Lipton: Not since the interviews involving Johnny Depp and Robin Williams have we had such a high demand for audience seats. Not only are we a packed house but we have even more people willing to stand just to be apart of this evening. It's safe to say this is our largest audience to date. This evening we have the incredible honor of sitting down with an amazingly talented actor who at only 27 years old has already garnered the praise of legendary thespians such as Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro, Ed Norton, Daniel Day Lewis, Denzel Washington, and Gary Oldman as not only the finest actor of his generation but well on his way to becoming one of our finest to ever grace the screen in quite some time. From the beginning tonight's guest displayed incredible range, from playing a British soccer coach in his first film role in Bend It Like Beckham to his role as a piercing laden tormentor in Hostage, controversial journalist Stephen Glass in Shattered Glass for which he was nominated for a Toronto International Film Festival Palm Award, a mentally challenged youngster in The Village, an Irish womanizer in Brian DePalma's Desire, his uncanny turn as the King of rock n roll Elvis Presley for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a homeless drug addict in 16 Grams for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Clio Award, a gay college student in Popular 3, a neo nazi skinhead in Malibu's Most Wanted, a sadistic cowboy in 3:10 to Yuma, a runaway orphan on the hit MTV2 television series The Best Tears, a mexican american ex-convict who turns to Scientology in The Believers for which he was nominated for Best Actor at both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, and he next will portray the iconic British spy 007 in the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace which opens worldwide next month, please join me in welcoming the most exciting actor of his generation, Mr. Michael Reese Meyers!
Meyers: Wow. Quite an introduction. Thank you.
Lipton: You look nervous.
Meyers: Well I'm a big fan. I know you. You do your research. It might get a little personal.
Lipton: That's the point.
Meyers: Let's do it...ya know at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this show. I dunno if I'm ready. It's kinda early, I mean I only been acting for ....like 9 years.
Lipton: Oh, you've earned it. You're ready.
Meyers: Thank you. At least it's not like I'm on E! True Hollywood Story. You know it's pretty much over when you get on that show. It didn't end well, haha.
Lipton: As always we begin with where and when it all started. When were you born?
Meyers: May 4, 1984. It was a Friday night I believe. Around 8 0' clock. Or so my mom tells me.
Lipton: And where were you born?
Meyers: In Laguna Beach, California.
Lipton: Fancy area.
Meyers: Yea. We weren't poor.
Lipton: You moved somewhere at an early age, you didn't stay there for long...
Meyers: No when I was 9 we upgraded to an even bigger house and moved to Beverly Hills. It was insane. Basketball court, pool, we had a maid, a bar in the basement. It was just ridiculous.
Lipton: You described your childhood and family life as happy but dysfunctional, how so?
Meyers: I was spoiled. I had alot of great things. We traveled alot. Went on cruises, family trips, country club, ranches up in Northern California to see relatives, we had fun. We had money. But like any family there was other darker stuff going on that we kept in house ya know? We put on that smiley face for the camera but when it was off there was alot of drama going on.
Lipton: What are your parents names?
Meyers: My dad is Pierce Robert Meyers and my mom is Sonia Meyers.
Lipton: What did they do?
Meyers: Real estate.
Lipton: Both of them?
Meyers: Yea.
Lipton: What nationality? Do you know the heritage?
Meyers: Yea my dads half Scottish half Irish and my moms parents both originated in England somewhere but she was raised in Ireland because her mom was too young to take care of her so relatives took her in.
Lipton: How did they meet?
Meyers: Ha, um, funny story. My dad was in the Irish army or whatever and he almost took a bullet to the head. Grazed him like this. Still has the scar on his forehead to this day. I think it was in basic training or something. Anyway he went to get stitches for his head and my mom happened to be the nurse that was caring for him and he thought she was cute or whatever and asked her to go with him as his date to some military dance they had coming up. She said yea and they been together ever since.
Lipton: When did they move to America?
Meyers: They came to New York in the mid or late 60's I think at first. Lived there for a bit and then once they got into real estate they saw things in southern California were picking up and thats where the big money was at so they moved out west.
Lipton: Any siblings?
Meyers: Two older brothers. Much older. I'm the baby.
Lipton: You describe your father as a hard man but the life of the party and that his charisma could infect the room. What did you gleen from that?
Meyers: He was a man's man. He was a great father and provided for us. He could tell a great story. Loved to hear himself talk. He was a charmer. A ladies man. He had a wild youth and came from a dysfunctional poor Scottish family and came to America determined to make it big and he did. He instilled a competitive fire in all of us, my brothers and me. To be the best.
Lipton: You have been on record that you and your mother have not had the best relationship. Where did that begin and why?
Meyers: ....I can't really trace it. Just little things she'd say or do would annoy me. I dunno I think it gets blown out of proportion. Listen, I talk to my mom almost every other day. We speak, we get along. I dont hate my mom. I love my mom. She's always been there for me. Can she be overbearing at times? Controlling? Stubborn. Sure. What mom isn't? I think me and her have come to a good place in our relationship now where I just dont see the point in dredging up the past.
Lipton: So everything is better now between you two?
Meyers: We have fights. We disagree. I dont jump for joy when my phone rings and its her name on the screen. But when I need something she's there. It's a complicated thing to explain. It's like a business arrangement. My brothers and I have learned to just keep it cordial with her. Nothing too personal. You let her in your life and she will try to take it over so we've learned to just say hi and bye. How was your day? Good? Good. Keep it simple. No drama.
Lipton: You've described certain events in your childhood as shaping the man you've become today and certain vices you still grapple with...What do you...
Meyers: You mean walking onto a porn set at 9 years old?
Lipton: Well if you want to just get right into it...
Meyers: I think on Tyra I went over it in detail enough already but listen, I saw alot of stuff a kid shouldnt see and at a very very early age I was thinking about sex and the naked body in a way that no child should be thinking about those things. I didnt realize what effect it would have on me and was having on me psychologically until much later on in life. It was through therapy and my own personal research that I realized that experience along with a not so healthy relationship with my mom led to my addiction.
