Exclusive interview by Debbie Lynn Elias
Sitting down with Clive Owen and Jaeden Lieberher, the first thing one notices is the fun loving relationship between the two, especially as Owen decides it’s “snack time” for the boys. “I’m just gonna raid the mini-bar. You can have chocolate raisins, chocolate chip cookies, jelly beans. Which do you want? Bar of chocolate? Let’s raid it!”. And just like that the mood is set, but as one looks and listens, Owen never strays far from his inherent parental sensibilities, encouraging and buoying his young co-star at every turn.
THE CONFIRMATION is quietly moving, laced with the humor and pain inherent to life. A beautiful character study in the dynamics of a father and son, the chemistry between Owen and Lieberher is magical – and absolutely believable. Writer and first-time director Bob Nelson has crafted an emotionally nuanced script with a defining arc that, thanks to the religious aspect of “confirmation”, sets the stage for decisions premised upon “The Golden Rule” and raises questions of right and wrong and little white lies as a young boy – and his father – not only find each other, but themselves.
Watching the story of Walt and Anthony unfold, one can’t help but think of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn as Owen and Lieberher in their roles as father and son embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Similarly, watching the two of them together during this exclusive interview, always quick to credit Lieberher for the chemistry, Owen enthusiastically raves, “He’s the real deal. All I’m gonna say is you’re gonna be interviewing him a lot over the coming years.” With a rich hearty laugh, Owen jokes with Lieberher, calling him “[A] scene stealer for sure! Oh my God! I have to watch every scene. He’s just taking it from me! I thought it was my movie until I got on the set with him.”
As father and son, we see the connection between the two develop as the film progresses. There are moments where Owen is more of a little boy and Lieberher has a wise-beyond his years sensibility, and vice versa. But somewhere along the way they meet in the middle for a perfect bonding experience as each becomes who they are meant to be. We have seen this type of dynamic and emotional growth in many of Owen’s prior films where his role is that of a parent, so it begs the question of how he consistently does it; how does he make these parent-child relationships so resonant and wonderful. According to Owen, with THE CONFIRMATION, it comes down to Jaeden Lieberher. “[W]e got together a good 4 or 5 days before shooting and we rehearsed and went through every single scene in the script; not necessarily playing it or over doing it, but just talking it through, making sure we were all on the same page of what the scene is about. But I have to be honest. When I read the script, which I really loved, and I spoke to Bob [Nelson] on the phone and said I wanted to do it, I said the crucial thing is obviously, we have to find the right kid. The film rests on that. There’s a lot on this. It’s unusual for a young kid to shoulder a movie of this level because it’s delicate. It’s funny, it’s poignant, it’s sad. It moves through a lot of things. And then he sent me the tape of this guy [as he tousles Lieberher’s hair]. . . And I went, ‘We’ve got it!’ He was unbelievably good. I was thrilled. I just jumped on the phone and said, ‘He’s fantastic! Get him.’”
Displaying a keen sense of humor, Lieberher jokes a bit, laughing, “I was excited to work on this film but then I heard Clive was in it and I thought, ‘Oh. No!’.” But he quickly turns serious, explaining how a few people – his mom, his manager, his agent – “talk through the movie and see if I want to do it. It’s a group decision.” But at the end of the day, in this case, the choice was obvious. “I think everybody felt the same way with this one because it was such a really brilliantly written script. I definitely wanted to be a part of it.”
With a reflective tone, Lieberher expounds, noting, “Bob [Nelson] is very good at creating very real characters and he’s really good at creating such real relationships between people. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between the father and the son. Also, their adventure in meeting in their relationship with all the other people that they meet and how they’re such interesting characters. . .There’s always just some way that they can just work together, just enjoy being with each other.” But when it comes to talk of him doing his own stunts in the film, Lieberher lights up like a Christmas tree, grinning from ear to ear as Owen sings his praises. “He’s already an action star! He dives through windows! He knows how to handle a gun! . . . The world’s your oyster!”
