Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Can you hear it? It’s that time of year again. And a lot of that Oscar Buzz is (or should be) for Special, the quirky, brilliant lovechild of writers/directors Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, and their heroic nut, Les (played by Michael Rapaport.)

Special is about a guy who really, well, isn’t. Les decides to jazz up his Meter Maid existence by joining a medical study that’s testing a new anti-depressant meant to alleviate a person’s self-doubt. After diligently journaling his lack of reaction to the medication, Les finally begins to feel the effects…in a major way. Levitating, walking through walls, reading the minds of his comic book-nerd buddies: ‘You’re thinking about pizza. And you’re thinking I’m crazy.’

So, are they right? Or is Les really transforming into one of the Super Heroes he reads about on his lunch break?

I sat down with Michael Rapaport three years after he wrapped the film, which is finally hitting the big screen, and delved into the mind of the down-to-earth actor who played an over-the-moon mental case.

Playing Crazy

Playing crazy is one of those classic actor traps, right?

Right.

You’re ‘crazy’ as Les was specific, shaded and textured. The insanity had its own characterization. How did you decide how and when he would fall deeper under the drug’s control?

In hind sight, I didn’t look at it like I was playing crazy, cause to him [Les], he wasn’t crazy. You know, ‘What do you mean you don’t see me levitating? I just ran through the wall! Want me to do it again? I’ll do it again.’

I remember midway through the filming I was saying to the directors, ‘Yo, this guy goes crazy.’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, yeah’ and I was like ‘Yeah… I didn’t realize that’ because I wasn’t playing him like that. I just wanted to play him as genuinely honest…in the moment because everything was changing so fast. So, that was my approach to doing it because I didn’t want to get all, ‘I’m crazy! I’m just so nuts!’

Raising the Bar

This is the first feature for writers/directors’ Hal and Jeremy. How did they get you on board?

I was really flattered to be able to play the part. And you know I’ve been asked a lot, “Why would you do such a small movie?” I was flattered to do it. You know, I was kinda like, ‘How did I get to do it?’ It was just so well written and then those guys are so talented …and it just was a pleasure to do. It really was because fortunately, at this point, there is no reason to do a movie like that unless it is something that you’re excited about creatively and I really was. And it paid off. There were a lot of creative people and people were hungry. People were behind the movie.

The resources were so [few and far between] that it was just about doing what was best for the project. It really raised the bar for me on what I want to try to do creatively because of that. It raised the bar for me on what I expect for myself as an actor, but also what I expect a project to be able to give to me. It did change that for me. And that’s why I’ve been staying with the movie for so long. I really truly believe in the movie and I’m very proud of it, and you don’t always feel that way. We had a little speed bump with the distribution…you coulda just been like, ‘Fuck it,’ you know. ‘Let it come out when it comes out.’ But I’m proud of it. And they’re proud of it. Otherwise we wouldn’t be sitting here, you know?

Speak no Evil

You’re so great at telling a story without using dialogue, with just physical actions. And a lot of the time, just with your facial expressions and your eyes. So many of your scenes in Special have no dialogue at all, but I know exactly what you’re thinking.

My goal is always to just be as genuine as I possibly can and to try to make [the emotions] as personal as I can. [Even] if my truth is bullshit to the rest of the world, if it’s my truth, it’ll come across. If I’m able to dig into what’s real to me then hopefully, you know, it’ll resonate. I think that the goal when you’re doing something where you’re not speaking…you just gotta show yourself. That’s the kind of actor I am. Those are my emotions. They’re not the character’s emotions. They’re being delivered by the character, but the emotions are from me.

That’s why it’s so good. Instead of hiding behind the mask of a character, you unmask, and reveal yourself

Right.

The Low Point

Towards the end of the film in what’s probably Les’ lowest point, you’re on the ground, in the gravel, smeared with blood and moaning, ‘I’m a piece of shit, I’m a piece of shit’ over and over again. I was watching you and crying, ‘I am, too!’ How did you get to that place, emotionally?