Lipton: Your sex addiction....
Meyers: Yes.
Lipton: This is something you still deal with...
Meyers: Everyday.
Lipton: What's the hardest part?
Meyers: ...interacting with beautiful women. Trying not to imagine them naked or in my bed and just respecting personal boundaries. Even something as simple as a conversation can be taken to a whole different level if I let it and I have to watch myself and not ask the wrong thing because I'm thinking with the wrong brain ya know? And of course analyzing my work can be, difficult at times...
Lipton: How so?
Meyers: Like, I'm one of the few actors who enjoys watching his films, his takes, the dailies, the playback and analyzing my work and seeing what I can do better. I just love it. I am like an athlete watching film from the previous game so I can learn from my mistakes. Like I said it goes back to my dad teaching us to be competitors or whatever. But when you watch a love scene back, it gets hard, literally and figuratively. Haha. Because you try to not expose yourself to that type of imagery and stuff when you are supposed to be abstaining from sex and masturbation and part of sex addiction is impulse control problems. Some people can watch porn and not masturbate they just go about their day. Some people can interact with a gorgeous female and not try to get her number and get her in bed. They have self control. Sex addicts lack that.
Lipton: Like many actors before you who sat in that very chair, bullying played a role in their early years. Were you bullied?
Meyers: All the time. I was a skinny scrawny kid with a high pitched voice. It wasn't so bad in elementary school cause everyone was like that but once I got to junior high and high school it became a problem cause other guys were getting taller, bigger, deeper voices, and I still sounded like a girl and had twigs for arms. It was hard. I hated it.
Lipton: Did one incident in which you fought back against a bully lead you to being expelled from a school?
Meyers: Uh, yea, I think it was in the 7th grade. Some kid stole my jacket from my locker and I saw him wearing it everyday so I got fed up and confronted him during recess and we fought. I ended up getting kicked out and my parents sent me to an all boys military boarding school for a year and a half out in Napa Valley. It was like prison.
Lipton: That wasn't your first fight was it...?
Meyers: ...haha, you're an asshole.
Lipton: I do my homework.
Meyers: Aw man...you had to go there.
Lipton: It happened. If you dont recall I can refresh your memory. You were 9...
Meyers: No I remember. I spoke about this on Tyra. I was 9 and the first girl I ever had a crush on would call me names like everyday and one day I got sick of it and kicked her between the legs as hard as I could. It was wrong but at the time I didnt know how else to handle it. I was a kid...
Lipton: What ended up happening?
Meyers: I got kicked out.
Lipton: What did you learn from that experience?
Meyers: Dont hit girls. Especially if she's the principal's niece.
Lipton: The theme of female rejection continued to haunt you in high school. You claimed a girl didn't even give you the time of day until senior year and that you never quite knew where you belonged in high school.
Meyers: I didn't know where I belonged. Everywhere I went I was an outsider. I was on the high school football team but they put me on the bench and made fun of me. So I was an outsider there. I hung out with the geeks at lunch but since I had a bunch of female friends and was kind of good looking, at least face-wise, they saw me as not really one of them. And even though I did have many female friends, they all had boyfriends and only saw me as the guy friend to talk to about their romance issues. I was always the friend, never the boyfriend. So I kinda floated around from clique to clique, but never really fit in or belonged to any of them. I guess that's where I learned to sort of be a chameleon and change myself slightly to fit into what each group wanted me to be.
Lipton: And was this the time where you started to begin to have an interest in acting?
Meyers: Well yea sort of, I mean just for fun at first. I did one school play slash musical for The Lion King and it was awesome getting that applause from the crowd and it was the first time in my life I felt I was good at something. And all of a sudden girls would come up to me and say 'Hey, I saw you in the play, you did a good job' or whatever. It felt really good.
Lipton: But did you take acting lessons of any sort? What was your route?
Meyers: Nope. Never. No acting classes or anything, my route was a chewing gum commercial, haha. That was my first gig as an actor.
Lipton: How old were you?
Meyers: I had just turned 17.
Lipton: A very recent guest of this show and a well respected young actor in Hollywood also went to Laguna Beach High School with you and was a big reason that you began to take acting more seriously...who is he?
Meyers: My best friend in the whole world. Mr. James Franco.
Lipton: And he's here tonight. Stand up James.
Lipton: What was Michael like in high school?
Franco: Haha, uhhh (Michael shouts 'lie, lie!'), Mike was the same as he is now, to be honest. Um, very hyper. Very, aware of who he is. Funny, goofy. I'm the one that changed the most from then to now, I was very brooding and anti-social and it took me a long time...
Meyers: Come on man this is my show, you had your show. There he goes always making it about him...haha.
Lipton: So how did he get you into acting?
Meyers: Well he got the James Dean gig and I'd hang out on set and I just fell in love with the whole process and I realized this is what I wanna do too. I mean we did everything together so I just wanted to be apart of that world and... (James shouts 'he didnt want me to outshine him')...haha yea oh yea, sure, that too...
Lipton: What was your first acting role?
Meyers: Well like I said hanging out on set alot on James Dean was great and there I met an agent who got me the gum commercial so that was my first real actual paying thing but then when senior year started we had a teacher strike and there was no school at all for the whole month of December 2001 and the agent guy calls me up and says they want me to go to England and shoot a soccer movie. That's all I knew. But I was excited to go and so I did it.
Lipton: Bend It Like Beckham. With Keira Knightley.
Meyers: Yea. I think it was like, her first film as well too. It was such a blast. A crazy trip to be making my first film, overseas. It was like a dream.
Lipton: How did you get the accent?
Meyers: I kind of already had it. I've always had a good ear at mimicking accents and stuff and plus my grandmother on my mom's side is practically British and so growing up with her and her and I watching British television alot made it easy for me to pick up and they also gave me a dialogue coach as well which helped a great deal.
