Oscar-nominated actor and all-around British icon Tim Roth spoke to us about fatherhood, the dangers of technology and taking the piss out of Instagram Video and Vine.
In Broken, the life of a young diabetic girl on the cusp of womanhood is forever changed after she witnesses a startling act of violence in her neighborhood. With her riveting debut performance as the precocious Skunk, Eloise Laurence leads an exceptional cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Rory Kinnear, Denis Lawson, Robert Emms, and Zana Marjanovic. In a departure from his usual roster of quirky characters and heinous villains, Tim Roth plays, Archie, the widowed town lawyer who struggles to lead a good life while raising Skunk and her brother, Jed.
With a powerful score and beautiful photography as well, Broken packs quite a sensory wallop for the viewer. Recently, we called Tim Roth to get his thoughts on working with first-time director Rufus Norris and to find out what drew him to the film. As a bonus, he discussed his take on new tools for filmmakers like Vine, Instagram Video and Vimeo.
Tribeca: I thought Broken was an incredibly beautiful and moving film. How did you initially come on to the project?
Tim Roth: My friend and one of the producers of Broken, Dixie Linder, who I knew from when she produced a film I directed called The War Zone, is the one who first sent me the script. She always works on interesting projects and I wanted to know what she was working on. I thought the script was just beautiful, really a lovely story.
A couple months later, she came back around and said, Would you have a look at this part? It was for Mr. Oswald, the naughty neighbor. It was a wonderful role, but it felt close to things that I've done before. Plus, I had already fallen in love with the character of the father, Archie. I thought he was just extraordinary, but the role was already cast. I told them if the actor dropped for any reason to give me a call, if they fancied me to play the part. Fortunately for me, that particular actor couldn't do it so I gladly signed on.
Tribeca: Rufus Norris is a well-known theatrical director but Broken marks his directorial debut in film. Was it refreshing to work with a director who has such extensive theater experience?
TR: I've worked with first timers a lot before, and I'm never really worried about it. I had no idea who he was. My producer, or his producer now, said he's an extraordinary guy and you've got to talk to him. When I was on the phone with him, I could tell immediately that he's a very unique person. You get the sense that he is a real intellect and a thoughtful and creative mind. He completely understands his actors. We started talking and building on the characters and getting it right. He's very much a breath of fresh air. He's an extraordinary, extraordinary guy. And he directs opera as well.
Tribeca: With the exception of Funny Games (which is quite a different movie) and Lie to Me,' you rarely play a father, even though you are one in real life.
TR: Well, I've been playing a lot more lately. [Laughs] I think that's just an age thing. Or just luck after all really. It has happened quite rarely up until recently; you're right about that.
Tribeca: Were you able to draw on your own experiences from fatherhood for any particular scene in the film?
TR: Well, actually I'll tell you what was a useful tool. I had done this television show Lie to Me and I had a daughter in that. My character created a relationship with his daughter based on humor. When I met Ellie Laurence, who is the girl who plays Skunk in Broken, we took that approach off camera, as well as eventually on camera because when the director would see it he would say, Take that. Just shoot that. So it became somewhat of a humorous relationship.
I did use my experiences too, but I only have boys, I don't have a girl. And girls, you know, that's a whole different animal. I wouldn't stand a chance if I had girls. [Laughs] Ellie and I had a very peculiar but also very easy relationship.
Tribeca: I was shocked that this was her first big acting job.
TR: She's never acted before. She's a singer who writes her own songs. She's a very talented kid but she hadn't even considered acting, although her mom and dad are actors. It wasn't what she wanted to do and may still not be what she wants to do. I'm not sure. She has time.
Tribeca: Were you guys were able to rehearse before shooting?
TR: Yeah, we did. We rehearsed fairly solidly over a period of a week, and I'm usually not inclined to rehearse in any formal way. However, we sat around and talked through all the scenes before we shot them. We'd say the lines out loud and occasionally move stuff around. We knew Ellie has new to the game, so whenever she showed up on the set, we made sure that she was completely prepared. We still had freedom on set. Ellie and I would often improvise, but she wasn't walking into an environment she didn't fully understand. She was only 11 years old when she did it.
The idea that you slide into a theater nowadays, past these big budget movies, is a joke.
Tribeca: Archie is an interesting character. He's a symbol of authority and stability the town's lawyer, father to Skunk and Jed but he is still trying to get over his wife's abandoning him and to move on with a tentative relationship with the family's au pair. During all of his struggles, he puts Skunk and Jed first. How did you approach playing such a complex character? What drew you to the role?
TR: He's such a good man. He's as flawed as the next guy, but his inherent goodness separates him from the rest of us. His heart is very specifically in the right place. So that's really what hit me. When we were b
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Oscar-nominated actor and all-around British icon Tim Roth spoke to us about fatherhood, the dangers of technology and taking the piss out of Instagram Video and Vine. 
