The Beaver Speaks: An Exclusive Interview With Mel Gibson's Most Controversial Co-Star Yet

In anticipation of the May 6 limited release of The Beaver, Mel Gibson spoke candidly last week about the film, his high-profile image crisis and his relationship with director and long-time friend Jodie Foster. But in the sprawling conversation, the Oscar winner failed to discuss his most intimate co-star and the namesake of his potential comeback project: the beaver puppet.

Curious to hear the puppet's side of the story, Movieline met with the first-time actor at a nondescript Santa Monica coffee shop earlier this week for his first exclusive interview.

First of all, congratulations on The Beaver. This is quite the feature debut.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I notice that you don't speak with a Cockney accent like your character does in the film. You had me convinced that you were a direct descendant of Michael Caine.

Well then the thousands of hours I spent devotedly rewatching Alfie paid off, eh? [Slips seamlessly into a Cockney accent] If I 'ave to see that 'ere bloody film with my minces one more time, my loaf'll damn near explode. [Transitions back to American accent.] It's fun! My wife got so sick of hearing the Cockney though that she banned "Michael Caine" from the house last week.

Kind of life imitating art then?

I guess! Just speaking with a Michael Caine accent feels so therapeutic. I recommend trying it, especially if you're stuck in traffic.

I read that The Beaver was your first professional experience acting ever. Had you ever considered acting before this project came along?

I took musical theater in high school but never considered acting a real "career option." After graduation, I got into the family business and just assumed that I'd live a Midwestern puppet life just like everyone else.

What is the family business if you don't mind me asking?

Toll booth work. Third generation. There's kind of a stigma attached to it but it's good honest work. And I got to study people all day, which I guess looking back on it now as an actor, is why I enjoyed it.

So how did you go from collecting change on the interstate to co-starring with Mel Gibson?

A friend of my wife's was looking on Craigslist for a lamp and saw a casting notice for a male beaver with my build and coloring. She emailed it to my wife as a joke and we laughed. But then I couldn't stop thinking about the part.

Did your wife encourage you to audition?

Eventually. She saw how much it meant for me. She suggested that instead of using our vacation money for another week in Tampa, I fly out to L.A. to try out.

How did that go?

I'm from a small music theater program where you'd get the part if, you know, you didn't whack the teacher with the lead cane prop while singing "Pore Jud Is Daid" out of tune. So a real Hollywood audition was frightening. They call them cattle calls but I joke that this one was a rodent call. Every actor in that waiting room looked like me but was a little taller, a little thinner or had better hair. It was an ego trip!

How did you think you did?

I had no idea. Jodie's such a sweetheart but is hard to read. A week later though, I got a call from the casting director saying I got the part. I still can't believe it really. I'm just a toll booth puppet with a dream, you know?

Not only was this your first film, but it was your first time working with an A-list actor and director, both Oscar winners. On top of that, your co-star was undergoing one of the most high profile image breakdowns that Hollywood has ever seen. How did you handle that pressure?

Well, now that you put it that way, that sounds horrifying! Good thing I wasn't talking to you before that audition! [Laughs] Let me answer the first part of your question. Jodie and Mel are both talented actors and directors. I am a huge fan of their work but we were all approaching this material as first-timers. Does that make sense? The Beaver isn't a Broadway play. They hadn't been performing it day in and day out for weeks and I was just joining the cast. So I just thought of it that way -- we were all in this new experience together.

That seems like a healthy mindset. Working so closely with Mel though -- you were literally one of his appendages -- did you feel his stress?

When you're working with someone that closely, you can't help but notice. I tried to lighten the mood on set, to make him laugh.

How did you try to lighten the mood?

Fashion little statues out of wood offset to entertain him. Make jokes. Bust his chops. I think there was a line about the positioning of his hand -- you know what I'm getting at -- that actually made it into the movie. Puppet humor. Mel's got a wicked sense of puppet humor.

Your character and Mel's share an almost symbiotic relationship. We get the idea that -- at the beginning of the film at least -- without you, his character couldn't survive. How did the two of you develop that intense relationship off-screen?

We spent a lot of time together before shooting. We'd go to dinner, jog together [pictured right], do normal everyday stuff and just study each other's movements to get a pattern down. It had to look like he was operating me, you know? And I've gotta say, a lot of Hollywood actors might shy away from being seen publicly with a puppet but Mel wasn't like that at all.

There are a lot of complicated father-and-son issues at play in this film. Did you draw from personal experiences with your own father in preparation for this role?

[Looks into coffee cup thoughtfully.] I think every son has a complicated relationship with his father. That's just how we evolve -- people, puppets, we're all the same. But yeah, there were certain things I drew from, especially from working closely with my dad in the family business.

Any event in particular?

I don't really want to talk about that. My dad is great. Cut from the finest cloth, you know? I'd take a bullet for him.

People are saying that this movie could save Mel Gibson's career. Do you think it will?

It's hard for me because I know Mel personally now. I know what he's like and what a great guy he is. He was a rock star to everyone on set from Jodie to the gaffers to craft services. I mean, he let me and my wife stay in his shed in Malibu throughout the whole shoot and he didn't ask for anything in return. That's just the kind of guy he is.

I was surprised to hear that you shared some intimate bedroom scenes with Jodie and Mel. How was it filming those?

Again, Jodie and Mel are professionals. We barely read through those scenes and just went for it. Jodie wanted us all to be raw and seem unrehearsed.

Did you ever think you'd be sharing a sex scene with two Oscar winners?

[Laughs] No! Never! I can't wait for my 20-year high school reunion now.

I don't want to give anything away but there is a very surprising ending to this film. Do you think that it will turn audiences off or that audiences will understand the motivation there?

That was so f*cking hard to shoot. I don't want to give anything away either but I'll say that I partly disagreed with it so I'll understand if audiences feel a little torn. Ultimately though, I think they'll understand.

Finally, what's next for you career-wise?

My wife and I have decided to move out to L.A. for a couple years to give "the industry" a shot. I'm practical though -- I know what the chances are of a beaver puppet like myself getting work again. But I also know that if I don't try, I'll always wonder what could have been. You know?

Thank you so much! It was great talking to you.

You too. Now go see The Beaver. Tell them I sent you!