Lipton: And that filmed for four weeks and then you went back to school.
Meyers: Yea I felt like a different person. High school seemed so big and important to me. Being liked, getting good grades, getting a date, etc. But once I did that (film) and had that experience and got a taste of that world, I was hooked. I knew then that I didnt care about school anymore. All of a sudden I was above it. I just wanted to graduate and do more (acting).
Lipton: What did you do next, right after graduation?
Meyers: I did a small extra role in a Spike Lee film called 25th Hour and then I got cast in a Canadian tv show called Higher Ground for what was then known as Fox Family channel but now it's ABC Family.
Lipton: How long did that series last?
Meyers: A whopping one season, haha.
Lipton: But you learned alot I guess...
Meyers: It was great. It was like acting school. We had so many great mentors and a great young cast, many of whom had been child actors so they were like veterans already and they gave me alot of tips. It was great. I just had to get used to the Canadian weather, being a Southern California kid, it was rough.
Lipton: Who was your character on the show?
Meyers: I played Scott Mitchell, a teen runaway who was molested by his step mother and thus had issues with intimacy. He didn't feel comfortable being kissed or touched by a girl. Which became an issue when one of the girls at this camp wants to date him.
Lipton: Who played that girl?
Meyers: Kristen Bell.
((A scene from the show is shown where Kristen tries to have sex with him and he explains why he cant))
Lipton: How instrumental was Kristen in your life? You say, 'She taught me what it felt like to be loved. A feeling I had never known before and havent really known since'.
Meyers: Yea man, she was, an angel. I have not an ounce of ill will in my heart for that girl. She was my first girlfriend. The first to ever like me. To ever be able to stand my presence. For 3 years she cared about me and listened to me and loved me when I was being an ass and when I was being great she appreciated it all and she was the best thing to ever happen to me. Until her I had my family's love but to me that didnt really count. They HAVE to love you. She was the first human being to ever meet me that didnt HAVE to love me that said, I like this guy, alot. And that did wonders for my self esteem when I really really needed it. And I havent found a girl like that since. Someone that loyal, that loving and caring and honest. I never thought it would be like that but, here I am. It sucks, haha.
Lipton: You two were engaged at one point....
Meyers: Yes we were....
Lipton: What ultimately caused the end of this relationship?
Meyers: A couple things. Her parents thought we were too young. And their approval meant alot to her. She wasnt gonna go through with a wedding her mom and dad, especially her dad since she is such a daddys girl, a wedding they didnt want. She wasnt the type to rebel and elope or just go for it. And I think looking back on it an even bigger issue was the simple fact that we were growing apart. We were fighting more as the years went by and the more I talked about marriage the more she withdrew from the relationship. But looking back on it now I can see why she did and she had every right to. She was also in her first relationship and how many people marry their first boyfriend or girlfriend? Her friends were in her ear telling her she has to date other people and live life first. She had all her family and friends telling her to slow it down and little old me pressuring her to make this crazy, huge commitment....at 20 years old.
Lipton: 20?
Meyers: Yea we were young man.
Lipton: Well Im sorry but I think I agree with her family and friends...
Meyers: Haha. Ok. Ok. Good point. And you know what. At the time I was just kinda in the mind frame of 'wow, no girl will ever love me like this I need to lock this up while I can'. And in a sad way, I was right. I kind of .... look at each girl (I date) as an adventure. Some of them more dangerous than others. Some last longer than others. Some are more meaningful than others. Hers was definitely the most meaningful, the longest, and the happiest. And I miss that.
Lipton: During those happy 3 years you began your acting career in a very bold fashion. Your first few roles were far from easy, some would say incredibly challenging, and you knocked them all out of the park showing a range in physical and emotional capabilities far beyond your years...
Meyers: Thank you, thank you...
Lipton: Tell me how Stephen Glass came into your life...
Meyers: Well I have to thank Hayden Christensen for that one, haha. He dropped out the role. He was their first choice then something happened, I dunno what, and he couldnt do it again. So I got the call to audition. That was my first time playing someone who actually existed. I found pictures of the real guy. Dyed my hair light brown, dirty blonde, like the real guy. Put on some reading glasses like the real guy. Wore a suit and tie to the audition. Did what I did. I got the part.
Lipton: Who was he?
Meyers: He was a very smart and very ambitious journalist for the Washington Post in the early 1990's who began to lie compulsively about many of his articles and got away with it for several years before his colleagues figured him out and outted him.
Lipton: You got nominated for a Toronto Film Festival Award for Best Newcomer. The Palm award.
Meyers: Yea it was my first acting nomination of any kind and it felt cool man. To come out the starting gate like that and be recognized was great. It was a good sign I guess...
Lipton: It was a great sign of things to come. Tell us why Mars Lohman is such a dear character to your heart. You say 'Mars was the first time I saw myself in a character. The first time I realized this acting thing can be kinda therapeutic'.
Meyers: Yea. Mars, from Hostage. I love that film. Its not like most action films. It deals with alot of interesting themes. It was marketed as this Bruce Willis hostage negotiator flick, which it is, but it was also so much more. It was about these bored kids who decide they wanna rape this girl, played by Kaley Cuoco and then they discover her father has millions of mob money stashed away in the basement and now their mission is to steal it and get outta there, but Mars couldnt care less about the money. He's obsessed with Kaley's character.
Lipton: And you related to that obsession?
Meyers: Umm, yea, haha. Im not gonna lie. But also just the whole outcast thing. You know if you watch that movie back. Mars is a guy of few words. He rarely speaks and when he does its in this gravelly tone. He has alot of inner pain and self loathing and he was dealing with alot of the same demons I was and many teens are. He was someone I saw who had a very very dark side to him but also a sensitive one and I enjoyed playing that. I enjoyed it alot.
Lipton: Where did you find the look for him?
