Billy Bob Thornton talks "Faster," "off-center" roles

Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) has a hunch that Driver will show up at the hospital and waits for him wondering if he's out there

Listed on wimgo Movies under Action

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.

Billy Bob Thornton prefers “off-center” roles

In these strange days for Hollywood, Billy Bob Thornton wants to avoid becoming a 3D vampire or a witch who turns into an alien.

“It’s a weird time in the movie business right now. You know, most of the movies they’re making are about vampires and 3D and all that kind of stuff. It’s not exactly my cup of tea … I like to do, I don’t know, more relevant things,” the actor/writer/director/musician said in a phone interview from New York.

In his latest film, “Faster,” the Arkansas native plays a character known only as Cop, a drug-addicted investigator desperate to collect his full pension and save his failing marriage. Days before his retirement, he is assigned to track Driver (Dwayne Johnson) — the principal characters are known only by their professions, and he is a getaway wheelman — an ex-con meting out retribution on the rival gang who betrayed him and his brother 10 years ago. Driver in turn is pursued by a hired Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) hooked on the thrill of killing.

“It has a little bit of that ‘70s feel to it, and I love those movies of the ‘70s, along the lines of the (Sam) Peckinpah movies or like (Steve) McQueen kind of action movies,” Thornton said.

“It’s kind of an ambiguous character, you know, which I like,” he added. “He’s sort of a cop who’s kind of worn out, wants to improve his life, but he has one more thing he’s gotta do first.”