Clive Owen is clearly moved by the “sensibilities of the film.”. With themes of right and wrong and “The Golden Rule” as part of the film’s fabric, Owen delves even deeper into the story, attributing its depth and texture to Bob Nelson. “When you get to know Bob, you see where it’s all coming from because he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s respectful of everybody. . .He gives everybody in this film respect. People are struggling. People are having a hard time. They’re struggling to make ends meet. They have tough lives. But there’s no sense of judging any of these people and what they do, even people who do some terrible things. My character was a very flawed character, but it’s not judgmental. . .There’s a warmth and humanity about the way he draws these characters that is really attractive. He’s not sentimental. It’s just respectful and it really separates it from a lot of other material that would be involved in this kind of world. I was really taken with that. I thought, there’s a real warmth about this without it ever falling into sentimentality.”
But THE CONFIRMATION isn’t all Clive Owen and Jaeden Lieberher. The film boasts an outstanding supporting cast, among them, Lieberher’s fellow Philadelphian Maria Bello, screen legend Robert Forster, Patton Oswalt and Michael Eklund, just to name a few. When asked about working with Forster and the rest, Lieberher astutely and tactfully posits, “I think you can definitely see that Robert’s been around for awhile because of his experience, his knowledge of the business. And you can see that with a lot of people, a lot of people that we worked with, including – I don’t want to say young, but ‘younger’ than ‘other people’ [pointing to Clive] – like Patton Oswalt. He’s relatively young. But, yeah, you can really see how many films they’ve done, in their eyes and the way they act.” And the experience of working with these veterans wasn’t wasted on young Lieberher. “I definitely learned a lot. I think you learn a lot from watching them. But then to meet them, to see them in person, I definitely learned so much more. . .I think I learned a lot about method, and ways to become a better actor, and the different things that Clive did and the different things that other people do to become better. And just to keep going as an actor.”
Of course, this now begs the question, just what did Jaeden Lieberher learn from watching Clive? “ Well, Clive, although he’s a talented, brilliant actor, he does so much and he just keeps working. I was just so surprised by how he takes his job very seriously and he works so hard at it. And he also has fun. He’s always working on his accent, and the way he acts, and he’s always growing, becoming better. I was definitely inspired by him.”
So if Jaeden Lieberher is inspired by the experience of working with Clive Owen, what did Owen learn from watching and working with Lieberher. “I learned that it’s strange sometimes with acting how some people just have it. I started acting and I did a school play. And when my kids got to a certain age, I went to see the school productions. And every now and again you’d come across a kid and go, ‘They’ve got it!’ Whatever “that” is, you want to watch them. There’s something innately gifted that draws you in and is very watchable. I had one of the best times with Jaeden of any actor I’ve worked with. I promise you. And I don’t say that lightly. I looked forward to going in everyday because he’s unusual. He’s the fully formed deal already. I don’t know where he gets it from, I really don’t, because it’s way advanced from his years. Not only is he very real and very gifted, he has an innate restraint that takes time to learn; the trust and the confidence that people are going to get it and you don’t have to overstate and overplay. We’d sit in the car and we’d do scenes together and I’d look at him, and I’d believe him. That’s the bottom line for any actor. That’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got be believable and he has that as a natural, and has it with ease. He’s very unexcitable. He’s a very calm, cool customer. I just had the best time.”
And with that “best time” that both boys had making THE CONFIRMATION, just what did they each take away from the overall experience? Surprising is Owen who, with all his years and all the directors with whom he’s worked, found “[I]t really proved to me how great it is working with a writer/director – to have the person there who invented the thing and understands completely why he’s written it and what the intent is behind it – to have him close by. Yes, he’s a first time director. But in a film like this which is not about tricks with the camera, it’s a human story about the characters. And to have the person there that’s created these characters, close to you on the set everyday, it’s great working with a writer/director.”
Although not with as many projects under his belt –yet – Jaeden Lieberher has already had his share of cinematic experiences, having worked with Bill Murray in “ St. Vincent” and now Michael Shannon in “Midnight Special” which is in theatres concurrently with THE CONFIRMATION, and has his own thoughts on what he took away from this film. “There were so many great actors and Bob was just – like Clive said – he’s just very smart and sweet. He made the set very comfortable. And I think this was one of the most comfortable films I’ve gotten to shoot. With other movies, I’ve been a little bit uncomfortable, I guess, because you meet these people and you have to go into a scene with them. I’ve had good relationships with people but then sometimes it can be weird. . . Just because I’m younger, I may feel intimidated, but on this it was such a good experience. I feel so comfortable with everybody and with Clive. This was one of the first films where I just felt very comfortable and was just happy to be in this movie.”