Meyers: Hot Topic. Haha. Yea I mean, I wanted him to look very terrifying. Not that I find goth people terrifying, some of them are actually the sweetest people you will ever meet. But to Kaley's character. She was this blonde cheerleader type who just walked into his store, maybe to buy some earrings or something. She's no goth or emo or anything. But he saw her and became obsessed. I want that girl. She wouldnt go for a guy like that but he wanted so badly to make her his. I love the scene where he slams her against the wall choking her and is like 'Say your my girl'...haha. It sounds intense but that scene is killer.
Lipton: Well lets take a look at it shall we.
((The scene plays))
Meyers: Romantic guy huh? haha.
Lipton: Not so much. Bruce Willis. Working with him at...18, 19 years old...
Meyers: Terrifying.
Lipton: How so?
Meyers: I always thought of him as this action star but the guy is a serious actor. He knows his shit and he really can be intimidating and what made it worse was I cant show that. I have to be the one intimidating him. So he helped me out alot with that. The director on that film, Wayne Isham, great guy, but he comes from music videos. So giving great actor direction wasnt his biggest strength, and he'd be the first to tell you that so Im not putting him down in anyway. And this was his first film too so he was very green with actors and that whole thing so it was Bruce with no movie star ego, who took me aside each day and really guided me along and he was so great.
Lipton: And you were great. Critics hailed the performance calling Meyers 'a dark vessel of restrained rage' and another said 'Mars is Generation Y in a nutshell. angry, reckless, and lost. Meyers is undoubtably the breakout star of this film with his silent but fuming frustration at the world and most of all with himself'. Quite some praise for a 19 year old kid.
Meyers: Yea.
Lipton: When I spoke to you backstage one of the first things you said to me was 'Are we going to talk about The Village? Make sure we mention The Village'. What it is you love so much about that film?
Meyers: I think its an underrated gem. Its a classic. I think its M. Night's best film and he would agree. Everyone talks about and adores The Sixth Sense and rightfully so, it's an incredible film but I think The Village is his best work and sadly alot of people missed the boat and the message on that one. I mean the score, one of the most beautiful scores in the history of cinema. Hands down. Even the movie's haters will tell you that. I thought the twist at the end was brilliant. He kept it a secret from the cast and I will never forget how blown away I was when I first saw it at the premiere. No film has ever stunned me or changed me like that before right after seeing it. And I loved the story. The love triangle. My character being in love with someone who loves someone else. A theme that is uh, a little all too familiar in my personal life.
Lipton: Was Noah supposed to be autistic?
Meyers: By today's standards yes. But Night didnt ask me to play him that way. He simply said, Noah is a 10 year old in a 20 year olds body. He cant control himself and he has no remorse for other peoples feelings. He doesnt mean any harm but he just only cares about himself and what makes him happy. He's someone whose been sitting at the kids table for years after hes actually been a kid and he's sick of it. And on top of that his brother is about to marry the girl that he loves. How does that feel? So I combined all that and built the character. It was alot of fun.
Lipton: Here is a great moment between the three of you, Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, and yourself.
((A scene shows from the village))
Lipton: 2005 would be a breakout year for you, releasing 4 films. Laws of Attraction where you play the role of a smug defense attorney who falls for a female prosecutor, Desire where you portray an Irish social climber who marries into money than has an affair and cannot choose which woman he wants to be with, Kingdom of Heaven where you dawn the iron mask of a dying king of Jerusalem during the height of the crusades, and Ring of Fire where you bring back to life to King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley. Tell us one memory that stands out from making each one of those films.
Meyers: Well on Laws it was working with Anya. Anya Camilla Bella. I think she is phenominal. The best actress I've ever worked with by far and Im so glad shes finally blowing up now and getting all these big roles from Never Let Me Go to Wall Street 2 to now Alien: Genesis. She deserves it. That girl is so talented it's scary. On Desire, I mean the opportunity to work with Brian DePalma, one of my heroes, was amazing. To meet the man, learn from him. To make a film that I feel will play on cable TV for decades and be just as timeless as anything Hitchcock made. I love that film. And of course being paid to make out with Scarlett Johansson and Nadia Bjorlin wasnt too bad either, haha. Kingdom of Heaven, that was just pure fun for me to do that role. Ridley cast me and said 'You're gonna be behind a mask for 80% of the movie, is that ok?' and I was like AWESOME! haha. At the time I had really gotten into that whole Gary Oldman thing of wanting to disappear into each role and not wanting to be noticed as 'Michael Reese Meyers' and this role more than any allowed that. And it's funny because in the original full length cut of the film I start off without the mask, and I get burned, you see that, I contract the lepracy and then the skin starts to go and they put the mask on me. But when the studio cut the film down all that was lost and when you meet me in the story, in the theatrical print, I already have the mask on and all that burn stuff was backstory. Ridley called me and said 'I apologize for that it was out of my hands' and I loved that even more, haha. So I took it one step further and asked if I could go uncredited in the film, just so it's an even bigger mystery who plays that role and he was unsure why but he gave me that wish and it was super cool of him.
Lipton: You love Gary Oldman dont you? You mention him very often as an inspiration.
Meyers: The best to ever do it. Best to ever do it.
Lipton: We've been trying to get him on this show for years! If you have any pull with him...
Meyers: Ha, I'll try, I'll try. As far as Elvis, all my life people have told me I look like him so it wasnt a shock to me that at some point I'd be playing him. That was a very fun role to play and to meet Clint Eastwood was a dream. To work with Joaquin again, this time as musical adversaries not as brothers like we were in The Village, was different and fun. It got me my first Golden Globe and Oscar nomination so that was cool.
Lipton: Very cool. Here's a scene with you as the King.
((A scene from Ring of Fire plays))
Lipton: In 2006 you returned to independent cinema and once again played 3 distinct characters all of whom were very different. Neo nazi meth head Jake Mazursky in Malibu's Most Wanted was overcome with rage and revenge when his friends kidnap his younger brother and hold him for ransom. What was the hardest part about that performance? You say you had to 'perform as if dancing while running in a nightmare'.
