The Break-Up

Interview: Vincent D'Onofrio

His role in <I>Thumbsucker</I> and his acting methods.

"When you're acting, it should be the most important thing that's going on. But when you're not, leave it alone…"

This is the mantra that Vincent D'Onofrio lives by. His focus has enabled him to become one of the top actors of his generation. Many outside of the industry may not even know his name. He's that good, a chameleon from role to role. His first feature was an unforgettable part as "Pyle" in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. He was the psychopathic killer in The Cell, a role which the actor admits still gives him nightmares. TV fans may best know D'Onofrio from his role on the series, Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

If there is a single word used by both fans of his work and even co-stars, it's intense. D'Onofrio approaches each of his roles with the utmost focus and determination. He's a method actor, a segment of the acting populous that is often seen as mysterious and un-approachable.

During the course of IGN FilmForce's interview with D'Onofrio, we attempted to dispel the actor's "mysterious" methods as well as discuss his latest role, opposite Tilda Swinton and Lou Pucci in director Mike Mills' Thumbsucker.

D'Onofrio says that he has always chosen his parts based on what would offer him the greatest challenge. Playing the father, Mike Cobb, in Thumbsucker, was no different. "It's something that I've been saying for years when people ask me how I pick the things that I do. I pick the things that scare me the most… You have to like the story first… I'm not gonna play a part that doesn't instill some kind of fear in me. If I read a part, and suddenly, I'm thinking halfway through, 'I'm not sure I could get away with this…' [I think of] everything I can think of to keep me from doing it, that's the one I should do..."

Playing "the father" in a film could be a relatively forgettable part, but D'Onofrio brings a reality to the character that stays with audiences. "It was through the route of being a man. I am a man and I deal with these issues every day of my life. I am still trying to figure out who I am and I am still trying to live with the parts that I have figured out. It's not a far stretch from that… So, this guy, there are things in my life that are very hard to deal with, as they are for that character in the film… When you have children, you have to make sure that you're raising them correctly, obviously, but you make so many accidents, obviously, that it can make you wonder, it can make you start to rate yourself as a parent which is not a very good thing to do…"


First time director Mike Mills allowed his actors to improv develop many of their scenes. "We got to know each other through those improvisations. There were times when the camera was rolling that I would look at Lou and there would be no difference between him and my daughter. There would be no difference between how I listened to him and how I listen to my daughter…

"[Mike Mills] was very impressive. I still don't know where he got his ability… Just considering a guy like Lou, he's the one that had the least experience on the movie, and he's like a little powerhouse in himself, the way he locks onto things and how open and brave he is… The fact that he was able to let us have the freedom, let us be brave, like I said, and be open and go all these places and yet still have the ability to direct us, I don't know where he learned that. I don't know if you can learn that. I just think it's something that you know how to do [and] I was very impressed by him…"

As previously mentioned, Vincent D'Onofrio is a method actor. This is a term we often hear mentioned, but few know the meaning behind it. "I am a method actor, but I'm also a film actor as well as a method actor… Characters that don't have humility, whether they are heroes or villains, are hard to relate to. All characters in every aspect of what we do should have humility. If they don't, then they're a cartoon character. I know that during actual performance scenes, what I need to trigger myself off, and I know how to trigger it off so that it will trigger you off, which will also influence how you feel when I'm expressionless…"

In This Article

The Break-Up

The Break-Up

Genres:Romantic Comedy
Platforms:Theater, DVD, HD-DVD
Distributors:Universal Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date:June 2, 2006