NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When made 鈥淪ideways鈥� with Alexander Payne, he stayed in a little house in the middle of a large vineyard. At the end of a day of shooting, he would drive home in darkness, with the California hills around him.
Giamatti was then a respected character actor, but this was one of his first times as the lead. And he couldn't believe it.
鈥淚 remember Alexander saying, 鈥榊ou two guys are going to do it,鈥欌�� recalls Giamatti of himself and Thomas Hayden Church. 鈥淎nd we were like, 鈥楽eriously?鈥�"
In the years since, Giamatti, 56, has remained a leading man, albeit an unlikely one. His ability to carry a movie is now, well, kind of obvious. That goes for indie gems like and 鈥淲in Win鈥� or acclaimed series like 鈥淛ohn Adams鈥� and
But two decades later, 鈥淪ideways鈥� remains lodged in Giamatti鈥檚 memory. 鈥淚 remember every second of making it,鈥� he said on a recent afternoon in Manhattan. Wide as his travels have been since 鈥� 鈥淗amlet鈥� at Yale, Jerry Heller in 鈥淪traight Outta Compton,鈥� seven years on 鈥淏illions鈥� 鈥� he鈥檚 not experienced anything quite like the natural, ensemble feel of 鈥淪ideways." Until, that is, he reteamed with Payne for
鈥淚鈥檝e never done anything like it again," says Giamatti, 鈥渆xcept this is the closest thing to it.鈥�
鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� playing in theaters and available digitally, marks the long-in-coming reunion of Giamatti and Payne. Just as in 鈥淪ideways,鈥� their alchemy produces something wry and moving. The setting 鈥� a 1970s boarding school 鈥� has moved from California sunshine to snowy New England, and from pinot to whisky.
But a faint connection between to the two movies is there. Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, an irascible classics professor, widely disliked by his students, who鈥檚 forced to spend Christmas break with a handful of students. The movie, a broad comedy at first, peels away a tender humanistic drama around the trio of Hunham, a bright, less well-off student (Dominic Sessa) and the school鈥檚 grieving head cook (Da鈥橵ine Joy Randolph).
For Giamatti, the bookends of 鈥淪ideways鈥� and 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� inevitably prompt reflection on the distance he's traveled in the intervening decades.
鈥淎ll the stuff in between, I mean the life changes, the professional stuff 鈥� it鈥檚 just insane. My whole life changed. I got divorced. Massive change,鈥� Giamatti says. 鈥淚 never talked to Alexander about this, but I thought there were similarities between the two characters. But it鈥檚 a guy 20 years on from the other guy. And probably there鈥檚 a lot of me 20 years on going into it.鈥�
Hunham, like Giamatti鈥檚 struggling writer Miles Raymond of 鈥淪ideways,鈥� is a prickly misanthrope stuck in a midlife stasis. In Giamatti鈥檚 hands, the dialogue of an erudite grouch sings. One example: 鈥淐hrist on a crutch, what sort of fascist hash foundry are you running?鈥�
鈥淚 kind of like this character better, for some reason,鈥� Giamatti says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not as self-pitying. He鈥檚 got a little more zest. He, like, enjoys being the a--hole that he is.鈥�
Payne and Giamatti have talked for years about making another movie, including a private-eye film ("It鈥檇 be so great,鈥� says Giamatti) and a Western (鈥淚鈥檓 like, I would do anything in a Western鈥�). But it wasn鈥檛 until Payne got together with screenwriter David Hemingson with the idea of loosely adapting the 1935 French comedy 鈥淢erlusse鈥� that they hit on the right project.
鈥淚 wanted to work with that guy again for 20 years,鈥� says Payne. 鈥淚鈥檝e been lucky to work with a lot of terrific actors, but we had a really terrific professional relationship making 鈥楽ideways.鈥� I was waiting for the right thing 鈥� and created it. I told David Hemingson: We鈥檙e writing for Paul Giamatti."