Meyers: Well yea it was two things really. I had the physical transformation of being that guy, shaving my head, all the tattoos, gaining 30 pounds of muscle, dilating my pupils with drops that made it hard to see light, wearing contacts, dying my goatee blonde, and on top of that while we were filming Kristen finally broke it off with me so the devastation of getting through that was incredibly difficult. One of the darkest times of my life. Luckily I had this role to focus on and take my mind off things but it definitely leaked through into the performance for sure. It had to. I was in so much pain. I wanted to have fun and enjoy my cast and I did at times, but a part of me was constantly hurting so it was never the same kind of experience had it would have been if all that wasnt going on.
((A clip is shown of his last scene in the film screaming into the phone))
Meyers: Happy guy, haha.
Lipton: Something tells me what wasnt acting.
Meyers: No.
Lipton: In 16 Grams you were a homeless cocaine addict who falls for a girl struggling to escape her heroine past and abusive ex-boyfriend. The plot was practically the autobiography of the film's star, Julia Fonda, daughter of actress Bridget Fonda and granddaughter of the legendary Peter Fonda. You co-starred in the film and not only did you fall for your co-star but you fell into some dark emotional places and developed some bad habits while making the picture. Talk about that...
Meyers: Yea I was in a lot of pain after Kristen left and just needed to fill a void. I needed a girl's attention and love and I found this hurt little bird in Julia who had been through so much in her life ya know. Just another sad Hollywood kid story ya know. She was getting her demons out in this script she co-wrote and I really wanted to help her but she ended up dragging me down with her.
Lipton: What kinds of drugs did you experiment with while making this film?
Meyers: Cocaine. Pills. Weed. Basically everything she was doing. She had got off heroine but was using other stuff instead and it eventually got to her.
Lipton: She died before the film was released...correct?
Meyers: Yea but she had gone missing the day after we wrapped shooting. No one could get a hold of her. Me and her and her family had a nice Thanksgiving dinner while we were filming the movie and then out of nowhere she just disappears and we all kind of knew. Something wasnt right. So I cant say I was shocked, but it was definitely a sad sad thing. It hurt alot. I wanted the best for her.
((A clip from his scene holding her lifeless body saying 'please dont die' over and over plays))
Lipton: You also joined the very beloved film franchise Popular in its much heralded third installment Popular 3. You took the role of openly gay Dario. Tell us about how Dario came to you...
Meyers: He was and is, by far the most complex character I've ever played. He had alot going on, haha, to say the least. It took me along time to get him but eventually I did. He had an experience several years earlier that changed him and made him what he is today and he is trying so hard to get back to who he used to be, who he wants to be again, but he cant. Thats how I imagined it.
Lipton: You wisely avoided a pitfall so many actors make when portraying a homosexual man and refused to delve into parody. You played a young man who was clearly gay but not flamboyant about it...
Meyers: Yea I didnt want to do some corny cliche version of a...stereotypical gay guy. I felt that would be too easy and in a way an insult to gay people. I wanted to keep it simple and not even make his being gay the issue. The biggest quirk I wanted to add and play with was his ulterior motives for things he did to people.
((A clip from Popular 3 is shown))
Lipton: Now we come to your second time working with director Clint Eastwood, this time in the remake of the classic 1957 western 3:10 to Yuma. Working with the likes of Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, had to be nerve racking...
Meyers: Uh, yea, ya know I just had so much fun playing that character. I love westerns. I loved Val Kilmer in Tombstone. Thats probably my favorite performance by an actor I've ever seen. And...I just wanted to make a bad ass character and Charlie Prince is a bad ass dude...
((A clip from 3:10 To Yuma plays))
Lipton: Roger Ebert wrote of your performance in the film "While Crowe injects his indelible charisma into the film and our hero Bale runs on a consistent stoic meloncholy, it is the bearded youngster Michael Reese Meyers who steals the film with his swagger as Charlie Prince, ferociously swirving in and out of the film like a serpent that cannot be contained. You never know what he is going to do next and thus why you cannot take your eyes off of him.' Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says of the performance 'the real star of the film is Michael Reese Meyers, the hot young powerhouse actor who refuses to be out acted by anyone anytime he graces the screen'. Lofty praise.
Meyers: Yea I mean it's definitely one of my favorite performances and it's a character I get alot of feedback from fans about so yea. I loved that character and that film.
Lipton: Every actor comes to a cross roads in their career where they must make a choice and you made a drastic one in 2007. At the height of your film career success, you decided to join a television series, MTV2's The Best Tears. Why?
Meyers: I guess I was still searching for that high school, college experience I had always wanted. To be surrounded by a group of my peers and be confident enough to exist in that world and be cool and be accepted and this show offered that. I originally got into acting so I could get away, see the world, vent my anger, kiss a girl, do all these things I couldnt do. But reality set in and I realized, outside of Kristen Bell, acting wasnt real, its a job and a girl may kiss you on set but when the director says cut she goes home to her boyfriend. So the fantasy was short lived. I was sick of living vicariously through my characters. I felt like I needed that experience and so I knew with the show with all the girls that were there, I was bound to get at least one to like me, haha. Or so I hoped...
Lipton: Explain the concept of the show, for those who dont know, it was quite revolutionary...
Meyers: It was the first 'meta' television series and it wasnt too different in basic concept from my first show Higher Ground. A bunch of troubled and runaway teens go somewhere to get therapy and guidance. On Higher Ground we went camping and hiking and climbing and just did a bunch of nature, outdoorsy stuff. On The Best Tears we channelled our issues into acting. The meta part came in where we werent necessarily given characters to play. The first month or so of filming, we were essentially told to improv our lines, no real script, socialize and gravitate toward who we liked, to just be ourselves and all the while the camera was rolling. It was very very strange and new but exhilarating at the same time.
Lipton: How did you find that process as far as relating to your cast members?
