The new action mystery “The Painter,” which hits theaters in a limited release on Jan. 5 before being available for virtual purchase on Jan. 9, directed by former stunt coordinator Kimani Ray Smith and starring Charlie Weber (“As They Made Us,” “How to Escape a Murder”), Madison Baily (“Outer Banks”) and Oscar winner Jon Voight (“Heat,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Transformers”).
Jon Voight as Byrne in ‘The Painter.’ Photo: Republic Pictures.
Moviefone recently had the excitement of speaking with Oscar winner Jon Voight about his work on “The Painter,” why he was looking to be a part of the project, his technique for his character, working with Charlie Weber and Madison Baily, and working with director Kimani Ray Smith on set, as well as his paintings on Michael Mann’s modern vintage “Heat” and the option for him to appear in the upcoming sequel.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Voight and Charlie Weber.
Jon Voight stars in “The Painter. “
Moviefone: To start, can you tell us what your initial reaction was to the script and, in particular, what you lean towards when it comes to choosing projects?
Jon Voight: Well, I have to look like that now. I’ve gotten older, so some tactics limit me to those characters, but they regularly tell me anything that’s serious. They think that’s what I do. For me, it depends on the character. But what I’m looking for is a clever story, a clever story, a beginning, a middle, and an ending that I find fun for other people to experience. So they have anything at their disposal. The end of the piece that makes them feel like they’ve spent their time wisely and that they’ve been excited, excited, moved or whatever during that. So that’s number one. It was a clever and very engaging story with its twists and turns, and I think it makes the audience laugh a lot in the process, and that’s why I did it.
MF: How would you describe your character, Byrne, and your approach to it?
JV: Well, he’s a guy who was a very high up in the CIA and has kind of retired as we see him. But during his time, he kind of adopted a kid who went through a very dangerous time, and he raised him. That’s the role of the Painter. “The Painter” has two meanings in this piece. One is as a painter because his pastime is painting, and he tries to get away from the dangers of the CIA aspect of his life. Then on the other hand, he is an artist around actual violence and all of that. So, he’s an amazing master of his talent and grade. So, we want him to get back into it because we know he’s okay. If he’s so great, let’s see. We see it and we see how amazing he is. Charlie did a great job with it. Just an amazing job.
Charlie Weber as Peter in “The Painter” Photo: Photos of the Republic.
MF: What is your pleasure in working with Charlie Weber?
JV: Well, Charlie and I met at this play. I didn’t know Charlie before that. Of course, Charlie is a very affable and talented guy. The guys who have those shows are real professionals. Anyone who has been in an exhibit for a long time and develops a character that audiences love is genuine. So I knew I was going to be professional and talented and all that. So I didn’t know if I could meet the demands of the action because you don’t know that. You don’t know how athletic someone is, and they’re extremely athletic. In fact, it’s wonderful. So, working with Kimani, who was the director and stunt coordinator, they created some incredible, very detailed, complicated things, and he was wonderful at that. He learned it in wonderful detail. Of course, this is very important because if you miss a move in a series of movements and other people hit you and other kinds of things, you have to react to certain things and, damn, you can get hurt. So you have to be very smart about that, and he happens to be very smart about that.
MF: Can you tell us about the complex dates between your two characters and how they came together with Charlie?
JV: Well, it came very naturally to us. For some reason, he had great respect for me and I had affection for him. So, we fell into that. That’s what happens in a movie. You read the script and you get ready, and then you meet the other character and you naturally fall into that relationship. You press those buttons. So it wasn’t hard for me to live through the things we’ve been through together.
Madison Bailey as Sophia in “The Painter” Photo: Photos of the Republic.
MF: Did you enjoy racing with Madison Bailey?
JV: Well, I’d heard a lot about Madison, all very positive and glowing reports about her ability and about herself. When I met her, that’s how I felt immediately, and that’s what I was willing to feel as well. But it’s very impressive. I enjoyed running with Madison. She is very genuine and has a confident adulthood as a person. She’s still young and fresh, but she has an artistic adulthood. It’s genuine. That’s the genuine deal.
MF: At this point in your career, do you have the chance to meet and paint with a new generation of actors?
JV: Yes, wonderful, of course. But I identify with them. I sense what they’re going through. I was here. When I started, I don’t vividly forget every step of the procedure and I can see where they are. I’m impressed. I think everybody’s got something, everybody. In this field, you need to have certain types of things that suit you. Here are a few things that suit you for an express character. Actually, casting is everything. When you see someone like Madison, she has an herbal charm. She’s smart and has this dramatic perception. This is the genuine deal. So you look and it doesn’t take you five seconds to see what he’s talking about. I was very happy to work with her and she is really nice. What a smart woman she is.
