What was the appeal of playing a character like Alden Pyle?
He was complex. The man has a separate agenda than the one he purports to have. I was drawn to the part for its complexity, elements of which had not been asked of me yet.
Were you a fan of the Graham Greene novel?
I had to go out and buy a copy of it. To tell you the truth, I didn't know his work until I read the screenplay for "The Quiet American". I didn't know enough about the historical period so I did my own research.
I was interested to find that if you run an Internet search on Vietnam and the war, most of the information you get begins at about 1962. I think this is telling because it is missing the whole period that led up to the reasons why the war happened in the first place. And that's the world of the novel. So I dug deeper and I was awakened to the 100 years of Colonial rule and French occupation and the reasons why that happened.
Much was said before the film's release about the film containing anti-American sentiment. How do you feel about that?
Graham Greene, as I understand it, was quite outspoken in his criticism of American foreign policy. His character in the novel was written as a do-gooder boy-scout, a naΓ―ve terrorist de facto murderer. On the other hand, the character believes himself to be an American hero, a freedom fighter. There's a spectacular conflict in that, and it inspires a great deal of controversy.
Michael Caine has been very outspoken in pushing the film's release along. Were you involved in this at all?
At the time, that was at Michael's behest. I didn't have a relationship with Mr Weinstein. Michael is part of the Miramax family, so he can pick up the phone and say "Listen, Harvey, get on with it! This film is important." Michael also has the motive that he's going to be 70-years-old next year. He's not going to get many more chances.
It's a good film, a good film even before the mirroring of political events of the day. It'll be a good film in ten or 20 years, when hopefully people will still be watching it. What it is, is a benchmark in my career and definitely in Michael's too. It has yet to be revealed but I feel it is very important.
Was Michael attached to the project before you were - and was working with him one of the big attractions?
He was, yes. Phillip Noyce had the film for about 13 years, in partnership with Sydney Pollack. Then they got Michael on board, and the last decision was who to cast as Alden Pyle. Michael does you so much good. He's like a tuning-fork around actors. Him being as good as he is, and well-pitched, it makes everyone match their pitch.
How did you find filming in Saigon?
Wonderful. Challenging. Moving. It's a hustle-bustle city. You compare Saigon with Hanoi, it's really like night and day. Saigon would be like New Orleans, while Hanoi would be like Washington DC. Saigon is hot, full of atmosphere, activity, and commerce.
Humanity is prevalent everywhere. Children and people are living their lives at the forefront of your experience. You see them on the sidewalk. They're going about their business with dignity. It was just amazing to my Western eyes. It was a huge awakening, because I had such a perception of what it would be like to go to Vietnam. There's a sense of purity about it that may change one day. By the way, the hotels and the food were great!