Meyers: It helped. Tremendously. Because almost all of them were new to acting. So it helped them loosen up and myself as well. And what happened was after about a month they gave us loose storylines based off the friendships we had formed during that trial period and gave us characters that were essentially exaggerated versions of our real selves. Then basically started teaching is the Meisner method of acting and from there we kind of went on from there. It was very tricky to balance it all and I struggled alot with understanding how to play my scenes and which method to use, my Method which I came into it with, or the Meisner. So I ended up using a bit of both.
Lipton: You stayed on the series for one season before leaving but you took something with you that as I can see from what is written on your neck has stayed with you, what does that read???....(Michael drinks his water and tries to hold back tears)...it says Mel, I can see it from here. Tell us about how she effected you and working with her.
Meyers: You had to go there huh? Haha.
Lipton: That's what I do...
Meyers: Yea I understand. Cant really talk about that show without bringing her up. Whew...Wow. It's crazy. Ya know after all this time, talking about it is still hard.
Lipton: What was it she stirred up in you that caused you to...
Meyers: Go crazy? Haha.
Lipton: Did you go crazy?
Meyers: Yea. Yea I lost myself for a while. Honestly ya know what? I have gone over it and over it in my mind for a long time now, why her? What was it about her? I've dated and acted with and met hotter girls, whatever. But it was her depth. Her poetry. Her pain. Her story. The way she carried herself. Her aura. Her British sensibility about her. Those Brits man, they just have this sense of regal-ness about them. The way she moved. The way she talked. I wanted to take care of her like a little sister yet strangely at the same time I felt like a child around her who needed to be mommy-ed ya know? She has this wisdom beyond her years. That girl is what...20 now? But inside she is 45 haha. She gets it man. She's deep. We argued yea but I could listen to her talk for hours, about anything. I just never met anyone like her. She fascinated me. No offense but most girls dont have a thing inside their brain. All they think about is shopping, clothes, dating, drama, stupid shit. But Mel, she really had stuff on her mind and we had some great debates. I think in life, we come across certain individuals that challenge us, make us think, that really see us for who we are. They bring just a whole new flavor to seeing the world and being around them is just an electrifying experience because they add such a swagger and spice and intelligence to everything they do and you just wanna soak it all up and learn from them and learn about them and what they've been through. I dunno. She was just this walking talking movie character who had been through so much and was so smart and passionate and opinionated and beautiful and confident, yet insecure and complex. Am I rambling???
Lipton: Not that we mind...haha. Does she still mean alot to you? My last question and then I will move to another topic if you like...
Meyers: ....Like I said, every girl is an adventure. I dont know if she was the love of my life. I'd say Kristen was more than her. But Mel was...she was definitely, the sickest adventure of my life. The most dangerous adventure of my life. I think about my memories with her and it felt like I was in some strange European Dario Argento, Luc Besson romance thriller kinda thing. Its hard to describe. She was just different man. But yea she meant alot to me. Of course. She was a strange and beautiful adventure that nearly killed me. But like they say what dont kill you makes you stronger. I think I'm stronger because of her. What she put me through. I think I know now what type of women not to fall for. I think she was stronger than me. That was my challenge. Cause Im always the strong one. I dunno. I dunno man, I dunno, haha.
Lipton: Ok. Ok. After appearing in another Spike Lee film, the World War II epic Miracle At St. Anna, you kicked off 2009 with a bang. As a mexican american just released from jail who seeks the truth in Scientology but only finds more lies in The Believers. How did you find Hector Ramirez?
Meyers: I read the script knowing they were looking for hispanic actors but I responded to the story so well I knew I had to audition so I did. I could relate to the feeling of being lost and feeling like everything in your life is out of control and you need a center, a balance, some kind of guidance. I went to the audition 'acting' mexican and they loved it.
Lipton: Why was Hector in prison in the first place?
Meyers: He was going to school to become an electrician and had a girlfriend, Unique Rodriguez, played by Naomi DeLa Fuente from American Gangster. She had an ex-boyfriend who wouldnt stop calling and stuff and one night he comes to our home and I tell him to leave. He wont leave. So we get into a fight and he ends up, I end up killing him by accident after shoving him onto the ground and he hits his head on a shovel and dies. I go to trial, I plead self defense. The judge isnt hearing it. I get sentenced to 4 years in prison. I serve about 2 and half and get released. At this point the economy is in the shitter. The recession has hit, no one's hiring, especially not an ex-con. So I get a job as a garbage man. Meanwhile, while I was gone, to make ends meet I find out Unique has been working as a stripper to support our 3 kids. I get pissed at her and then find out she was sleeping with some guy she works for at the strip club too and so we break up and I fall into some hard luck. I lose the garbage man job and everything goes to hell from there.
Lipton: Thats when he finds Scientology.
Meyers: Well what happens is he looking for work and he finds the Scientology place looking for a job but they say he has to know about the product and believe in it before he can sell it so he watches their little film they make you watch he is sold. He starts going to the meetings and opening up and then he meets Michelle Monaghans character, a single mother who lost her husband in a car crash. They bond but are both too broken to really love each other because they're still dealing with stuff from the past.
Lipton: Here's a wonderful scene between the two of you...( a clip is shown )
Lipton: You said it took you a while to shake off this character? Why?
Meyers: I dunno. I just found myself doing weird little things, like I lived with Naomi and her family during the shoot and for a while prior to the shoot just soak to in the life of hispanic americans who just moved here and speak little English and the food, the music, the culture, the way they speak. It was nice, being around such a loving family that got along like that. And I just found myself, well after filming, still talking and doing things like her brother, who I modeled alot of Hector after. Like the way he says 'Man', it sounds like 'Min', haha. He says it real low and fast. 'C'mon min!', when something pisses him off. And I'd catch myself saying that exactly the same way like months after filming was over just by myself when something made me mad. Haha. We actors are weird weird people...haha.
Lipton: You were nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. You lost to Sean Penn but Im sure the experience was a thrill for you....
