“I’ve heard people say you have to love the characters you play. I don’t feel that way. I’ve played a lot of people that I don’t love at all. What’s important to me is to try to make them real.” — Kevin Bacon

I watched a movie tonight, The Woodsman, starring Kevin Bacon in an extremely challenging role: A convicted pedophile recently released after twelve years in prison, trying to find his place in the world and attempt some sort of “recovery.” How’s that for artistic gumption?

While I think age-play fantasies are fair game, because fantasy is about taboo and breaking boundaries and should have nothing to do with our every day sex lives, I find pedophiles a sad problem for society as most experts agree that pedophiles are never cured. So I wondered how true to the realities of this affliction this film would be.

And, as Mr. Bacon is one of my favorite actors, I was curious as to how he would inhabit such a character. He is not squeamish about tackling controversial roles that pretty-boy actors would shy away from, a good example being his creepy, even loathsome career turn as the sadistic reformatory guard, Nokes, in Sleepers.

He is really an actor’s actor, often taking roles that are challenging, complex and interesting, rather than the commercial pablum a lesser actor might opt for. He brings his butt to the studio, then gets down to busines whether he’s the star (Murder in the First), has a supporting role (A Few Good men) or is part of an ensemble cast (Sleepers, Mystic River).

So I was curious: Could this brilliant, talented actor bring me into a story which, otherwise, would hold no appeal for me. Firmly believing that rehabilitation is an impossiblity when it comes to this type of predator, how could I feel anything for this character?

While I never felt a whole lot of sympathy for Walter, the tormented and conflicted character Kevin Bacon so believably portrays in this starkly drab film, I did find him fascinating. Kevin Bacon plays Walter for real: Hating his abnormal obsessions and craving normality, yet making unwise and potentially devasting choices as he teeters on the edge. You really don’t know if he is going to make it or not.

You really should see this movie and observe very carefully the “change” in Walter when he interacts with a young girl named Robin (Hannah Pilkes). There is a heck of a lot going on there. Then I’d like to talk with you about it.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 31st, 2006 at 11:48 pm and is filed under Rhetorically Yours. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.