May 27, 1999

Stoltz on Adultery, Rand, and Roles

"Being a jerk is very liberating," Eric Stoltz announces happily. Now the actor was speaking not of his daily life, but his role as Nathaniel Branden in Showtime's The Passions of Ayn Rand. Rand, author and founder of the philosophical theory of objectivism, and her protégé Branden carried on a 15-year relationship with their spouses' initial (if reluctant) consent.

"I think [Branden] was a very complex, driven, troubled young man," Stoltz said during a phone interview with Mr. Showbiz. "In a lot of scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor, I tried to show a kinder, gentler, more troubled Nathaniel, but I guess they needed an antagonist."

Passion is based on the biography written by Nathaniel's ex-wife Barbara, who was on set every day. "I tried to take [Barbara's advice] with a grain of salt," Stoltz says, conceding that someone's ex might not be a completely unbiased source of information. Instead, he and co-star Helen Mirren, who portrays the Russian-born novelist, "immersed ourselves into these people's lives," reading everything they could and trying to maintain Rand-sanctioned objectivity. Barbara, then, "was helpful in the areas that didn't involve the emotions," Stoltz recalls. "How [Nathaniel] would hold himself during a lecture, how he wore a suit … innocuous details that form a person."

Although Nathaniel, now age 69, is alive and well, Stoltz was advised against meeting him for legal reasons. At a recent screening in Los Angeles, Stoltz said people claiming to be Branden's friends approached him. "They said Nathaniel gave his tacit approval," the actor says.

Seasoned professionals Mirren and Stoltz were left to their own devices to infuse the highly physical and psychological May-December romance with a vicarious heat. Stoltz said that while he couldn't explain what makes any relationship work, "thank God — this is one of them that did. It was like a very successful blind date where everything just clicks."

Passion, which airs this Sunday on Showtime, examines the concept of "consensual adultery" (a term coined by a reporter at a recent press conference). Rand's husband, Frank (played by Peter Fonda, father of Stoltz' ex-girlfriend Bridget), and Barbara (Julie Delpy) agreed to let the couple conduct the long-term affair.

"It's not difficult [to conceive of] in the '90s," Stoltz admits, "but in the '50s … in the prism of how society was at that time, it was an impossible conceit." As for himself, he says, "I think that it's possible to love more than person at a time — it's just not easy."

Like consensual adultery, stepping into real-life shoes can also be uneasy. Years before tackling Branden, Stoltz made his indelible impression on Hollywood as courageous and disfigured Rocky Dennis in 1985's Mask.

"It's ridiculous to think that you can try to portray a real person," Stoltz says. "It brings forth an enormous amount of guilt, and an enormous amount of responsibility. I'm as respectful to their life as I can be, but it's an odd boat to be in."

Such challenges, though, define Stoltz as an actor. Given his obvious good looks and screen presence, he could have become better known in leading-man roles, but opted instead not to take the easy route.

"I'm offered conventional fare that would clearly bolster my status, but for the most part, I try to do things that turn me on, that hold my interest, that move me in a way that a lot of typical male stuff doesn't."

Of course, he says slyly, parts must pass through the Hollywood hierarchy. "It goes Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt" — he pauses for a beat — "Jar Jar Binks, and then it's open to the rest of us." (For those of you living under a rock, Jar Jar Binks is the universally known and reviled CGI comic-relief character in The Phantom Menace.)

Stoltz heads for Europe next week to start filming The House of Mirth with Gillian Anderson and Laura Linney. In addition to seeking compelling parts, Stoltz jokes, "I must work with redheads." Ladies, find some hair dye immediately. — Laurell Haapanen