Kevin Costner’s smart film has smarter casting
By: Courtney Lear
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/1/07 – When the lights go down in sold out arenas, the cell-phones from thousands of fans illuminate not a rock group, but a single comic. Dane Cook, the hipster biggest star in stand-up right now, is making his big move by taking on his first serious dramatic role in the psych thriller Mr. Brooks out this weekend.
Cook’s first took on film in the romantic comedy, “Employee of the Month,” starring opposite Jessica Simpson, not a completely surprising gig to ease onto the big screen.
However, Cook’s role as Mr. Smith, an amateur photographer who becomes fixated with the murderous alter ego of Mr. Brooks, played by Kevin Costner, takes an adventurous leap forward.
But without any one-liners to parrot will fans approve of his latest “cinematic adventure”?
“One of the reasons I did this is because my fans are so encouraging when it comes to me doing things that are outside of the box,” said former real life Burger King employee of the month Cook.
To reduce the shock Cook said he keeps his fans informed on his website.
“I’ve told them I want to do a lot of stuff so if you want to be a fan of my comedy you better be willing to be a fan of anything creative I’m going to attempt because everything’s an attempt, every joke’s an attempt,” he said.
We first saw Cook at Boston’s Catch A Rising Star then the SLN performance one of the highest rate shows ever for the series next his own HBO special, by this time Dane was cooking on all burners.
With all joking aside Cook found him self confronted with the eerie realities behind his character.
“A couple of scenes left me with a strange taste in my mouth, thinking, ‘Wow, this exists.’”
Beyond being an overzealous photographer, Cooks character develops an unhealthy and imitative fixation with Mr. Brook’s psychopathic side, The Thumbprint Killer.
“That’s unsettling when it reminds you of the real world we live in. As an actor, it’s fun. It’s a role. But then when you’re away from it you realize, as I’m filming a make believe version of him, he’s out there tonight. That’ll scare the crap out of you,” Cook said.
Part of the allure of the Brook’s role for Cook was that he wants to leave the audience with a lingering feeling, with questions and points to ponder.
“How many times do you leave a theatre and within three steps it’s like ‘Are we parked in 2C?’ That sucks. I’m interested in getting people to stand up out of their seat and want to go talk about what they just saw and it doesn’t have to be funny to get that experience, there’s a lot of stories to tell,” he said.
Cook isn’t the only one with stories to tell. Through his website, he has heard stories from fans from all walks of life who have been effected by his healing power of laughter.
Soldiers overseas even carry Cook’s comedy with them. One serviceman in Iraq told Cook of a night on the battle field while being mortared fellow soldiers started yelling out bits from Cook’s standup.
“Where’s the van?! They’re like quoting me in the middle of a firefight because it makes them feel sane,” he said. “I’ve really earned a spot in peoples lives where I stopped thinking of them as a crowd long ago. I adore my fans.”
Cook’s next onscreen venture, “Good Luck Chuck,” due out the end of August, is what “The Jerk” was for Steve Martin. Cook describes it as his definitive work and in that way in honor of his adoring fans.
“Good Luck Chuck is a gift to my fans because of the amount of my stage persona that’s in there. It’s the closest thing to what people know about my performance and stand up as far as physicality and the broader elements,” he said.
As it goes Cook’s summer film repertoire leaves benchmarks on each end of the spectrum but he has no intention of making his fan’s heads spin. He wants them to get on board.
He said, “Come with me on this ride with these movies and let me entertain you in a different way.”