Transcript:
Vincent D'Onofrio on "The View"

Lisa Ling: "Vincent D’Onofrio has played some unforgettable roles, from a twisted marine recruit in the amazing “Full Metal Jacket,” to a man eating bug in “Men in Black”, to a terrifying serial killer in “The Cell.” And now this amazing actor is pulling double duty on the big and small screens. You can catch him every Sunday night on TV on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” as well as in the new sci-fi film, “Imposter,” Where he plays an investigator who doesn’t believe that co-star Gary Sinese is what he seems. Take a look."

(shows clip from imposter)

LL: (sarcastically) "They’re not from New York. Please welcome, Vincent D’Onofrio."

(Audience stands and applauds as he walks in.)

Vincent D'Onofrio: (joking) "Do I kiss everybody?"

(Chorus of 'yeahs' and laughter. He kisses all five women on the cheek before sitting down.)

Barbara Walters: "What a sweet face he has."

LL: "I know."

Meredith Vieira: "Yeah, He’s adorable."

Star Jones: "You have lipstick on you." (wipes lipstick off his cheek)

Vincent: "That’s okay."

LL: " Vincent, you are such a sweetheart, but yet you play some of the most evil flawed, sadistic characters. What is it about you that makes directors want to cast you in those roles?"

Vincent: " I don’t know. I just honestly think Stanley Kubrick did it. It was my first part and I was on Broadway and a friend of mine, Matthew Modine, was doing this film “Full Metal Jacket” and told Stanley about me. Stanley talked to me on the phone a couple times, and I went out there and gained 70 pounds for it. And he started off my character acting career basically."

Joy Behar: "How was that to gain 70 pounds? That must have been fun."

LL: "Fun, yeah."

(Vincent and the audience laughs)

Vincent: "It doesn’t get fun until like the 2nd month."

JB: "Why? What happens then?"

Vincent: "Well, it’s really hard to eat so much, then your body gets used to it."

BW: "I’ve never found that to be a problem."

(Vincent and the audience laugh)

SJ: "Taking it off must have been hard."

Vincent: "Yeah, it took me 7 months to put in on and 9 months to take it off with the training."

BW: "You know in this film you play a supporting role with Gary Sinese, and you have said that you want to have a supporting role, that you don’t want to be a lead actor. Everyone wants to be the leading actor I thought."

Vincent: "Well, I’ve modeled my career after the great character actors. That’s just something I always wanted to do. I started it in the theater when I moved on from building sets and sweeping floors, to actually being able to play rolls sin theater companies. I just always wanted to play characters, because of Alex Dennis, and ..."

BW: "That’s true, the career does go on and on."

JB: "Edward G. Robinson"

Vincent: "Edward G. Robinson, yeah."

JB: "The great old timers."

Vincent: "I find the research to be much more extensive. And when you become known, you become like a hired gun, people leave you alone. They expect me to bring in the character, so I come - it doesn’t matter who the director is, what studio, big film, small film, whatever. They expect me to come in, do my thing, and get out. And I’m left alone basically."

BW: "You can do the role in whatever way you want."

SJ: "More longevity in a character actor."

Vincent: "Yeah. Can I say ‘hi’ to my mom?"

BW: "Of course. Character actors can do anything."

Vincent: "Cause this is her favorite show and I want to say ‘hi.’ So, hi mom!" (waves to mom)

(all five women ‘awwww’)

JB: "Can we say hi?"

Vincent: "Yeah, everybody say hi to my mom."

(everybody says hi and waves, laughing)

Vincent: "Her name is Phyllis. And George my step-dad. Hi George."

(all say hi to George, too)

Vincent: "I had to do that."

MV: "Do they have a dog?"

Vincent: "The dogs name is Cat."

MV: "Hi, Cat."

LL: "You don’t have aspirations of reaching like the Tom Cruise level, is that true? You’d rather…" Vincent: "Oh, I’d never reach that level anyway, I mean Tom is like (gestures with hands pointing high in the air) gone, I mean I’ve just had this career that I’ve been able to maintain for almost 20 years now, and work constantly. That’s why I’m doing a television show now."

JB: "Yeah, you’re a leading man on that more or less."

Vincent: "Well, but that wasn’t the original idea. The original idea to me was because I like to work so much, and rather than be away from my family - my wife and kids - for nine months out of the year…"

LL: "Your daughter is backstage, she’s so beautiful."

Vincent: "(smiles broadly) Yeah. But rather than be away from them for 9 months out of the year - cause I did 4 or 5 five films a year - now with the TV show I can stay home for 9 months out of the year, and still do a couple films a year. So it’s perfect."

JB: "Great."

SJ: "Speaking of the TV show, you know, I’m committed. I’m a “Law & Order” kind of girl. I watch all three."

Vincent: "Oh, are you?"

BW: "Especially since one of them comes on opposite “20/20.”"

SJ: "I have TiVo, Barbara. I tape one and I watch the other. “Law & Order Criminal Intent” is the one that you do, I read that the three “Law & Order’s” - Special Victims Unit, and the original - were going to do a crossover episode involving bin Laden that was prior to September 11th. What was that about?"

Vincent: (quietly and hesitantly) "Yeah."

SJ: "Am I right?"

Vincent: "Yeah, you’re exactly right. It’s just a little hard to talk about because of September 11th. But Dick Wolf and I had been talking, and obviously Dick and his writers and producers had been talking, about bringing my character into this 5 hour miniseries - which was Dick Wolf’s idea - about bin Laden attacking New York. And it was going to be called “Terror,” and we were going to start shooting it on October 1st before any of us knew anything about what was about to happen... Actually I start to shake just thinking about it."

JB: "That’s freaky."

Vincent: "It’s a little strange. It’s a little strange, and the day the attack happened, one of the things that was on my mind, that I couldn’t get out of my mind, was this miniseries. And I actually called Dick on the phone and we had both been thinking about it at the same time. And we talked and we decided right then basically that, of course it wasn’t just our decision, but just as men talking to each other we realized of course that this cant’ be done and how bizarre it was."

LL: "Well Vincent, you are so terrific and talented and we hope that you work forever and ever because you are fantastic. Thank you so much for coming on our show."

Vincent: (smiling) "Thank you."

LL: "Hi Phyliss and George. Our thanks to Vincent D’Onofrio, his film “Imposter” opens January 4th, and his show “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” airs Sunday nights at 9pm. We’ll be right back."

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