(From left to right) Charlie Weber as Peter and Jon Voight as Byrne in “The Painter. “Photo: Photos of the Republic.
MF: How does it feel to run with former stunt coordinator Kimani Ray Smith on an action movie like this, and in general, what do you expect from a director when you’re running on set?
JV: Every director that I’ve worked with is very different, one from the other, but they all must have the same kind of talent, just like actors do. Kimani is a very affable guy, nice fellow, down to earth, good guy, smart, used to leadership because he’s a stunt coordinator and people do what he tells them to do. He must come up with things. He’s imaginative, and he’s creative. Stephen Paul, who produced this film, and when I say produced, he produced almost every aspect of it. He said to me, he said, “John, Kimani has a gift for story. He understands story.” So not only does he understand the moment of the stunt that he’s in, and you must understand a lot to understand stunts, and you must protect these guys in some way, too. Then you must do something creative that nobody has done yet. So, you’re putting somebody in danger right way. Also, if he has a story sense, that’s another energy. That means he’s capable of directing. I’ve found that to be true. He understands the story, where it’s going, and especially in this case where there’s a lot of different little elements to the story. The control of it is in the director’s hands. He’s telling a story that’s very complex, and what you see on the screen is not necessarily what is going to appear to you several scenes later. So, he’s got to orchestrate this whole thing. He was very good at it. He turned out to be terrific.
(From left to right) Al Pacino as Lieutenant Vincent Hanna and Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in “Heat. “Photo: Warner Bros.
MF: Finally, you gave the impression of one of the most beloved films of all time, Michael Mann’s “Heat. “Last year, Mann published a novel that was a sequel or prequel to the original film and talked about adapting it into a movie. With Adam Driver betting on a more youthful edit of Robert De Niro’s character in flashbacks and even, in all likelihood, the return of Al Pacino. Since your character is one of the few to have survived the original, I’m curious if you’re familiar with the novel and if you’ve had any conversations with Mann about a possible return for “Heat 2”?
JV: I really enjoyed working on that film, and Michael and I had become friends prior. I’ve only done two films with Michael. I did ‘Heat’ and then I did ‘Ali’ and I played Howard Cosell. After he’d worked with me on ‘Heat,’ he called me up for Howard Cosell. That was like a crazy idea, but it turned out to be a very brilliant idea. I was the right person for that role. But anyway, I enjoy Michael. He’s a completely original guy, very demanding, and very brilliant. So, he asked me to do ‘Heat,’ and I said to him, “I read the script, and you can go down to the barrio and you can pick up a guy who’s the real guy and he’ll be terrific in this role,” because the role, it needed a presence. That’s mainly what it needed. There weren’t any tricks to it. You just had to have that. He said to me, “Well, John, if I do that, then I wouldn’t get a chance to work with you.” Wow, well, you got to accept that kind of love and where that’s coming. But anyway, I said, “I’m going to have to change myself entirely to be this character.” He said, “Yeah, we’ll do it.” He was great with me, and I did. I found a person named Kenny Diaz, who was from the barrio. Not that my character’s from the barrio, but he was a roughneck, and Kenny came from there. He really knew this area. We worked on this stuff to give my face some character. I’ve got some padding, and I worked very hard on the character. I think when I finally did it, I think I did achieve what was required and what I set out to do. I was very pleased with it. Do I know about Michael Mann’s book? Yes. I looked at the book and Michael did tell me, he said, “John, we’re going to do ‘Heat 2.’” I haven’t heard anything recently, but I think it might be his next film, but we don’t know. I don’t know yet. But anyway, ‘Heat,’ it was a great film. It was a great film for people. They enjoyed that journey. The two great actors, Al and Bobby, I mean, it just worked. All the actors in that piece were special. Michael’s quite brilliant at that. He casts very carefully. He’s an original mind and he put together an extraordinary movie. People love that movie.
The PainterNot Yet Rated1 h minJanuary 5, 2024View The Painter Online
An ex-CIA operative turned painter (Charlie Weber) is thrown back into a dangerous world when a mysterious woman (Madison Bailey) from his past resurfaces. Now exposed and targeted by a relentless killer and a rogue black ops program, he must rely on skills he thought he left behind in a high-stakes game of survival.
Charlie Weber as Peter in “The Painter. ” Photo: Photos of the Republic.