鈥淗e鈥檚 just the best actor,鈥� Payne adds. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the finest actor. Not casting aspersions on others, I just think there鈥檚 nothing he cannot do.鈥�
The part of Paul also had connections to Giamatti鈥檚 own upbringing. His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was an academic. Aside from being president of Yale and commissioner of Major League Baseball, he was a professor of English Renaissance literature. His mother, Toni, taught at the Hopkins School, the New Haven, Connecticut, prep school. The younger Giamatti, himself, attended the boarding school Choate as a day student.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 why he was like, 鈥榊ou鈥檒l get this character. This is sort of written for you.鈥� Because he knows I went to a school like that and I had a background like that,鈥� says Giamatti. 鈥淗e even knows I鈥檓 interested in Roman history. A lot it was kind of a big gift of like: You kind of know all of this.鈥�
Asked for an example of how he and Payne work together, Giamatti describes a scene from 鈥淪ideways鈥� when his character runs into his ex-wife and learns she鈥檚 newly married and pregnant. Miles, crushed, struggles to keep up a cheery facade.
鈥淲e had done three takes or something, and he came up to me and said, 鈥楧on鈥檛 stop smiling. Whatever you do, whatever she says, you can鈥檛 stop smiling,'" says Giamatti. 鈥淭hat was one of the best examples to me of how an actor and a director can work together. He saw something I was doing and he just kept pulling it out of me."
On 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� Giamatti and Payne had their first argument. In a scene toward the end of the film, Paul is in a tense meeting with the parents of Sessa鈥檚 character. In the middle of it, Giamatti decided to sit down 鈥� an instinctual choice that, he felt, showed Paul was breaking protocol.
鈥淗e came up to me and he said, 鈥楾alk to me about sitting down,鈥欌�� recalls Giamatti.
They discussed Giamatti鈥檚 reasoning and as they began to shoot it, Payne announced: 鈥淪itting down, I buy it.鈥� But by then, Giamatti had rethought it. He asked to try it standing up. Each had come around to the other鈥檚 idea. Giamatti decided he liked standing better.
鈥淎nd that was the biggest disagreement we had,鈥� says Giamatti, laughing.
During , Giamatti and his castmates (Randolph and Sessa have also been widely celebrated for their performances), weren鈥檛 able to promote the film. Normally, missing out on interviews wouldn鈥檛 be something Giamatti would lose sleep over.
鈥淏ut it was funny, I kept saying to my girlfriend, 鈥業 actually want to be talking about it. I think I鈥檓 frustrated that I can鈥檛,'" Giamatti says.
Twenty years ago, Giamatti was surprisingly passed over for an Oscar nomination for 鈥淪ideways.鈥� This time, many are predicting he鈥檒l receive his first Academy Award nomination for best actor. (He was nominated for best-supporting actor in 2006 for 鈥淐inderella Man.鈥�)
鈥淭hat would be lovely if it happened. I鈥檓 not counting on anything,鈥� Giamatti says. 鈥淏ut for the first time, I do feel like putting myself behind it because I鈥檇 like it to get acknowledged in some way. Whether it鈥檚 me or not, that鈥檚 fine. If the movie does, if (Randolph) does, if Hemingson does or Alexander does 鈥� it鈥檇 be great if somebody does."
If Giamatti is nominated for best actor, it would be an overdue acknowledgement of one this era鈥檚 finest actors, one who鈥檚 long imbued everyman characters with wit and warmth. Calling them 鈥渟chlubs鈥� wouldn鈥檛 do justice for the justice he does them. So good at it is Giamatti that you might mistake the very down-to-earth actor for a regular guy, too.
But don't be fooled. Take Giamatti's new podcast, , in which he and author Stephen Asma follow their fascinations with things think Sasquatch. Regular guy?
鈥淚鈥檓 not. I鈥檓 really into weird (expletive),鈥� Giamatti says, cackling. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been into really weird (expletive). I said to my friend, 鈥橧鈥檓 tried of not talking about Sasquatch and sitting on the fact that I鈥檓 fascinated by UFOs and ghosts.'"
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The story has been updated to correct that Giamatti has been nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
