MOVIES

Peter Berg, man of action

From the gridiron crunch of 'Friday Night Lights' to superhero exploits of 'Hancock,' director Peter Berg wants to make a worldwide noise with character-based action

By Chris Garcia
AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILM WRITER
Friday, July 04, 2008

Peter Berg is driving to his Los Angeles home when he calls. His son Emmett, 8, and a nanny are waiting for him. When Berg arrives, he promptly stuffs his mouth with broccoli.

Snarf-gmph. Later, some crackers. Crunch-nmph. "I haven't eaten all day," the actor-director explains.

Berg has a low, gritty, surfer-dude voice that seems to lean its head back and put its feet up. He's not hyper-articulate, but he's smart and says just enough to get his meaning across.

Sometimes he does this with food in his mouth. That's how laid-back Berg is. He's not being discourteous, just supremely casual. We've met before and he treats me like an old pal. Two regular guys chatting, no censors,

no apologies. Was that a burp?

Berg, who frequents Austin for "Friday Night Lights," the NBC series he created based on his 2004 movie, is bracing for the release of the summer blockbuster "Hancock," which opened Wednesday. A smashy-crashy superhero comedy with a subversive twist, the film stars Will Smith and heaps of wanton demolition.

"I think it's different," Berg says. "I think the idea of an alcoholic, self-destructive superhero fighting crime drunk is certainly fresh."

While the filmmaker is still in love with his TV show, he'll next direct the pilot for Fox's sci-fi series "Virtuality." (As for acting, Berg is best known as Dr. Billy Kronk on the series "Chicago Hope" and in the films "Collateral," "Smoking Aces" and "Lions for Lambs.") He's prepping two feature films, including a reimagining of Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic "Dune," which David Lynch turned into a bomb in 1984.

We spoke, between bites, last week.

Austin American-Statesman: Looking at your last three movies — rumbling action pictures 'The Rundown,' 'The Kingdom' and 'Hancock' — what kind of director are you trying to become?

Peter Berg:I like doing a film that's seen by a global audience. I love that. I love the power of film, to put it out and be seen. I like doing films that are entertaining and have extreme qualities, be it sports or combat or a superhero drunk. I like the muscular tone of that, but I also like to put in some humanity. Maybe very intensely heightened reality is what I like. But I don't have a plan. If something interests me, then I'm into it. The idea of a superhero was interesting. Having a movie out in theaters on the Fourth of July was interesting. That was one of the reasons why I got into the film business: I love going to summer movies. One of the motivating factors, besides wanting to work with Will (Smith), was wanting to have a movie out in the summertime. (Suddenly Berg says to someone in his house: "It's cool, isn't it?" Then he returns to the interview.) My son just found the "Hancock" Web site, which is another reason I wanted to do the movie.

As early as 'Friday Night Lights,' with the frenetic flash cuts and hand-held jitters, your visual style recalls that of Michael Mann ('Heat,' 'Collateral,' 'Miami Vice'). He co-produced 'The Kingdom' and 'Hancock,' even doing a tiny cameo. And you acted in 'Collateral.' What's your relationship to Mann? Is he some kind of mentor?

"Hancock" was his acting debut (laughs). I've known Michael for a long time. He called me when my TV series "Wonderland" was canceled after two episodes, and I was devastated. I was so excited to get a call from Michael Mann. He wanted to meet with me, and he was very encouraging and supportive of the show. He told me to stick with it and he'd help me whenever he could. We've become great friends since then. He's become like a real mentor to me.

I read that Mann was going to direct 'Hancock' at one point.

Yep. It would have been a radically different movie, man.

What's been his artistic influence on your films?

I think Michael does a great job of blending really, really dynamic visuals with character, and that's influenced me.

The spectacular bank heist in 'Hancock' recalls Mann's celebrated heist and street shootout in 'Heat.' Did he help you stage it or give you tips?

Oh, God no. Michael's so sick of people trying to outdo his gunfight that I jokingly said, "OK, I'm coming after it!" during "The Kingdom" with that outdoor firefight scene. He just rolls his eyes and laughs and says, "I did that 10 years ago. Grow up."

I don't think about that at all. I think our tone was different, too.

How happy are you that your film 'Friday Night Lights' made the jump to serial television?

Love it, love it. Happy about the TV show. Happy that we got picked up. Happy that I get to keep coming back to Austin, which is one of my favorite cities. As executive producer I work with the writers and the editors a bit. I weigh in with my opinions — sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't — but I'm a big fan of the show. I'm thrilled that we can keep doing it.

How often do you come to Austin while the show is shooting?

Probably three times a season. Last time I was down there was for David Edwards' funeral in March. (Edwards, a defensive back for San Antonio Madison High School, was paralyzed when he smashed into Westlake receiver Coy Aune during a 2003 state playoff game, which Berg was at. Edwards inspired Berg's creation of the character Jason Street, played by Scott Porter, in the 2006 TV pilot.) I went to Austin and drove with the Aune family to San Antonio. Very emotional.

Do you think the characters have developed in interesting directions after two seasons?

Yeah, particularly the marriage between Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. It's become the dominant force of the show.

It's a refreshing look at a marriage. It's still sexy but very real, and it's full of conflict. You get the sense that this couple is really united and willing to fight for each other. It seems to be resonating. They just have a wonderful chemistry.

Are all the characters still credible to you?

I think so. We're now getting close to that danger zone of having 29-year-old actors playing high-school kids, so we're going to start making some changes with older cast members and bringing in new players. Scandalous!

Why hasn't the show been more widely embraced?

The big problem is that it never got a leg up because for the first two months it was on opposite "American Idol." And we've never been able to recover. We were given this time slot after "Heroes" once and we soared. For a variety of reasons, we haven't been able to find the right time slot, and that's hurt us with ratings. But our Tivo numbers are massive. The reality is we're a solid performer. We would have been a better performer had we had a different time slot those first eight episodes.

Finally: 'Dune.' Are you out of your mind?

Why, are you a "Dune" fanatic?

Not at all. I haven't even seen David Lynch's notorious version.

Here's the deal. One, with the advances in CGI, we'll be doing things Lynch couldn't do. Two, I had a completely different experience with the book than he did.

I look forward to taking it on as an adventure story, in the vein of "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones" and "Lord of the Rings." It's a big, bold adventure story. That's how I see it.

And, yes, I am out of my mind.