Total Recall Colin Farrell interview yields deep meaning for the sci-fi thriller

This past week Colin Farrell stepped up to the press bench with a deep explanation for what the 2012 version of Total Recall could mean for the audience. Total Recall is set to explode upon the entirety of the United States this weekend, and Farrell was certainly not shy about taking us deep into the inner-workings of the mind when it comes to this science fiction action extravaganza. Is it real, is it Rekall, or is it just the audience reading far too deep into the plot surrounding the action?

[Q] There’s been some talk of how this film, with its plotline that partially centers around themes of big corporations and class warfare. Some early critics are suggesting that the film was made to reflect things like the Occupy Movement. Is there anything to that, or is it that they are all just reading far too much into the story?

[Colin Farrell] I think you have to experience relevance and significance where you experience it and where you find it. The audience will see what they want to see. Some people will come out and hopefully enjoy two hours of action. Some people will find themselves gravitating toward the emotional dynamic the characters find themselves in, or some people will see some layer of subversion to the storytelling or some aspect of poking a finger in judgement at some elements of government or – foreign invasion on false pretenses – I mean you can go wherever you want with it really.

It’s not really the purpose of the film.

Above: Colin Farrell stands amid co-stars Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale at the LA press junket for Total Recall (from whens this interview segment came)

"Len’s concern with the whole film was to have it as a narrative between the world of emotion verses the world of intellect."

[CF] But no matter what film you’re telling, you’re representing some element of reality. You’re representing the idea of being a human being. You’re always with humans, their fears, their shortcomings, their braveries, their doubts, their loves, their abilities, their brilliance. And those things inevitably lead to physical systems, into political systems, into foreign policy, and all that kind of stuff. Crime, religion, and – so you see what you want to see, man – the purpose of the film is not to take a stand against big government. It’s an action film.

Len’s particular concern with the whole film, I think, was to have it as a narrative between the world of emotion verses the world of intellect. The idea that you can suppress or subjugate a person’s mind, and a person’s memories, and a person’s experiences – mentally, psychologically, intellectually – but that you can’t quiet them completely to the point of dormancy.

The emotional light of a person, the heart. And what the heart remembers and what the heart experiences. And even that, it’s not important if that comes across. It’s another composite, if that’s somewhere in how Quaid [the main character of the film, played by Farrell] can’t figure out anything but begins to feel his love for Melina [Jessica Biel] be awokened to the person that he was and the person that he’s becoming, then, that’s cool.

But if it’s not – its really what anyone wants to get out of it.

Stay tuned here at SlashGear in our Total Recall portal to see all the hot Rekall action as the film blows up starting this weekend. Make sure you also check the timeline below to follow our path through chats and interviews with the stars and the director of this 2012 action thriller, and see how deep this futuristic science fiction environment goes on the big screen!

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Total Recall’s Bryan Cranston discusses the Breaking Bad effect

This past week we had the opportunity to have a chat with Bryan Cranston on his role in the 2012 science fiction action thriller Total Recall and how his role in the hit TV series Breaking Bad has all but skyrocketed him into the public eye. So well liked is the TV series that it ended up being spoken about at the press junket for Total Recall with the actor as much as the film was – but Cranston, ever the gentlemen, made no qualms about speaking on whatever the press had on their minds. How did the “goofy, silly, fun-loving dad” from Malcolm in the Middle transform himself into a science fiction villain with a methamphetamine dealer/science teacher in-between? Have a peek!

[Q] Len Wiseman [director of Total Recall 2012] brought up that he’d seen Breaking Bad [see the rest of that interview here] and said, ‘I want to work with this guy.’ Is that the common thing for you now, has that show changed your image in the business from the comedy guy only?

[Bryan Cranston] Yeah, I have ridden the hard work and sweat of Vince Gilligan all the way to another level. The best thing a director can do is to identify good actors and fit them in the right parts, and if you can do that in your pre-production, once you get to production you can let them fly, and let them feel safe to be able to experiment and try things. You’ll find happy accidents.

Above: Cranson (right) taking on a very different role in the television series Breaking Bad in which he plays a chemistry teacher with terminal cancer and a meth-cooking business

[BC] For an actor what I try to teach young actors – the best thing they can learn is to identify well-written material. The writing in our industry, in a story, is the most important element, bar none. It is always about the writing first.

So what I’ve been able to do – the thing I’m good at, really, is to identify well written material. Now that doesn’t mean the product is going to end up that way. It’s a recipe – and sometimes it doesn’t work – and you’re thinking, ‘oh well, wait a minute, I had all the ingredients, how did this happen?’ That’s going to happen.

But if you start with something that has good writing, you at least have a shot. If you start with something that is not well written, you have no shot of making something good. The best actor in the world can make “C” level material “C+” level material. Maybe “B-”, that’s it.

Above: Cranston poses with co-stars Jessica Biel and Colin Farrell at the Los Angeles press junket for Total Recall

[Q] You had this in you all the time, even before Breaking Bad, but people’s perceptions of you have changed. Have you thought about that since – Drive, and this, you’re given harder-edged characters and just a straight jacket perception of what your previous roles would be?

[BC] Well, the only thing that an actor really yearns for in a career is opportunity. We don’t ask to be given roles – [if you don't] just give me a chance to get in the room, we have no shot. How I got Malcolm in the Middle – everything – what I try to teach young actors is that, ‘please know, that without a healthy dose of luck, you will not have a career.’ How do you do that? I don’t know. Just keep working, keep working hard, have faith, and this is your life!

"Without a healthy dose of luck, you will not have a career."

Don’t give yourself some arbitrary number – ‘I’m going to give it a year – I’ll give it a good year’ – it’s like ‘stop now, go back to Idaho.’ You know? ‘Make some really nice potatoes. People will appreciate that.’ But it’s a joke – people, you’re either in this or you’re not in this. So that’s the first thing I say. But I was lucky to get Malcolm in the Middle. I was lucky to get Breaking Bad. And I have stories for those – but I don’t want to go in and monopolize that. But I know – the stars were aligning.

After you are able to get some level of success, like Malcolm in the Middle – seven years of doing a comedy – I got offers to do a goofy, silly, fun-loving dad. And had I taken those, I would have helped pigeon-hole myself as that guy.

You better – you better – if you’re on a hit show? You better save your money. You better, because you need to say no to those tempting offers of dollar bills to do the same thing you just did. To me it was no temptation. I just said no, I just did that. But you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I was very fortunate.

This is but one of several segments of the ongoing set of talks we had with the stars and director of Total Recall – stick around in our [Rekall portal] to see the future and past of the film as it rolls out in theaters this weekend! And of course don’t forget to check out our full movie review of Total Recall (2012) as well!

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