Tim Griffin stars in Chris Weitz’s upcoming film A Better Life, as well as with Taylor Lautner in the film Abduction, due to be released this fall. In this new interview with Moviehole, the actor discusses working with both of them.
Having read the script for Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life”, I’m intrigued to know who you play in that?I understand your confusion. Because the story is about an (illegal) immigrant gardener and his teenage son, Luis, who is struggling to survive the twin perils of gangs and immigration agents in East L.A….sounds like the perfect vehicle for a Blonde haired, blue-eyed Irish-American actor born and raised in Chicago, right? Actually, Chris Weitz put together an amazing cast, of mainly Mexican-American actors, many of who are newcomers. I loved the script, and just wanted to be a part of the movie, so Chris asked if I would play Charlie, a world-weary cop who has seen one too many kids grow up to be gang bangers, and ends up unfairly profiling Luis after he gets in a fight at school. I don’t want to give anything away, but it is a heartbreakingly beautiful story.And “Abduction”, how did you enjoy doing that? What was it like working with Taylor Lautner – has he remained down-to-earth despite his sudden success?Taylor Lautner, I was happy to discover, remains very down-to-earth in the face of insane fame and notoriety. After spending 4 months trekking across the Carolinas with George Clooney, I’m used to seeing a whole towns full of people come out to watch us film, but the crowds that would gather outside our base camp while filming “Abduction” was a level of hysteria that I was unaccustomed to. People, young girls especially, would camp out for days at a time just to get a glimpse of Taylor. It was like being on tour with the Beatles. And Taylor, like Clooney, couldn’t be nicer to his fans. Stopping whenever possible to sign autographs or take pictures, but invariably it would turn into a frenzy and eventually the security team would have to escort him away. If I was 19 years old, I don’t know if I could handle that level of fame. But Taylor takes it all in stride, and remains grounded. He was a pleasure to work with.
