John Malkovich Talks BITTER WHEAT, His Career, and More With Neil Sean

Now this wonderful play currently showing at London's Garrick Theatre stars the one and only

Mr. John Malkovich and it's a play very much in the news with hints of Harvey Weinstein plus a

brilliant performance. Don't take my word for it though, let's go and meet John Malkovich

John, lovely to meet you and we're here in of course the splendour of the Garrick Theatre

where you're doing a marvellous job every evening. But tell me about your latest role and what is it about

Tell me the background. I'm in London at the Garrick Theatre doing a play called Bitter Wheat

It's a new play written and directed by David Mamet, the American writer

We open sort of mid-June or so. and it's a play essentially about a very badly behaved Hollywood mogul

although actually he lives in New York so I don't know how Hollywood is

Now I've seen you in the play and I won't give too much away but it is very impressive

given the times as well and all the sort of things that it's hooked on to

what was it when you first read it and you thought what was the bit that you said

I really like this character, what's it about? Well, I think the question about this play

I was speaking with it with my long, long time movie producing partner

and her husband and some other people yesterday. I mean, the thing about this play was always the timing

and the kind of danger of the timing. I think it's a very good play

I think it might be seen very differently in a year or two or three years

But timing is sort of everything and I could easily see how people could be offended by it

because of course this particular character who's called Barney Fine is very badly behaved in a number of ways

but one of the ways is sexual, and that's obviously been a huge topic in the world the last couple of years

and a conversation kind of long overdue. If there is a conversation, there doesn't seem to be much of a conversation

For me, when I read it, I thought it was a great character. I thought it was funny

I thought it's not a defense of him at all. I mean, I don't know how you could paint

a sort of gloomier picture of someone. However of course anytime you present someone on the stage or on the screen and maybe this is a long answer for why

you know, it's been somewhat controversial, apparently, is you defend them. Yes

I mean, meaning not intentionally, but because they're presented, they are in some way

well, if not defended, they're listened to. Yes. I always saw it as a comedy

The question has always been, are people ready to laugh about this topic

And does it only depend on who tells it? Yes. If, for instance, we've had now five, let's say, victims of one of the people who was prominently accused during the onset, and it's still ongoing, of the Me Too movement, and that's Harvey Weinstein, the movie producer

These particular people all experienced something according to them. I have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve them

A couple of them didn't experience that at all, but maybe you heard about it or something

And none seemed traumatized. And they all seemed to love the play

Now, does that mean everybody who experienced harassment, rape, abuse, unwanted contact or unwanted advances, does that mean they experience it with that kind of sort of calm or equanimity? No

I mean, because everybody's experience is different in this world. but that is how I saw this play

And I'm sure some people are not ready to laugh at it. Yeah, yeah

Sure, of course. Yeah, that's what makes you think. Did you ever meet Harvey Weinstein yourselves? Yes

And did you, when you read these things, did you think, that's not the guy I met, because I interviewed him

and you know, it's just exactly what you're saying. What you saw is not what others see

It's a classic scenario, isn't it? Oh, I, you know, it's very funny

You always hear, everybody knew about it. I don't live in Hollywood

I don't really know anything about Hollywood. I don't spend much time there

I never have. I never did. He doesn't live in Hollywood either, by the way

Apparently, it was sort of common knowledge. I never heard a single comment about him

about many of the other people As far as I can remember I heard zero I could be wrong and I could go oh that right

In 1987, somebody said, etc. But I heard nothing about Harvey. I knew him in passing

I worked with him once, never after that. He bought a film we had produced, he bought

Oh, I didn't produce it or finance it after it was on

I think because Johnny Depp was in it. I certainly had no experience or knowledge of that side of it

But I knew people who were accused of certain things

and at least one of them admitted flat out what he had been accused of

He said flat out that it was the case that he had done what they had said he'd done

But you don't know that just because you do a film or you have a meeting about a screenplay

Most of the people I meet, I don't know anything about them. I don't know if they're straight or gay

I don't know what their life is like. Unless they're friends, then that's a different thing

What I like about your career though, you do do some slightly offbeat things

and you obviously do them for fun. I've got to mention, well, Eminem's phenomenal video

How did you get involved in that? Because you're not a natural bedfellow, John

Or maybe you are. I love them, though. Well, we're from the same part of the country

from the Midwest. I think he spoke to a lot of people

Marshall, I don't know him or anything. Just met him then really very briefly

I don't even know how they came about to ask me. He knew I was a fan of his work

he was kind of put into play let's say I don't know maybe it's even discovered by Dr. Dre the great

American music producer and rapper and writer and I guess inventor actually

who I was always a huge fan of in the 90s, et cetera

So I've done all kinds of things like that just because they seemed like they'd be interesting

I forgotten you done this and when I was researching you today and I thought it was very funny Talk me through how the Nespresso advert came around with you and the gorgeous George Clooney

How did that come around? Because, again, it's a massive coup to get two huge stars to do something like that

I don't know who asked me to do that. I don't know if it was George

I had a great time with him. I like him. I don't see him much, but I've always enjoyed the time I've spent around him

I don't know if it was George or if it was whoever

I forget if Robert Rodriguez did Robert do both or only the second

one or only the first one I can't remember but I don't know if that

was a client thing because I do a lot of work in Europe so

in a certain way I might be more known in Europe than

in America in a funny way, possibly, I don't know, or elsewhere, actually

Clever casting, though. Very clever casting. Yeah, it was fun. I enjoyed it. I did two campaigns with them

although I still couldn't buy some capsules the other day on Regent Street

You should have just shown them the video. Look, it's me. That's all the point

I think that goes back to the play. That's what is great, because you're showing one side

and you're telling me your version of it, but what we see sat out there in the dark is a totally different thing

When you walk out you think that was really thought-provoking. It changes what you think was Ron like, you know what they were Ron like

Well you know we did a film, we not me but I'm part of a company still

I don't work there much but part of a company called Steppenwolf Theatre

out of Chicago in America, in Illinois. We did a play in conjunction with the national co-production I guess it was

this year where our theaters worked a number of times, stuff done and stuff with them

And it was called Downstate, and it was a play about pedophiles in a halfway house

And I know some people refer to it as a kind of pro-pedophile play, this or that

It's just, you know, when you put something on stage, you have to understand you're talking about human beings

That's all. It doesn't need to say any more than that. And then it's for the audience to reflect, to judge

to judge harshly, to judge less harshly, to judge not at all

to watch, to experience. That's theatre. It is indeed. And you're very good at theatre

John, honestly it's been an absolute thrill to talk to you