The Spectator

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania newspaper

October 27, 2006 issue

Writer: Cornell Green

The Spectator caught up with actor Shea Whigham, star of “Wristcutters: A Love story”, screening at EUP at 8:30PM on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Louis C. Cole Auditorium. The event is free to EUP students. Whigham has also starred in “Tigerland” and “Lords of  Dogtown”. We asked him all about Wristcutters, his future projects and working in the “indie” circuit.

Spectator: You play a character named Eugene in the movie. What kind of person is He? How is he different from you?

Whigham: He’s a musician caught in a really weird place in his life. He’s not without humor, but the glass is half empty a lot of the time with him. We both have a pretty dry sense of humor, but I’m more of an optimist than he is. I got it together a little more than he does. We’re both follow your gut types.

Spectator: Eugene has a strong Russian accent. Did you speak any Russian beforehand? Was it difficult to master the accent?

Whigham: It was very hard. I had a Russian tutorial and a dialect coach. The woman who worked with me also works with Nicole Kidman.

Spectator: What drew you to the role?

 Whigham: More the script.  I had never read anything like this. I wasn’t sure that it could be pulled off the way it was written. With the budget and everything, (Dukic) went above and beyond.

Spectator: Wristcutters has been playing at a lot of film festivals this year, winning awards at many of them. Have you been able to attend many of the screenings? How was the reaction to the film?

Whigham: It’s going gangbusters, man. Wherever it travels to, it means a lot to people on different levels.

Spectator: What would you like students at Edinboro University to take from the film when they see it next week?

Whigham: That’s hard. It means different things to different people. It’s not about suicide. It’s about love, and appreciating the things in life that are right there in front of you.

Spectator: Goran Dukic, the director of the movie will also be at the event next week. What  was it like working with him?

Whigham: I’ve been really lucky with some of these directors. Most directors see things linear. He comes at things from top, bottom, left… He sees things that we don’t see and I think you’ll see that in the film.

Spectator: You’re in another movie with Colin Farrell coming up next year called “Pride and Glory”. You’ve done both Hollywood/studio work and low budget independent movies. Which do you prefer doing and why?

Whigham: A mix. This film, for instance, it comes from an indie angle, but still, it features actors like Edward Norton, Colin Farrell and John Voight.

Spectator: Who would you like to work with in the future?

Whigham: Guys that impress me right now are Daniel Day Lewis, Sean Penn and Christian Bale.