Exclusive Interview with actor Ryan Reynolds & screenwriter Chris Sparling for 'Buried'

Rodrigo Cortes' thriller "Buried" is one of the more exciting films of the year, and after runs at festivals and excellent responses from critics and audiences, the film has now finally arrived in theaters.

Actor Ryan Reynolds and screenwriter Chris Sparling recently visited San Francisco and were kind enough to sit down with me and chat about pretty much everything surrounding this superb movie.

In "Buried," Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a U.S. contractor who wakes up buried alive in a coffin somewhere in Iraq. Check out my uncut interview with Reynolds and Sparling after the jump. Enjoy!

The Screening Log: For both of you, how important was it for you to write this and be part of it, because it clearly addresses a really serious issue in the war-time climate today. Chris, why do this?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, what's wrong with you [laughs]?

Chris Sparling: I don't know. You agreed to do this. To address your question, the story I wanted to tell was that of the civilian contractors. You hear a lot of different things on the news about what's going on in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but you seldom hear what's going on with these civilian contractors. You hear about the Blackwwater guys, but you don't hear about the everyday folks driving trucks. I admit I was really ignorant to that information as well until I started doing the research for this film.

As I said a couple of times, if I were a documentary filmmaker, I probably would've set out to make a documentary about these guys, but that's not me. I don't make documentary films, I make narrative films. I set out to make what I thought would be a compelling way to tell their story. I talked to a lot of these guys and I was completely forthright about why I was contacting them. I told them I was doing a piece of fiction and I needed to tell their story accurately. It wasn't based on their story but it was the story of the aggregate of what these people do. They were incredibly happy because they felt that no one knows their story.

Ryan Reynolds: It represented them.

Chris Sparling: Yeah, it represented what they're doing, because for some reason the news or the media has decided not to highlight their story.

Ryan Reynolds: But the Lindsay Lohan trial… they won't miss that.

The Screening Log: And you Ryan, why sign on for this project?

Ryan Reynolds: It's the most terrifying script I've ever read. I very rarely read a script that puts the viewer in a position in which you really wonder 'What would I do?' It was a great narrative challenge to be a sole performer on screen for the duration on the film. It was a little nerve-racking to say the least, and there is a huge technical challenge as well, and I thought that was interesting and it all felt very Hitchcockian to me. Hitchcock used to tie these two together and married them so beautifully and it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

And there was a director who was incredibly convincing as to how he could shoot it, and I had known about the script beforehand as well. A lot of people in Hollywood had. It had been passed around quite a bit and it was on the Blacklist. Rodrigo Cortes found out about the script and next thing you know he was directing it and sending me an incredibly compelling letter as to why I should do it and how he would do it and he flew over and 40 minutes later we shook hands and I said 'Let's get buried.'

The Screening Log: Since you mentioned the script, I'm interested to know from you Chris, what was the process for you to write this? It's an unconventional story after all.

Chris Sparling: I think I wrote the script in about three weeks. It just came out of me for a lack of better description.

Ryan Reynolds: Things come out of me all the time but they never look like that.

Chris Sparling: It's one of those situations where you do place yourself in Paul's shoes and say 'What would I do?' and 'Who would I be calling?,' and really, it happens that fast because I'm saying to myself 'Well I would call so and so.' And you've already done your research on that so you know to call those people, and he follows the process of literally what I think I would do in that situation.

My mom would get a call, my wife would get one, and that's just the reality of it. No two people would do the same thing, so there is no right or wrong way to respond and it's interesting because some people might say 'Well I would have never done that' and 'Why is he lighting a Zippo when it uses that much oxygen?' Well, first of all, you are assuming that Paul Conrad knows that. He may know that, or he may not. But he does, we know he does, and the thing is, he's scared. I would be terrified. If I was buried alive I would not be sitting in darkness. I would not allow that to happen. I would want to know what I am looking at and what's around me. No two people would react the same way.

The Screening Log: Some folks criticize movies because they wonder if they were just based around the concept or if there was a little more backstory, and I'm wondering whether it was the concept that intrigued you, or did it have something to with peronsal fears, maybe?

Chris Sparling: No, I'm not overly claustrophobic. I was not any of that. I came up with the idea first. You know, of a guy buried alive, and I knew that was the movie I was going to make, because at the time, it was a project I was going to shoot myself. Basically, the only movie in the world I could afford to shoot. From there I needed a compelling story. That's just the design but that's only going so far. I actually wrote a totally different script first. That was more of the horror-thriller route where someone was evil and they were putting him in there for a reason and they were deranged and things we've seen before. I felt like we've seen that too often. So I scrapped that, and that's when I tried to do more of that psychological thriller with a good dose of drama in there as well.

The Screening Log: What about you Ryan?

Ryan Reynolds: The concept literally has nothing to do with me. It's totally irrelevant. It's all about this guy's journey from point A to point B. If I start worrying about that stuff I'll loose my mind. For me it just posed an interesting question. I wanted to do a film where there was no right or wrong. And the challenge of doing a film largely in close-up, which is both terrifying and an incredible challenge. You have to be 100 percent authentic in every moment, and if you're not, you loose the audience immediately and you'll never get them back. I relied a lot on Rodrigo for help in that regard. Even though English is not his first language, you can attack that issue with your bullshit meter, and he has a finely tuned bullshit meter. The key to me was to really draw the audience to the best of my ability right into Paul's shoes.

