Interview conducted by Josh Horowitz
January 28, 2004
Peter Dinklage has had a great year. He’s the star of the nearly unanimously praised character drama THE STATION AGENT and somehow manages to steal scenes from Will Ferrell in a pivotal role in the comedy hit ELF.
He’s also a dwarf. Look, it’s got to come up at some point. And the fact that I mention that fact after listing his accomplishments of the past year is a testament to what kind of a year 2003 was for him.
It all really is about THE STATION AGENT, as unlikely a crowd pleaser as you’re likely to encounter. First time writer/director Tom McCarthy introduces us to three unlikely friends played by three of his actual friends, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, and Dinklage. It’s a film that defies plot summaries, instead relying on quiet authentic moments between actors too often relegated to peripheral characters in bigger studio films.
Dinklage has parlayed his role at Fin, a loner who inherits a train depot, into wide critical acclaim including an Independent Spirit nod and two nominations from the Screen Actors Guild. He’s also about to make a big movie from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I recently met up with him at one of his favorite cafes in Williamsburg even as he tried to cheer himself up after his new potential apartment had hit some snags in paperwork. We quickly moved away from the sore topic.
Josh Horowitz: THE STATION AGENT has had a long shelf life already.
Peter Dinklage: Yeah. October 3rd is when it opened and it’s still in theaters. I’ve done films where they’re in theaters for like three weeks so it’s incredible. It’s one of these movies that does better months after it’s opened because of the word of mouth.
JH: I spoke to your fellow Independent Spirit Award nominee Paul Giamatti this morning.
PD: He’s great. Yeah, it’s me, Paul Giamatti, Bill Murray, and Ben Kinglsey? I mean, give me a break. If I ever won, I would be so embarrassed I would not get up there.
JH: How did it feel to finally see this film on the screen after trying to put it together for so long?
PD: It was three years in the making. [Director] Tom [McCarthy] wrote it for the three of us. We all knew each other or knew of each other. I think it’s great for a writer to write for a specific actor. You know what they’ve done. You know what they’re capable of doing. Anyway, a couple of times the financing fell out which was ok because it gave Tom time to rewrite. And there was time to get to know each other and hopefully that shows up on film. We all were in it for the same reasons. We all really believed in the project.
JH: How did the script change over that time-span?
PD: I hate talking about things that weren’t in the film because people will think about that but we had a different ending. There was something in the history of my
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character that was radically different. But the main story of the three of us always remained pretty consistent. Some other minor characters came and went. It’s like when people ask, “what do you think happens to the characters after the movie is over?” Well first of all, they’re characters, they’re not real people. It’s up to you. I just don’t like to fill in the blanks for people.
JH: Fin is such a private character and very much a loner. Could you relate to that part of the character?
PD: Oh yeah. Of course man. Just on the way over here on the subway, there were a couple of teenagers opposite me with a camera phone. I was in a bad mood over some paperwork for my new apartment. They must have recognized me from ELF or something so this kid just puts out the camera to take my picture while I’m just sitting there. So I just leaned towards them and was like, “you know guys, you should really ask before you do something like that.” Sometimes you just want your privacy and sometimes you’re just not in the mood. But on the other hand there’s times where it’s nice to be recognized. I get stopped four or five times a day about THE STATION AGENT and I can’t deny that’s something I love. It’s a movie I love. I made it with friends so it’s nice.
JH: Were a lot of your experiences, being a dwarf, used by Tom in the script?
PD: Oh, definitely. I mean it is all Tom’s script. But we definitely incorporated my experiences. It’s stuff I deal with every day. Like when I walk by a school yard and kids come up to me. But I love that. They’re sort of like, “Hey what’s up? What grade are you in?” I get that all the time and we put that in the movie. I’m always like, “I don’t know. I’m in grade 34!” It’s little things like that, people taking my picture like that thing on the subway. One of the things I love about the movie is that there’s almost no backstory for the characters. What we learned in those three years of developing it is we didn’t need it. A lot of movies will over-explain the relationships in a monologue or something. Or like the way movies usually wrap things up. With this movie, who knows where it goes? It frustrates some people.
