How was it working with Robert?

Well, Robert—I’m sure you guy interviewed with him already.  There’s a bit of magic that he has to him.  There’s a fearlessness but a vulnerability at the same time.  So for me I learned that nothing looks more natural than an attempt to look natural.  You can just be the character.  It’s ok to be uncomfortable at times because that’s what we are.  I learned to be a real actor working with him.  I learned how to be spontaneous.  I learned how to stand up for the authenticity of the script and the story, you know, because there were time when we had a great script but we had surpassed what was written on the page and the things we had done previously and they had already had the set up and you’re looking at $2 million days--$3 million days that we’d go and sit down and re-write the whole character.  Re-write that script for the day and spend 5 hours and not get our first shot off for 5-6 hours because someone had integrity.  Robert has the most integrity I’ve ever seen in an actor.  The most.

Did you guys hang out at all off-set?

Our hanging out is off-set.  We’re a weird collection of molecules, me and him.  We get together and there’s a comradery.  There’s a brotherhood that’s formed. I don’t know from where.  I don’t know.  Yeah, we hung out a lot.

What did you guys do?

We went running, we went shopping.

You two went shopping together?

Yeah.

Where did you go shopping?

Up in Lone Pine in department stores and grocery stores.  We were real people.  We talked about life’s issues together and you know he’s had similar situations with a new wife and an ex-wife that he’s fiducially responsible to and emotionally responsible to.  I have the same thing, you know and we’ve traveled down so many parallel roads, you know that I love that man.  I love him.

How great is it when a movie gives you so much beyond the script and shooting?

Well, that’s Jon Favreau that gave us that.  Because of him being an improvisational actor, he directed it in an improvisational way. He’s a brilliant man and he can think at the speed of light.  But he’s also humble enough to recognize the genius of other people.  When Jeff Bridges would have an idea and immediately Jon’s like if it’s great it’s viable we’ll spend 3 hours making it work.  With Robert, the same thing.  With Gwyneth the same thing.  With me little ideas that I thought wasn’t even important, he would rally behind and do whatever they had to do to make it work.  No ego.  No egos on this film. 

What did you think of the footage?

I thought the footage was incredible because it was real.  It was realistic even without the special effects beyond the CGI of him flying and everything else was pretty much straightforward.  Now I can’t wait to have the CGI into that.

I hear you’re working on some music right now.  Can you talk a little bit about it?

Yes, oh, God, that’s my album.  It’s called Terrance Howard and the Band of Kings. We’ve gone about trying to bring music back to where it’s supposed to be.  It was honest and truthful and every instrument is live and no plug in drum machines.  It’s going to be great.  We bring it out this fall.  I think it will be called a little bit more like me.

Do you listen to all music?

Yes.  Like me I’m still stuck on Paul Simon.  I’m still stuck on those…you know we went wrong somewhere down the way.  We lost our responsibility because music is the highest form of communication.  It’s the one language that bridges all languages.  I’ve sat in the middle of Moscow playing guitar with a French horn player and a saxophonist and a zither player from Russia and I don’t speak a bit of Russian and we played for 6 hours straight.  By the end of it I still remember everything they said with their instruments.  You were understanding everything they said even if you don’t speak Russian.  Music literally is the voice of the world.  If you want to reach the world, you have to speak to them through music.

Did you have any scenes with Jeff Bridges?

Yes.

What was it like working with him?

You guys remember the film he did with Robin Williams?

The Fisher King?

The Fisher King.  I loved him from way before that and after that and I just watched him.  We sat up in his trailer and smoked cigars and played guitar. He’d play for 3 or 4 hours at a time.  He’s a brilliant songwriter but as an actor he knows exactly what’s needed and he’ll change and adapt.  He will change your position as an actor.  He’ll put his arm around you and be like you know I was thinking over here if you played your character a little more duplicitous at this moment it will work perfect for me.

Did you guys give each other tips all the time?

Oh, completely.  There were times when Robert would be stuck and I’d be like you know what do this right here.  Just try it.  Because I’m watching from the 3^rd person, I don’t have the pressure of making a decision and Robert would do the same thing with me.  You know what you should do right here --dah dah dah dah.  Just go, just do it and I’ll follow you.  Same thing with Gwyneth.  Gwyneth remembers everything right away. Photographic memory, so she can look at the new pages that we wrote that we spend 6 hours re-writing these 3 new pages, she would read it once and not miss one word getting up in front of the camera. Shortest takes in the world.

Did you make it on the soundtrack?

We’ve got 10 months and they gave me the criteria for what they want.  We’re going heavy metal. We’re going to change the world again.