and Ben Affleck?
Brennan Brown: It was fantastic and they were both really, really great to work with. I'd been a fan of Jeff's, and Ben of course, for a long time. But they were both really sweet and very comfortable to be around. It was a very relaxed shoot.

Q. Although you don't get to share a scene with Russell Crowe, did you get to meet him?
Brennan Brown: I never worked with Russell and I didn't have any contact with him unfortunately. Obviously, I'm a big fan. But it was Ben Affleck and Jeff Daniels' world I inhabited, as well as Robin Wright Penn, so that's where I stayed.

Q. How did you find Kevin Macdonald as a director. He's one of our emerging talents...
Brennan Brown: Kevin was great. He's really fantastic, super smart, and very capable. He knows how to talk to actors. So, I found him to be really, really fantastic and surprisingly easy on set. This was a very relaxed experience. He was very professional but he also knew how to keep the set fun - and that was an admirable quality given that he was in charge of such a big film.

Q. Had you seen the original BBC series upon which this is based?
Brennan Brown: I had seen the BBC series, which I really enjoyed. And having done so, I wanted to do justice to that, as well as make it our own. The brief little scenes I have were their own little animal, really. But it was a real pleasure to watch the original because you can see why it was such a popular series.

Q. The update also touches on some very hot button issues, such as the power of the press and the rise of privately funded armies. Is that something that interests you anyway? Did you research it more? And was anything that you found out alarming?
Brennan Brown: It was fascinating to me and I did do some extra research into the issues it raises. I tried to find out more by watching some CBS documentaries in order to get a handle on the kind of world that we were dealing with. As for whether it's terrifying, for sure. The world is terrifying for anyone that tries to be aware of what's going on. The closer you look, the more you realise just how bizarre and crazy the world can be. The events of the past 10 years has shown us that very clearly. So, in that respect this was thrilling subject matter to be a part of and its timing is relevant, particularly in the way it shows how the press operates and the relationship of the press to private events/public people. This covers a lot of topics that are very salient. It had the feeling of a high quality piece that was dealing with things that have some relevance to people's lives.

Q. What does a role in a film like this mean for your career? Does it give you the step into film that you're looking for?
Brennan Brown: Yes, it provides that step into movies. It's a nice opportunity and I'm very grateful to have been able to do it. It's a nice big budget feature and a great opportunity to gain entry into that level of material. And it felt very comfortable and very nice to be there. But the acting business is so bizarre... you never know what one thing will lead to from one moment to the next.

Q. Likewise, the Orange adverts. What have they done in terms of raising your profile [as Mr Dresden] and do you film them in America or the UK mostly?
Brennan Brown: We film them here in the States generally but they're only shown in the UK and Europe. So, on the one hand it's nice that I'm not recognised from it over here. But it's always nice to go to the UK because people are so sweet and very supportive of them. It's always very nice to see how appreciated they are. And it has raised my profile in the UK. It's familiarised me with a lot of British directors, including Kevin Macdonald and Tom Hooper, the director of John Adams, who subsequently cast me in that mini-series.

Q. You've obviously been doing the goldspot for many years. So, who have been your favourite celebrity interviews?
Brennan Brown: Wow, there's been so many over the years and everybody... all of the celebrities are so nice and eager to enter into the spirit of it. Stephen Fry was a real delight, and John Cleese was lovely to work with. I'd always been a huge fan of his, so meeting him was wonderful. Roy Scheider was really fantastic. He passed away last year, of course, so getting the chance to meet and work with him was fantastic. I'd been a fan of Jaws and The French Connection and Marathon Man was very important to me. So, being able to talk to him about that was really great. We also just shot one with Emilio Estevez, who is the nicest guy on the planet to work with. But everyone has provided a different memory because they all have been keen to enter into the silliness of it.

Q. How close to reality are they, do you think?
Brennan Brown: How close? Probably not that close. There's definitely an insanity to it but I think they're certainly not talking to a guy sitting on a throne made of scripts at any time! But I think the movie business is bizarre and insane in its own way. And the pitching process can be pretty psychotic.

Q. Have you ever pitched anything? Or would you be minded to having picked up some tips?
Brennan Brown: Oh God no [laughs]. I'm already pretty intimidated enough by the idea of pitching something. I'm very happy just to be an actor. I imagine that pitching a screenplay would be really difficult.

Q. How much of the adverts are improvised?
Brennan Brown: We improv almost everything. There will be certain points that the guest celebrities will need to say, or certain points that the company wants me to get to in order to convey a certain line about the product. But one of the joys of working on these commercials is getting to improv so much because you get to really have fun in the moment. And that's something you don't get to do so much on camera. It's rare to get that much leeway. It is very hard work but it's also very rewarding in that sense.

Q. So, how long does it take to shoot each advert?
Brennan Brown: We shoot one gold spot in a day and can do four or five in a week. They are huge productions to get done in one day and it's actually quite funny how labour intensive they are. It becomes work to continue to have fun because part of doing improv is keeping yourself fresh and relaxed, and to not appear tired when shooting. You have to be as loose and as available as possible, even though it may be 3am and you're shooting in some abandoned theatre in Hollywood.

Q. We've also seen you in a number of American TV shows, such as John Adams and Damages. US TV, in particular, is enjoying something of a golden era in terms of quality. Is that something you're proud to be so much a part of?
Brennan Brown: Definitely. TV is particularly strong at the moment, especially with the cable series. HBO is a vanguard of that and all the different cable networks are coming out with their own shows at the moment. The quality is amazing and they're really fun to be a part of. I've recently been doing a couple of episodes of Ugly Betty. But the writing work that goes into these shows is brilliant. Doing TV is a real pleasure. John Adams was this massive, massive production for HBO and to have done that was really impressive. I was proud to be a part of it. And everyone worked so hard on it, from the director to Paul Giamatti. He did such good work in that... but worked back breakingly hard. And I think it shows.

Q. You also have a background in theatre and have performed on Broadway. Is that something you're keen to continue and would you like to come to the West End?
Brennan Brown: I would love to come to the West End if the opportunity presented itself. Right now, I'm in rehearsal for Ethan Coen's new play. Ethan - of Joel and Ethan Cargo, the brothers behind Fargo and No Country For Old Men - has written a new play, which is currently previewing at the Atlantic Theater in New York.

Q. What's it called and can you tell us a little of what it's about?
Brennan Brown: It's called Offices and like its name suggests it's three short plays set in various office environments. There's an ensemble of 10, so we all play important roles. It's a lovely, lovely cast, which includes F Murray Abraham. He's been a pleasure to work with.

Q. What's it like working with Ethan Coen?
Brennan Brown: Ethan is great... he's so smart and also just funny and loves to laugh. It's a tremendous privilege just to be able to work with him.

Q. What's next for you? Do you have any more film roles lined up?
Brennan Brown: I might be doing some more Ugly Betty, but then after that I'm just looking for work.

Q. And what can we expect from Mr Dresden?
Brennan Brown: Well, Mr Dresden has started his own film company now, and has become a director in his own right. He's drunk with power on that, as usual, and is starting to shoot his own film. Mayhem ensues.