JH: Is there anything you’ve taken away from working with someone like Patty Clarkson who has mixed her career so well between independent and studio films?
PD: Yeah. Well people take different paths. Patty has been very smart in doing things simply when she loves the script. So that’s why she does a lot of independent films. If I could have a career like hers, I’d feel so lucky. That group of actors like Stanley Tucci, Campbell Scott, and Patty are the people I admire so much. They’re so smart. They’ll do the big movies to pay the bills but their heart is where the story is. Patty’s got a great heart. But she’s struggled. Every actor struggles but that’s also part of the joy.
JH: Is there a sense for you that you need to capitalize on this moment where you’ve gotten all of this great attention for the film?
PD: Yeah. Things are starting to happen which is nice. I’m 34. I got really lucky. My first film was LIVING IN OBLIVION and I thought, “That’s it. I’m set!” But the offers did not come flying in. I was still working a regular job in the city. But today I’m very lucky. Any actor that can make a living doing this is rare. After this movie came out I had so many general meetings in LA that weren’t for anything specific. These were people that just wanted to meet me because of the hype of the movie. There’s nothing wrong with that but I was just sort of like, ”now what, are you going to call me or was this just to say that you met me?” I don’t get that. But you have to take everything with a grain of salt. But we’ll see what happens with all of that.
JH: So you have a development deal now?
PD: Yeah, it’s centered around a character I would play. You get a little wary of television but it’s getting
better and better and the producer of this I really see eye to eye with. I’m the only actor I know that hasn’t done a lot of TV. Tom, Patty, and Bobby have all done television.
JH: Would this mean a move to LA? What about your new apartment?
PD: I know. I don’t know. I gotta be bi-coastal. I like walking around. My favorite thing to do is walk around New York City.
JH: How did LIVING IN OBLIVION happen?
PD: I was doing theater in New York and [director] Tom Dicillio’s agent heard of me, that I was the hottest young actor on the east coast under five feet tall. (LAUGHS) They needed somebody my size they were having a hard time trying to find somebody. They’d seen a lot of people and nobody was really working. So Tom Dicillo called me at this office job I was working at. I hung up on him because I have this group of friends who are always being silly and I thought it was fake. Then I was like, “oh shit. That didn’t sound like any of my friends.” Then he called back and I apologized. So then he just gave it to me after I came in for the audition. It was really cool.
JH: Who are your favorite filmmakers?
PD: Fellini, Kubrick, Cassavetes. I love Truffaut.
JH: Any modern filmmakers?
PD: I like that Gus Van Sant is going back to some interesting stuff. I just rented GERRY a few weeks ago. I just love his earlier stuff. I like this young guy David Gordon Green who did ALL THE REAL GIRLS. He’s really good. I like him a lot.
JH: So you’re working on doing Toulouse Lautrec on stage?
PD: Yeah, it’s a thing I’ve been working on and off at Lincoln Center. I’m going to go back to it in March. We’ve just been rehearsing it. Twice a year for the last two years we’ve been getting together. Another slow process like THE STATION AGENT. (LAUGHS) It’s just me and a bunch of beautiful dancers so I have no problem with it.
JH: What’s TIPTOES?
PD: It’s a film I did right before THE STATION AGENT with Gary Oldman. I got to work with him every day which was pretty cool. I get to be Gary Oldman’s bad influence best friend character, a drug addict Frenchman who rides a motorcycle and Oldman is the straight laced guy. He’s unrecognizable in this film. He plays a dwarf. And I worked with Patricia Arquette who I worked with before in HUMAN NATURE.
JH: I thought HUMAN NATURE was hilarious and really underrated.
PD: Talk about a movie that was in theaters for only a week. Apparently [director] Michel [Gondry]’s next film [ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND] is absolutely brilliant. He directs everything with such craftsmanship. It was great working with him. I’ve been really lucky. Tom Dicillo, Buscemi I’ve worked with a couple of times. I’ve fallen into great little communities of people who work with each other a lot. I’m sure I’ll work with Tom McCarthy on his next film…hopefully. You hear that, Tom?
THE STATION AGENT is currently in theaters.
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