Original-Cin Q&A: Jockey's Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker on how an aging rider's story affected them
Clifton Collins Jr. gives a standout performance in his latest film, Jockey. Collins plays an aging jockey who hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse.
The years -- and injuries -- have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. If that’s not enough, the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream.
Jockey was written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar and directed by Bentey who both worked with Collins on the film Transpecos.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker about working on the film and connecting with their roles.
Jockey opens March 4 in Toronto (TIFF Bell Lightbox) and Vancouver. It opens through the spring in other cities.
CLICK HERE for Bonnie’s interview with Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Molly Parker and Clifton Collins Jr. in Jockey
ORIGINAL-CIN: Clifton, the script was written by your buddies Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, who you previously worked with on Transpecos. They wrote Jockey specifically with you in mind. How freaked out were you when they presented the script and it actually sunk in what the role would entail?
CLIFTON COLLINS JR.: (Laughs) Pretty freaked out to be completely honest, because I wasn’t immediately given a full script. So, I didn't initially know what I would be getting into.
Also I had to revisit a little bit of pain, some family trauma and things of that nature, so I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ride. The experience I had with them on Transpecos was undeniable, so there's a bit of a loyalty issue, meaning. I can't go against them. (Laughs)
I was a little freaked out, but I was hyper-excited to just jump back in the saddle, so to speak, with the boys. And in that process to take the gloves off. Because it's just a beautiful thing that happens when we get together and start doing stuff. Then bringing in equal partners like Molly and Moises, it was truly amazing.
ORIGINAL-CIN: Molly, you’re always making us proud here in Canada. I love the relationship between your character and Collin’s. It's very special and I was wondering if there was an immediate bond with you and Clifton? Did you feel the need to create a bit of a backstory for these characters to get that relationship to work and feel real?
MOLLY PARKER: Kind of all of the above really. We didn't know each other. But I knew of Clifton and I've been a fan of his for a long time. We had met briefly about 20 years ago at a film festival. When I read this script I really did think, “Oh God, I want to see him do this part.”
The role was written very well, but it evolved. You look and see what you can bring to it, and try to be of service to the story. It's his story about what's going on in his life at the end of his career, and I was invested in how best to reflect that and be a part of that.
To that end I think that Clifton is awesome, and we had a great time and we kind of work in a similar way.
We're both really interested in getting deep into it. This film was shot on a live track, right? We had a tiny 10 person crew, we all stayed at this hotel by the track. So we could get together in the evenings and work through what you were going to do the next day and these filmmakers were really open to collaboration.
There's not a lot of ego or fear really, it was an incredible way to work and really very rare. Truthfully, it reminded me of when I made my very first film, Kissed, so many decades ago, where we were all collaborating and had such a special vibe to it.
O-C: Clifton, when you dive into roles, you dive into roles. And you really immerse yourself in this one. You dropped your weight to 140-ish pounds. And you’ve got to have, not just the physicality but the mental stress of what's going on with these jockeys.
COLLINS: The mental stuff is an afterthought. There’s a line in the movie that says, ‘Your mind and your body aren’t the same anymore.” And so focusing on the physicality is about trying to get these things done. And you realize that you're having some problems doing that, and there's emotions that come with that.
So I don't know what came first, the chicken or the egg. It depended on the scene. Thankfully, we shot in sequence so for the most part, we were able to grow as accurately as the characters did.
Then on top of working every night in my room with the script and then having two incredible actors like Molly and Moises was a gift. Molly, just for starters just to show how seasoned she is, she sent me a mixtape to get me into the headspace of this guy.
When any actor or actress does that, you already know that they’re at a certain level. She, innately, knew that this was going to pull at my heartstrings. I'd be in my hotel room listening to these words and lyrics and songs and being moved by them. But the thoughtfulness just kind of led into the relationship of our characters Jackson and Ruth. For me that was at the core of this beautiful kick off.
O-C: Molly, how did watching Cliton’s performance and then playing this role make you grow as an actor?
PARKER: It made me like acting again, to be honest. When you do something for a long time, when you have a career that's decades-long, you sort of have to renegotiate your relationship to it. It’s like a marriage and re-committing to it in a way.
Sometimes - and I’m not going off on a limb by saying this - but sometimes, acting isn't very fun.(Laughs)
Sometimes, it's just hard work and I was so grateful to get to do this work that was really quite joyful. Even though it's a story about a man, whose body is giving up on him, he's not going to be able to do what he loves to do, to me there was also this incredible joy in this film and a real tenderness around those broken spaces.
You're around these horses that have been broken. You were around these people who are physically broken, but see their perseverance and you see how healing that can be. So It really made me happy to be a part of something so special and so healing at the same time.
O-C: Clifton, you have been getting rave reviews for your performance in this movie. What do all of these accolades, and the respect that you are getting, mean to you after so many years in the business?
COLLINS: It’s hard to put into words truthfully because you don't really expect any of that. You just focus on doing the job. You hope it gets received in a positive light, the way that it has been.
As artists we’re always swinging for the fences. We’re always trying to find the next gig and we’re always trying to do work that matters and that touches people's hearts and souls. So when it finally happens it's a whole new territory.
So I don't know. It's hard to not get emotional about it and it's very difficult to compartmentalize that kind of joy. But more importantly, it's just the reward that I think really comes from the audience being moved and touched by it. Because at the end of the day, I think that's what all of us wan