Meyers: Of course. I knew I wasnt gonna win. The award was either Mickey Rourkes or Sean Penns. I was just happy to be there. When Sean said I'm the 'Future', that was a big moment for me.
Lipton: But you were in a altered state at that point...I mean..as the bearded singer who was retiring from acting...right?
Meyers: Oh boy, you know what. I had just gotten out of rehab and I was kinda out of it but it was also something James and I wanted to document. Life back in Hollywood as this new man and how people would perceive it. I dunno if they got it or not but we did and thats all that matters.
(A clip from their documentary Who Am I plays)
Lipton: In 2009 you also returned to familiar ground as the bad guy playing two straight villainous parts. A hostage taker in the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 and a kidnapper of young girls in Taken. Why these roles and how did you create once again the unique looks of each character?
Meyers: For Pelham it was one thing and one thing only. Denzel. I wanted to work with Denzel. As far as the look, I met with Paul Steinman, the director of the film and we discussed the character and then he said to me, I see his guy as sort of a wigger. Ya know, one of those white guys that swears he's black. As soon as he said that, haha, I knew where I wanted to go with this guy. So one night I'm watching TV and Panic Room is on and I see Jared Leto with the corn rows. And I go, A Ha! That's it. So I printed out a picture of him in the movie and I had been growing my hair out for a while and I go to Harlem, to this black woman's beauty salon, so imagine that, haha. None of them have any idea who I am. And I ask the lady at the desk if they can give me corn rows. Man if you saw the look she gave me. It was like I was asking her for crack. Anyway, she's like oh honey you gotta grow your hair out more. So I grew it more for like 6 weeks and came back. She says its still too short and I said listen I need this done ASAP, because filming was set to start in like 2 weeks so I asked her if they could put extensions in my hair and then corn row it and she said sure, so we did that.
(a clip from Pelham 123 is shown)
Meyers: As far as Raul in Taken, he was a guy who was obviously French so I had to learn French a little bit, learn the accent. He's a charmer. A manipulator. He sees these young girls and he has to seduce them right away so he has to make himself seem sophisticated and mature yet non threatening so I grew the slick back hair and dyed in light brown, dirty blonde, got some nice suits and went for it.
Lipton: In 2010 you starred in an array of films including The Fighter, Brotherly Love, and one of the highest grossing films of all time, Inception. You say your role in The Fighter was something you always dreamed of, your work in Brotherly Love was something you needed to do as an actor, and your involvement in Inception was something you had to do for closure. Explain those choices.
Meyers: Well growing up being a boxer was like my first dream as a kid. So getting to play one satisfied that dream. The guy I played, Arturo Gatti, I was a huge fan of and when he died, and in my opinion was murdered, it hurt. So I knew I had to do the role justice. And I could also even relate to Mickey Ward's character, the guy Mark Wahlberg plays. I could relate to him, his crazy family situation, having this older brother who was this incredibly charismatic character of a personality who can take over a room and that was sort of, the apple of his mother's eye and being in the shadow of that brother and not really feeling like you have a voice in the family, as the youngest. I didnt know much about Mickey before reading the script so all that really spoke to me. Brotherly Love was unlike anything I had really done before. Just a drama about family that takes place in a house. No killing or screaming or anything, and the one character doing all the screaming wasnt me, it was Ryan Gosling's character. I was the reserved one, just reacting and absorbing. I had never played a character like that before and it was something that really required some real subtle acting and Joaquin Phoenix, who directed that film, he really helped me through it and our experiences acting together twice in the past really played a key role in him understanding me as an actor and how I operate and what I needed to get into that zone. I needed to do more roles like that, not always being the killer or something crazy. And Inception, hey. Look at that script. The director. Who wrote it. The visuals. The concept. The cast. Leo, all these people, Rachel McAdams, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Great actors. Who wouldnt want to be apart of something like that...?
Lipton: But you needed closure on a chapter in your life that had nothing to do with any of that...
Meyers: Right, Mel was there. I wanted to see her again. I knew she wouldnt talk to me in real life and this was my opportunity to get in there again and see what was left...
Lipton: Did you get that closure?
Meyers: In a way, yea. It needed to happen. Im glad it happened. Its funny, our whole 'relationship' played out on film. From the show, to Inception. People can look back years from now and see us on screen together and for the most part, that was us. Two people from different worlds and all the emotion. Everything. It's documented.
Lipton: We will next see Michael in the biggest role of his life as agent 007 of her majestys secret service, the one and only James Bond. What brought Bond into your life?
Meyers: My dad growing up we'd watch the films. Bond is my dads favorite movie character and I grew up of course a 90's baby so Pierce Brosnan was my guy. I remember all the nights me and James spent playing GoldenEye on N64 and those films were great to me. Just sitting in the house on a Sunday afternoon watching all the old Bond marathons. Good memories. I know the movies and the character like the back of my hand and so when I got the news they were rebooting it and gonna take a Batman Begins approach at a young Bond and I was on the list (of young potential stars to be cast) I was beyond excited. I cant wait for people to see it and I had a blast working with Chris Nolan and the cast.
( A clip of the new full trailer is shown )
Lipton: Alright! So what do we learn about Bond here that we never knew before?
Meyers: We learn his past. His childhood. What makes him tick. I dont wanna give it all away. I understand some fans have been saying apart of Bonds charm is the mystery behind him but I love Nolans take on it and I feel that we will learn just enough to help us appreciate the man he becomes and this film will explore all the issues that make him what we know and love.
Lipton: And now we come to my favorite segment of the show where we present our guest with the famous questionnaire from the great Bernard Pivot...
What is your favorite word?
Meyers: Why.
Lipton: Because I want to know..haha.
Meyers: No, why is my favorite word. It's never ending. Im a curious guy and I need to know things and I love getting to know people and their reasons behind things so why is something I ask alot.
Lipton: What is your least favorite word?
Meyers: Chemistry.
