Richard Jenkins Takes the Lead
October 6, 2008

Actor Richard Jenkins, a “Hey, it’s that guy” performer best known as the deceased patriarch of the Fisher clan in the late HBO show Six Feet Under, has had a busy 2008, having appeared in featured roles in the studio production Step Brothers and, most recently, the Coen Brothers Burn After Reading. But it’s leading man turn, one of his first, in an independent film that grossed an impressive $9.4 million at the box office this summer, that he’ll surely be remembered for this year. The film is The Visitor (out on DVD from Anchor Bay this week), a low-key but strong drama directed by Thomas McCarthy concerning a widowed college professor whose life is re-awakened when he encounters a colorful family of immigrants. Jenkins in positively outstanding in the role, which is already receiving some very justifiable Best Actor Oscar buzz.

“It was an incredible experience--when a role like this comes along, it’s a blessing,” the affable, soft-spoken Jenkins told me in an interview last week. It’s a “quiet” part--if you were in a room with this guy, you wouldn’t notice him--but there was a lot in there. I felt a real sense of how much to put into it and I think it worked.”

But delivering a knock-out performance was only the first part of his experience as a respected “indie” leading man.

Part of the responsibility of the film falls on me and that was a realization that dawned on me after we finished making the film,” he said. It was just about doing the movie, but also talking about the movie, promoting it.

So leading man Jenkins took to the road earlier this year, which translated into conducting a stream of interviews (including one with yours truly), making appearances and doing sit-downs in nearly two dozen cities, and traveling to Europe for the international press.

“That was definitely something I hadn’t experienced in other films. I never did junkets or traveled like I did for The Visitor,” he said.

So does Jenkins see this as the dawn of a new direction for himself as a leading man of the movies?

“The truth is that it is what it is,” he told me simply. “I’m 61 and I look for things that are interesting. And this one was certainly interesting.”

Posted by Laurence Lerman on October 6, 2008 | Comments (0)