The Next Level: ‘Whiteout’ star coolly plays role

BY MATTHEW PRICE Comments 0
Published: September 22, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Gabriel Macht moved from the square-jawed hero of "The Spirit” to another comic-book-based role, that of United Nations operative Robert Pryce in "Whiteout,” in theaters now.

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"I’ve always been a comic book movie fan,” Macht said at the press conference for "Whiteout” held recently in Los Angeles. "I started reading comics, based on some of the opportunities I’ve gotten in film, and I have a huge respect for illustrators and writers in the comic world. If they’re amazing, it’s a great entertainment. I have a strong appreciation for comics.”

Macht also was excited to be an action figure, which he was turned into based on his role in "The Spirit,” directed by Frank Miller and based on Will Eisner’s comics.

"It’s an incredible moment in your life,” Macht said of having a figure based on him. "If you grew up watching movies and looking at action heroes, you think, ‘Oh, man, maybe I’ll be one of those, one day.’”

While he thought his figure "looked a bit like William Sadler,” another family member had no trouble identifying the "Spirit” star from his action figure visage.

"I’ve been showing my daughter, who’s 2, my action figure,” Macht said. "I’m like, ‘Who’s that?,’ and she looks and says, ‘Daddy.’”

While much of "Whiteout,” which concerns a murder in Antarctica, was shot in below-zero temperatures in Manitoba, Macht said he surprisingly had more problems with heat while filming "Whiteout.”

"The challenges that we came up against were when we shot in the studio,” Macht said. "We were in 80-degree weather, in late spring, early summer, and we were having to wear extreme weather gear. It was probably the hottest set I’ve ever been on, so I was sweating bullets and probably lost 35 pounds by the end of the movie.”

For more about movies, comic books and more, visit Matt’s blog at blog.newsok.com/nerdage.