| Interview with actor Christian Kane |
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"I
started my career as an actor thinking it would be a piece
of cake"
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| Posted on 28 June 2003 |
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The collapse of Enron and the subsequent demise of their accounting
agency Arthur Andersen made global headlines and sent shockwaves
through corporate America. While some investors lost their life
savings, Enron's bosses made millions. Now the tale of unrelenting
corporate greed has been made into a movie The Crooked E.
This airs on Hallmark channel on 28 June at 10:30 pm. India also
gets a brief mention in the saga.
The film is based on the book written by former Enron employee
Brian Cruver. In the film, actor Christian Kane plays Cruver. Kane
was previously seen in the television series Dawson's Creek
as well as in Angel, which was the spin off to Buffy
The Vampire Slayer. Through an email questionnaire sent by Indiantelevision.com's
Ashwin Pinto, Christian dwelt on his role, his love
for acting and music as well as his attitude towards his fans.
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Did you get to meet the real life Brian Cruver and what did you
learn from him?
Yes, I did get to meet with Brian. It was a nice thing because I
understood better what was expected of me, how Brian felt, what
he went through. Brian himself had worked there only for around
nine months, but he had all the inside information
On the day the scandal broke out, reporters were calling Brian and
he gave them anonymous quotes. It's when those quotes started to
appear on the front page of papers, that he decided to write a book.
Meeting Brian was fun and it definitely helped me a great deal in
portraying him.
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Was there extra pressure on you to depict a real life person?
It is
always more of a challenge when you know, besides your directors
and your audiences you have this set of people who know the real
person and will always compare you to him. Then there is the person
himself, evaluating my performance as he watches it.
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Were the former Enron employees happy with 'The Crooked E' or did
they feel that some of the depictions were exaggerated?
There are a couple of showbiz distortions but for the most part,
the TV version is right. For example, the rumour about strippers
being hired as secretaries just makes the movie more spicy
There is another instance, which was that Brian never broke up with
his fiancée due to work pressure. Also the employee pep rallies
led by Kenneth Lay (Enron's former CEO) were far more massive than
what was depicted in the movie.
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Is Brian Cruver the youngster with stars in his eyes who comes crashing
down to earth something you can personally identify with?
Well
yes. I think it happens to all of us at some time in our life. The
height of the fall is variable.
I started my career as an actor thinking it would be a piece of
cake and that I was the best thing that happened to the industry.
It's when I actually started out that I realised how tough it was.
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When and how did you get your first major break in television?
Well, I dropped out of University and wanted so badly to be an actor
that I headed straight for Hollywood. I got a job as a production
assistant and then also in the mailroom of a talent agency, hoping
that I would come across something suitable for myself.
Fame
L.A was launched back in 1997. I went ahead and auditioned and
bagged the lead role. Then came Rescue 77. The fortunate
or the unfortunate thing is that neither of them turned out to be
huge successes.
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Do you recall the moment when you realised that you would be an
actor?
My best friends as a kid were the movies and my singing. Very close
to home, I found a movie theatre that became my second home. I would
watch every single movie that hit the theatre. Sometimes, I would
watch the movie more than once.
After watching the movie I would act like a bartender, a pilot,
a cop, a sweeper, a vampire…gosh! I wanted to be everything. They
became my inspiration. But it was Top Gun that made the final
mark. It was somewhere in the middle of it that I decided that acting
was my calling!
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| "There
are a couple of show-biz distortions but for the most part,
the TV version is right"
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When and how did you get involved with 'Angel'?
Well, the producer wanted me to be on Angel as a lawyer.
It was not as cool as being dressed in a camouflage and having fangs
and stuff, but it was a great experience anyways.
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There has been criticism in some quarters that even those teen flicks
which have an interesting premise are often dumbed down to appeal
to a not too demanding audience. Your comments.
I think everyone has a role to play, a job to do. The film critics
have a job to do too and I guess they are only doing their job.
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How
much baseball practice did you do for you role in Summer Catch?
II was already decent at baseball if I may say so! We would play
lots of it! For the role though besides all the practice there were
also loads of re-takes!
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Would
you say that the new movie 'Secondhand Lions' which you appear in
has more emotional depth and maturity as opposed to the slapstick
seen in Just Married?
I think the role is packaged differently. Every role requires a
particular performance and has some expectations. It is my job to
meet the expectations.
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Tell
me a bit about the music you create with your band Kane?
I'm the lead singer and a guitarist in our band - Kane, founded
by my friend Steve and myself. We are a rock-n-roll country band.
We just basically have a ball.
The music is real good - I guess anyone would say that about their
own music, but seriously, even if you don't like country music,
you will love this.
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What is a bigger priority for you? Music or acting and why?
Well, both are a priority for me. I treat both of them with
equal importance. I know it's strange to have two 'first loves'…but
that's the way it is. I mean every time I would act I would also
sing.
Finally
what kind of a relationship do you enjoy with your fans?
Well,
I owe a lot to them. They have seen me in all these negative and
'bad guy' roles, but they still love me and support me and that's
the best thing. I want them to know that I am not really 'that bad'
and that I love them all! Cheers!
Also read
Hallmark
to air film on Enron collapse 'The Crooked E'
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