A character actor worth pursuing

Tcheky Karyo entertains as the good guy in Neil Jordan's film noir The Good Thief

His name may not mean much to most North American cinephiles, but there's no mistaking his unique face and exceptional talent. Turkish-born, French-raised Tcheky Karyo touched the imagination of cinemagoers worldwide as the spy recruiter who schooled Nikita in the fine art of assassination in Luc Besson's thriller La Femme Nikita.
A seasoned theatre actor with over 50 films under his belt - he's only 50! - Karyo has played everything from a low-key and comically philosophical lover (Addicted to Love) to an over-the-top bad guy (Bad Boys) to a Russian Defense Minister (GoldenEye). This week he's on the big screen in no less than two features, Jon Amiel's action-thriller The Core, and Neil Jordan's film noir heister The Good Thief.
An English-language remake of the 1955 French film, Bob le Flambeur (which translates as Bob the Gambler), The Good Thief tells the story of aging American gambler Bob (Nick Nolte), who tries to rob a casino in the south of France hoping to end his losing streak. As he chooses which cronies to trust and which to feed false information to, Bob sets in motion a complicated and exciting chain of events. Close on his heels is police chief Roger (Karyo), who has a soft spot for his long-suffering friend, and complicating matters is the appearance of 17-year-old junkie Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze) who raises in Bob some paternal instincts.
Tandem talked to Karyo when he was in Toronto.

Heist films have been made since the beginning of cinema. Why do you think this is so different that you wanted to do it?
"Because the characters are approached as real people, they are not heroes, they can be weak, make mistakes. I like the way Neil [Jordan] chose the rhythm of the movie, the rhythm of the shots, the way the cuts are. He drives your sensitivities, your eyes and ears. You are not used to it. It is like there is a different perspective. It is refreshing, and the dialogues are so right, so together, and yet real."

Would you have liked to play have played Bob?
"I could have. But Roger is so extraordinary. The play within his character is a treat, is very rich. Playing him is an experience that can follow you because he keeps up with the passions, he is still a live sparkling, curious, telling stories."

You are considered a foreign actor, and yet you are considered Hollywood as well. How do you see that sort of balance in your career?
"Well it is a choice. I remember being a young actor with the agency I am with still in Paris. At the beginning I did not want to do all the big movies, because I would say 'I am 15 years in theatre.' But I came out with things I do not want to do. And yet I was a traitor to my fellow theatre friends because I was going into cinema. And I remember being in the office of my agent, and saying 'I do not want to do that.' And then, they came out and said 'Tcheky, if you don't do those movies, you won't do the movies you want to do.' And I did a lot of movies, little movies like in Australia, or South America because of that."

But you do not live in the United States.
"No. I come a lot. When I first came to Los Angeles, California I came like a tourist. I just wanted to enjoy myself and wanted to see what was happening there. I always go with that feeling, entertaining myself and enjoying the process of things."

I understand that you play several musical instruments. Is music your meditation, what keeps you sane?
"Yeah, it makes me more quiet. When I look at this movie I was thinking, it is like musical piece, there is something very crisp."

Do you think that is how Jordan sees it?
"I don't know how he sees it. But that is what I get. He is very musical."

Does he allow you to evolve in the role?
"Yes, he wants it. He is not the type of director that tells you do this and showing you things, trying to be intelligent, and show his power as a director. He doesn't care. He is concerned by the content in the heart of things."

So what attracted you to Roger?
"I was attracted by him because he is an ordinary man. He is at a stage in his life that I am concerned with. You know, he can turn and look at what he did, and look ahead and think 'What am I going to do now?' And that is what I think for myself, you know, together with my dreams. I am happy where I am, and where I want to go. Give time to time, enjoy every moment of the process."

French cinema, I think, is the only cinema in Europe right now that is doing very well.
"Well, I guess it is the history of France. France is the inventor of cinema. Italians stole it. You know, many talented people today got the chance to express themselves through the help of the government. Culture is very important in France. Even if it's a right-wing government, it's a government that understands the importance of culture. We have movies but we don't have money."

When you look at a role, what is it that sparks you?
"I try to make sure that the character I will play will get a chance to get across. Which means that the character is rooted, it has a link to the story, has an art. You know, as we say in French, it is not just carrying the water for the hero. What I like about this movie is the fact that you are concerned with every single character. Everyone is attractive in their own way. Everyone is fighting with their own destiny. You can see it. And it is has humour, it does not take it itself seriously."

The Good Thief is currently playing in local cinemas.

Publication Date: 2003-04-13
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2600