To call Philip Seymour Hoffman an "actor's actor" seems too much a cliche for the surprising, nuanced work for which he is known. He is a creator of people, three-dimensional figures with faults and foibles that seem all too human.
After his Oscar-winning turn in "Capote," Hoffman has been on a dazzling run of work. In 2007 alone he appeared in "The Savages," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Charlie Wilson's War," in three roles that couldn't have been more different. Last year he was in the love-it-or-hate-it "Synecdoche, New York" and earned his third Academy Award nomination for John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," as a Bronx priest in the early 1960s who may or may not take his interest in the boys in his parish too far.
Hoffman, 41, is now directing his first feature, an adaptation of the play "Jack Goes Boating," in which he will also appear. He likens directing and acting together as akin to trying to rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time, adding, "It's not something I want to do that often, trust me."
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Do you find that acting is tough to talk about? It certainly seems like you know what you're doing, but is it hard to put into words?
I actually like talking about what goes into acting. You can talk about it like you talk about what goes into making art, the creative impulse and all that jazz, which some people don't care to hear, but you can definitely talk about it and it can be interesting. But I think what actually happens in the inner machinations of a person's mind and heart is something you can't ever really describe. You can talk about what goes into trying to create alchemy, but you never will get at it. Ultimately, it's a very personal thing that even the person doesn't understand.
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One of the things I found so remarkable about your performance in "Doubt" is the layering of it, so many lines and gestures and moments that seem innocuous in one light, but in the context of the story take on a darker cast. When your character mentions he likes to wear his fingernails long, it's totally innocent but it seems so sinister.