This movie was very cathartic because I had been going through a lot of stuff personally. I had just got separated from my wife at the time, so I was able to draw on that. And since I’ve had kids…you know you’re able to dig a little deeper. You have more of a resource…you can almost dig into them. Being a parent is…it’s great and all but it’s an emotional experience. Good and bad and challenging. It’s a whole life that I’ve gotten from just being a parent for eight years.

Focus, people!

How are you able to be that personal when there’s a camera right in your face, twenty guys yelling, ‘Checking the gate!’ and everyone’s milling around, drinking diet coke?

That’s what we like. We like that time to do that, and it’s just a natural thing. There’s no shyness about it, there’s no, ‘what are they gonna think?’ My job is to make them put down their diet cokes.

That’s just part of the job. You gotta do what you gotta do in front of them, whether you’re being silly or [doing] the scenes where they clear the set. You’re making out and kissing girls…it’s crazy! It’s the same thing. It’s totally absurd. You’re doing that, and its like, ‘Alright, stop.’ And it’s not real, [but] you’re supposed to have an emotional thing, and they’re like, ‘Well, that’s good, but your hands are blocking her face.’

A thin line

So, speaking of kissing…You have fantastic chemistry with Alexandra Holden. How do you create such a nuanced relationship, when you’ve just met the other actor?

You just have to get past all the getting to know you. You gotta connect. It’s a weird thing. It could be deceiving if you’re not careful because the connection is so intense. I think that a willing participant should jump into it and then hopefully it just, you know, ends in a good way.

[We Laugh.]

And doesn’t become messy?

Yeah, or confusing. But it can be. That’s why you hear a lot about people falling in love. They work together, they played couples…this and that…it happens. It becomes an intimate thing because the getting to know you process is over. And actresses and actors can be charming to each other. That’s just the make-up of actors and actresses. [They] can be very compelling people if need be.

If need be?

Yeah.

Have you had to do love scenes with people that you really didn’t like?

I’ve had a couple. I had one or two…I was like…

Bitch?

[I laugh.]

Yeah. And very…controlling. A lot of it comes from nerves and fear and insecurities. I haven’t had anything too intense, but there was one particular girl that I had to do scenes with… it makes it harder…because it’s already uncomfortable and awkward and all.

A Whole Lotta No

That first scene with Dr. Dobson, you have to say 12 ‘no’s’ in a row. How did you make each one different?

I tried to make them distinct and specific…at least a few of them. Then it becomes almost like a musical thing, you’re just kinda changing a cadence. Then you do a few more takes…there’s only so many ways you can say it! But it was a fun challenge, you know, it was really fun. There was a rhythm to it.

Work That Body

How did you find Les’ physicality?

Some of the research that I had done [said], ‘When this happened to me, my body felt like this’ or ‘this happened, [and] my mind felt like that.’ And also after a while the…um… the suit became such a…the suit and the boots and…you had no choice but to take on a different thing. But it was also laid out because of what was written.

That’s A Wrap

The emotional work, the physical work, the giving of your whole self…it really adds up to a truly amazing performance. What’s your favorite part of the story?

I really love the part of the script where he says, ‘There are no bad guys chasing me, there are no super powers, there are no big fights to fight. You wake up, you get the coffee, you do the laundry, you go to work, you come home…

Maybe fall in love?

Yeah. That always touched a chord [in] me because I think when you’re at your best and things are clear, that’s what it is. There [are] ups and downs to that and there are great days and there are bad days and there are successes but I think as an adult, you know, that is what it is. I think at the end of the day, life is about living it. And it’s sad when he kinda realizes that is all it was, and that was appealing to me about the script. When I watch the movie and I hear that I’m always just…I’m so happy that I got to say those lines because I thought they were just so relevant and so well written.

It’s pretty rare when all the elements – the acting, writing, directing, cinematography – when everything comes together and just works. I get the feeling watching it that it’s gonna be kind of a huge deal for you.

Well, that would be cool.

I really do. Congratulations on a fantastic performance!

Special was written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore. It stars Michael Rapaport, Jack Kehler, Paul Blackthorne, Ian Bohen, Josh Peck, Robert Baker and Alexandra Holden and hits select theatres near you on November 21, 2008.