Why did you decide to act in a sci-fi movie like Transcendence? When I first read the script, I could actually experience the sci-fi element in the story. A lot of the technology that is being used, the ability to upload a human consciousness into a giant computer or hard drive is actually just around the corner. What fascinated me more than anything, is the correlation between technology and power—the idea that a guy who is able to download his sentient being into a machine can become god, or a version of god. Religion is a fascinating black hole for me. How was the experience of working with the Oscar winning cinematographer Wally Pfister in his directorial debut? I was familiar with Wally’s work as a director of photography, which is legendary. Wally would set up a shot, and then we’d go and play the guitar. He and I would sit, and Paul (McCartney) would come over and we’d make him teach us Beatles’ songs. Wally is incredibly collaborative and his approach to each shot was not only technically appealing, but there was real poetry and emotion in the way he saw each scene playing out, and the way he wanted to tell the story. From Edward Scissorhands to Jack Sparrow, you have sported various looks in your movies. How involved do you become while playing such characters and wearing different make-up? I love the idea of changing my look. I think one owes it to the audience to go out there and give them something different each time, so as not to bore them to death. And I always felt that if you’re not trying something different, you’re just acting safe. I like to think, that I am able to evoke a feeling of fear each time I face the camera. I find it difficult, and vulnerable to play something close to myself. I always like to hide behind the characters that I play, because I can’t stand the way I look. How tech-savvy are you in real life? I’m not at all tech-savvy, and things go wrong all the time, especially between me and technology. I’m too old-school to even figure it out. Anything I have to attack with my thumbs for any period of time makes me feel stupid. So I try to avoid technology as much as possible — to protect my thumbs, of course! You play Dr. Will Caster, an artificial intelligence researcher in the movie. Can you tell us something about your character? What I really found intriguing about this story was the idea that one man with a brilliant mind, a simple guy who adores his wife and does the crossword puzzle every morning, is able to take his expertise to the point where ego, power and passion could ultimately evolve him into something of a mechanical god. He’s a good guy who has the world’s best interests at heart in trying to achieve transcendence. But because he becomes so powerful, has access to basically all the information on the internet and believes in his own methods; it becomes very hard to stop him. Anyone with that much control, even with what may be the best of intentions. well, there will always be those who see things differently. In Will’s case, it seems like it may be too late to stop him. The challenge was closely mapping out every emotion and moment of growth in my character as he evolves in the computer. It all had to come together in the right order. It starts out a little bit vague. My character questions what would happen in this technology of mixing man with machine. He says, “Once he’s inside the computer, it’s also a little vague at first. Is he losing it? Is he evolving? What is the end result? Is man playing God?” What are your personal views on technology? People have been fighting wars over, ‘my god is better than your god’, for thousands of years. In the 21st century, I think it’s appropriate to look at the way human beings worship technology and what that could mean for our future. Whether you’re on the side of technology or ecology, a pacifist or an extremist, most people have very definite opinions, and the question of how far we should allow our dependence on computers to go is a question that needs to be asked. You recently made a statement citing music as your first love. Music still remains my first love, since I was a little kid and had first picked up a guitar and tried to figure out how to play it. I loved playing the guitar, being part of a band and just hanging out with guys who loved music. Although, I knew at one point that I would never be a great guitar player, I still loved the freedom that came from playing in a band. My band was good enough to open for Iggy Pop and that was a wild time for us. Music was the thing that got me out of pumping gas and indirectly led me into acting. I’ve been playing a lot of music lately. It’s a real lifesaver, being able to focus on my first love. It’s freedom for me.