Lipton: Chemistry?
Meyers: Yea.
Lipton: Why?
Meyers: I just don't know what that word means. Everytime a girl says, 'well, we just didn't have any chemistry', I'm like, umm, we had a great time, I made you laugh, you said you find me attractive. What else do you need? Ugh, it's just frustrating.
Lipton: Chemistry?
Meyers: Yea.
Lipton: Why?
Meyers: I just don't know what that word means. Everytime a girl says, 'well, we just didn't have any chemistry', I'm like, umm, we had a great time, I made you laugh, you said you find me attractive. What else do you need? Ugh, it's just frustrating.
Lipton: And now, the question I know every woman in here wants to know, what turns you on?
Meyers: Haha, how much time do we have? No, um. A lot of things. I don't know. Um, narrow it down to one, um, I guess I'd have to say ... depth. Someone with depth. Someone whose been through a lot but has made it through. Someone with poise. Someone with swag in their eyes. French manicured nails. Love those. They always catch my eye. Strangely that's one of the first things I notice on a woman. Weird, I know, haha. And I guess someone with a smile that just lights up their whole face, makes their eyes go small. It's hard to describe. Rosie Huntington and Gina Rage have smiles like that. I don't know, a lot of things. A lot I can't talk about on this show, haha. A girl that's good at moving her body, that's all I'll say. A sexy walk is huge for me too. I can go on and on, haha. Sorry that wasn't just one thing.
Lipton: No that's quite alright. I don't think they mind. What turns you off?
Meyers: Again, a lot of stuff, haha. Um, someone who allows a guy to treat them badly. And people who think they're right all the time. I hate people who can't admit when they're wrong. I fuckin' HATE that. That and stubborn-ness. So basically any woman who is with a guy that treats her badly and is too stubborn to admit she's wrong for being with him, is a turn off, haha.
Lipton: What sound or noise do you love?
Meyers: Haha, hmm, other than the obvious. Umm...you know what? I don't think anyone know this but I'm obsessed with fans and air conditioners. I just love the humming sound they make. Very soothing. I cant sleep without it. I always have the fan on. I love air conditioners. Relaxing...haha. I'm serious, haha.
Lipton: What sound or noise do you hate?
Meyers: Someone I love crying.
Lipton: See he's sensitive too ladies. What is your favorite curse word?
Meyers: Scunt. You're just a scunt. And slore. Which is a slut and whore combined. So you KNOW she's been around. haha.
Lipton: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Meyers: Well other than porn star, um....haha...I guess, counselor for troubled teens. Or no, maybe like a TV Judge. Like I'm obsessed with Judge Judy and Judge Mathis, always watch them when I get a chance. I'd just love to sit and listen to peoples problems and the messed up stuff they've done and just yell at them. I find the screwed up stuff people do to each other so interesting and fascinating. Celebrities aren't the only messed up people in the world. Our issues are just televised more.
Lipton: What profession would you not like to attempt?
Meyers: Garbage man. I played one partially for The Believers and its hard nasty smelly work. No one respects a garbage man, haha. No offense out there.
Lipton: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Meyers: I believe Heaven DOES exist...and I'd like to hear 'All your questions will be answered and all your sins will be forgiven'.
Lipton: Here are your students...
Guy Student: Hi I'm Stephen, first year actor. It's been said that there are two types of actors. The ones who pretty much look and act the same in every role who are running toward exploring themselves, and the second type, is the kind who always looks different and is running from themself and looking to explore everyone else but themself. Would you agree with that statement and consider yourself in that second category and what would be the best route for a young actor like myself?
Meyers: Well I dunno what the best route for you is. You have to find that out yourself. Once you start tackling roles you will see which way you take it and that will spell it out for you. We all have a different reason for wanting to act and I dont know you or your life. But yea I'd say that quote is fairly accurate. I talked with Gary Oldman while I was in Paris filming Taken on the phone and he told me he was just like me. Trying to hide behind the makeup of the character because he hated himself and hated seeing himself on screen. Hearing his own voice on screen. It was crazy hearing an idol of mine tell me he can relate to me. It can be a crutch if you let it. You still have to...act. And let the character breathe through you. The color of your hair, how much of a beard you have, your accent, your weight, eye color, its all just window dressing, its the same as the clothes you are wearing. Its all just wardrobe. The acting and emotion is still the meat of it. At some point though, you cant run anymore. At some point you will have to face yourself and explore yourself and your demons and what you want out of this acting thing.
Girl student: Hi my name is Vivian Im a second year actor here. I suffer from OCD and so like you I know what its like to obsess over a role and find it hard to sometimes drop a character once they get into your skin so to speak. How do you separate yourself from a role and not make it as personal while still giving it your all, in a healthy way?
Meyers: Its a difficult balance. It really is. Im sorry there is no easy answer. I think when I first started I was looking for acting to BE my life since I had none and now I see that acting is only that. Acting. You have to live a life outside of acting in order to fuel your acting chops and have emotions to call on. You cant do it backwards the way I was doing it. You cant let your acting fuel your life. Thats when things get, haha, weird. Ya know? So I slowly started to live my life more and see things and let the acting be just the acting. So when people look at me and the way I live my life and people say what they wanna say, I say listen. All my life, all my childhood, up until I was 18, I was locked in the house and had no life. I traveled with family but I had no real social life. No dating life. No love life. My love life was me and Kristen Bell sneaking a kiss in between rehearsals on the set of Higher Ground or walking Mel to the grocery store while filming The Best Tears. When the best memories of your life are on the set of a TV show, something is wrong. So I realized I needed to start living life more. And...I think, we as actors are needy people. We need love for whatever reason. Thats why alot of us do it. Maybe we didnt get that love from other places at other points in life so we search for it through acting and the praise we get from that crowd. Its addicting, but its not real, ya know. Its not really love. Its just a substitute for love. Once you figure that out, your priorities become clear and all of a sudden you can shake that fake skin off much easier.
