James LeGros on Independent Film: 'It's Always Been a Bad Business!'

Actor James LeGros has a long history of independent film work -- in fact, in the early 90's, he was regarded as something of an indie version of Brad Pitt (who he reportedly parodied in Tom DiCillo's Living in Oblivion). Now 48, the actor is probably best known to mainstream audiences for TV roles in shows like Ally McBeal and Mercy, but he's still an independent at heart, as proven by his starring role in the LA Film Festival entry Bitter Feast, which premiered at the fest this weekend. The Joe Maggio-directed, Larry Fessenden-produced horror film wring dark laughs from LeGros's celebrity chef, who gets the ultimate, torturous revenge on a blithe food critic (Joshua Leonard).

LeGros is currently in New York for Todd Haynes's HBO miniseries take on Mildred Pierce, but he rang up Movieline to talk about Bitter Feast, his relationship with Haynes, and the state of independent film today.

So you're working on Mildred Pierce right now?

Currently I am, yes.

Who are you playing?

I play the character of Wally Bergen, who in the book is her lawyer, business advisor, sometimes lover, and eventually adversary at the end of the story.

Can you tell me what your relationship with Todd Haynes is like? I remember watching the director's commentary on Safe, and when you came in for your first scene, he just could not stop laughing.

You know, this is what I've got to say about Mr. Todd Haynes: the guy's got a big catalog and he always stays relevant. I'm continually surprised by him. For me, this is just another great opportunity to work with someone who I have a lot of fondness and respect for. I love him, he loves me, and he laughs at my jokes. Maybe that's why I love him. [Laughs]

I think when this project was announced, people thought, "Well, he's already done a tribute to this kind of genre in Far From Heaven." How might it be different from that -- and from the original, for that matter?

As far as the original movie, I've never seen it, so it's hard for me to comment on the movie. The plot was sort of explained to me, and it's not at all like the screenplay Todd adapted. I've read the book a few times, and the screenplay is based on the book. It's a fairly faithful adaptation, as much as it can be when you're making something for the screen.

Let's talk about Bitter Feast. Is it fun to torment Josh Leonard?

Actually, no! Josh is such a nice guy. In fact, I remember one scene where I was tying up and the gun accidentally slipped off my shoulder and hit him in the mouth. It was very painful, and I felt terrible. Maybe it would have been fun if I didn't like him, but he's such a cool guy and good actor that I actually felt bad about it most of the time.

Is it old hat for you by now to work on a low-budget independent film?

I'm a worker among workers. You know, it's interesting: you have a lot of beginners working at that pace and at that price point, but it's really not for beginners at all. We were lucky to have a very seasoned bunch, which is what you need in that kind of situation. You need people who can think beyond their very narrow set of responsibilities and help out on all fronts. I remember once when we shot all night and the sun had come up, but we still had to shoot scenes in the basement. There was some stuff in the scene that preceded my entrance, and while that was playing out, myself and one of guys on the crew were still trying to tie back the duvatine so light wouldn't leak into the room. Literally, after finishing that knot, I had to burst through the door to make my entrance. You've got to multi-task.

They wouldn't let you do that on a big studio film -- union rules, and all that.

You wouldn't need to, either! In this set of circumstances, not only do they need you to be the actor or producer or director, but they also need you to carry some equipment, or wash some dishes when you're done.

The movie is sort of a dark wish fulfillment fantasy for performers who've always wanted to strike back at their critics. Do you read reviews yourself?

Yeah, I read 'em. I mean, I only believe the bad ones, but yeah, I do. I will say that over the years, I've been associated with things that were well-reviewed that I wasn't particularly crazy about, and I've been in things that didn't get very good reviews that I was rather fond of. The review didn't really change my opinion of the thing, but it's part of the process. It's necessary and it can helpful to a certain extent, but I also feel like it's a little bit of luck, too.

Your IMDB lists 89 roles. Do you remember all of them? Or do they sometimes come on TV and you're like, wait...who did I play in this?

When the thing comes on, I remember it, but I can't remember all of them.

So many of them were in independent film, especially in the 80s and 90s. What do you make of the tumult affecting that sector right now?

It's always in tumult. It's always been a bad business! [Laughs] I don't know when it's been good -- I'm still waiting for those days! It's always been bad. There was a period of time when you were a famous person that it was good, but now it's just bad for everybody. I mean, I don't mean to laugh at other people's miseries, but when we had this economic explosion and everyone was like, "Oh my God! What's going on in independent film with all this uncertainty?" I was like, "This has been my whole life! Welcome to showbiz, everybody!"

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