The Screening Log: Building on that, how did you prepare for the role of Paul?

Ryan Reynolds: Well, you can't go home and crawl into your bathtub and throw some wood over it and see how you're doing. I didn't want to rehearse. I just wanted to put it on camera. I think that was terrifying for Rodrigo because we did not know each other that well, but I think we saw that as a mutual trust exercise. I was trusting him to shoot this thing in a way that audiences could track it, and he was trusting me to get in this coffin and be the only person on camera for 94 minutes. It was a leap of faith for both of us. We had our pinkies interlocked and we were Thelma and Louise and we were about to drive over the cliff together. He had enough generosity and courage to say let's not rehearse.

The Screening Log: Ryan, what are you looking for in a director when you start a project, and in what ways did Rodrigo give you that?

Ryan Reynolds: I try not to go in with too many expectations. That's a great way to be disappointed. Whatever expectations I had, he exceeded. I left there wondering if he would direct a broad comedy with me. He is one of the most capable filmmakers I've ever been in the presence of. What I expect from them is everything I expect from myself. I expect it from a crew member as well. I usually try to be the first actor on set and the last to leave. It drives me nuts when people are late. This was a great experience though. I was also given a ton of room to just not have to do anything. We were given so much room to just sit there at times. I was given that room on set and off. We are all good buddies now but shooting this I maybe said 12 words to Rodrigo. When I showed up I was Paul and when I left I was Paul.

The Screening Log: Chris, can you talk about your collaborative relationship with Rodrigo on set, and also, was there ever a moment where you stood there and regretted not directing this yourself?

Ryan Reynolds: That is a good question.

Chris Sparling: It's a really good question. I'll answer the last part of it first. No, absolutely not. I say with no hesitation I don't regret it, and it's probably because of Rodrigo and because of the director he is. Him being the guy he is. I have been very involved. I have been very very lucky. Sometimes writers can be left behind, but I'm here with you now, which is great.

Ryan Reynolds: It's rare to have an interview with a writer. I love that.

Chris Sparling: It's been an amazing, amazing experience for me to be a part of this every step. The thing is the film would not be the film you saw if I had directed it. I'm a capable director, but Rodrigo is a gifted director. It's what he was born to do, no question about it. I have zero reservations about that. And as for the collaboration, this is something you may not even know Ryan. He and I were just talking by Skype because he was in Spain and I was in Connecticut. When we had our first conversation I already liked him and I thought he completely got the movie. So I agreed he would direct it. So now we're on Skype and we're talking and having some laughs, and he just tells me with his accent: "This movie is a comedy."

Ryan Reynolds: That feels good [laughs].

Chris Sparling: Yeah and I was looking around and asked him what he meant. He's not laughing and I'm kind of nervous you know. But he explained it to me. What he meant is that it was a comedy in the timing aspect of it that was so important. You know, hitting certain beats, and that's why we thought Ryan was so perfect for the role. We knew he had this timing, this sense of timing that doesn't come along that often. But getting back, you can just imagine my expression.

Ryan Reynolds: This guy thinks I made "Snakes on a Plane."

Chris Sparling: Yeah, right, that's what I was thinking at that moment. And I was stoked at that point. My movie was going to get made and this is a huge break after waiting 13 years for it. And then this guy tells me this is a comedy…

Ryan Reynolds: Although I have to say when you watch the movie, there are a lot of laughs in it.

Chris Sparling: There are. But it's nervous laughter. He and I had those discussions also.

The Screening Log: It could seem that "Buried" appears to be horror at first, but then you see it's more of a thriller with a political aspect, and people seem to lie that. How's the response been for you?

Ryan Reynolds: You get the political question a lot, and that's the reason why this guy is there. The response has been great though. It's a unique experience. I took my mom to Toronto and she sat next to me and watched the movie. I'll never forget her response after though. She just whispered in my ear: "How dare you?"

Chris Sparling: If I could add to that. The thing is, "Buried" is not a horror film. Period. It never set out to be. If you get hung up on the guy buried alive, it's like saying "Friday the 13th" is a sports movie because Jason wears a hockey mask. This is a pure thriller. Did I run it home with a thriller?

Ryan Reynolds: There is no scene of him nude running back into the house, so yeah.

The Screening Log: The fans want to know, if you had to pick one movie that represented your deepest, darkest fears, which one would it be?

Chris Sparling: For me it would have to be "Jaws." I'm afraid of sharks. "Open Water" too. Basically anything involving sharks.

Ryan Reynolds: Boy, for this film I mostly drew upon "Finding Nemo." No, when I was a kid, my brother subjected me to "The Exorcist." That shit fucked me up good. That was a four-year process getting over that film. I needed help after seeing that movie. I was really messed up after seeing that and I don't think I can watch it again. It permanently scarred me. Nothing to do with "Buried." 

Comments

[ashley]

I saw Buried this weekend and it was even better than I expected. You have got to see this one in theaters, what an experience! Ryan Reynolds is amazing! http://www.facebook.com/experienceburied

[John Damos]

The movie is a good movie,but makes you get a severe case of A-D-D. Wait until it hits dvd or you can download from somewhere. You will enjoy the experience much more that way. The movie is good,but not a movie worth all the great reviews its getting. Ryan Reynolds faint comedy throughout takes away from the thriller aspect. This role should have been played by a no name actor. It would have given you the true sense of get me the fuck out of this box.