I do what I do because I cannot NOT do it and be myself: Martin Sheen

The very accomplished international star Martin Sheen who has worked with practically every filmmaker in Hollywood worth working with, talks about his life, cinema, career new role as the very evil Union Carbide top-man Warren Anderson in Ravi Kumar's 'Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain'.

 

(laughs heartily). I am not amazed.

 

It’s a gift from God. So it’s nothing I can brag about. I’m very very happy that I’ve been able to make a living doing what I love most in the world. I’ve been able to do things that I never thought possible. I’ve travelled to many enchanting places, including India. I’ve led an amazing life and I give thanks every day that I’ve had such a life. I don’t think I can be any happier even if I received an Oscar.

 

It wouldn’t make me sad if I received it. But I don’t look forward to it. In life some times you just do what you have to do without thinking of the rewards and affect on the audience. You do it (the acting) for yourself. I do what I do because I cannot NOT do it and be myself.

 

No, I haven’t even got nominated. However I did get nominated a few times for Emmys for television shows. And yes, I withdrew from the nominations.

 

I didn’t like the idea of competing with fellow-actors. If they give awards they should give them to all the nominees. Otherwise if you give only one nominee the award, it becomes competitive.

 

(Laughs uproariously) Oh gosh, I can’t even begin to imagine. It’s like there is a battle and no soldier turns up to fight.

 

Frankly, I never saw that coming. I think I was the last one in the family to realize there was such an interest in my children for acting. I never encouraged or discouraged it. They began to get involved in the process of acting on their own. I realized that my sons shared the same joy in acting that I did. And they discovered it on their own. It made me very happy that they discovered the same joy in the acting profession that I had experienced.

 

Yes, I think some of the best work that I’ve done has been with my children. I don’t know if you’ve seen it. But my son Emilio wrote and directed a film called ‘The Way’. It’s a very very powerful film that we shot in Spain. It’s about a 1000-year old pilgrimage from the North of Spain to the Western coast. Emilio actually wrote the part for me.

 

Yes, I directed a film called ‘Cadence’ back in 1989 with my sons Charlie and Ramone in it. I enjoyed directing that film. But I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoy acting. It takes a couple of years to direct a film. I enjoyed the work with the actors crew and the process of filming. But I didn’t enjoy the post-production, editing, distribution, etc I enjoy acting. And I love walking away once the camera is off.

 

All my directors have a place in my heart. Terence is an old and dear friend. I also enjoyed working with Mike Nichols and Francis Coppola. But if you’re asking me which of these directors I’d like to work with again I’d say Martin Scorsese without hesitation.

 

I’ve never worked with a director who loved his actors more. I adore him. And I’m a huge fan of his work. When I did The Departed with him it was a great experience.

 

Unfortunately he could not find enough courage within his being to at least stand up and be a human being. Can you imagine what guilt he lived with for 30 years? He couldn’t find that moment of clarity to stand up and be courageous, to at least say sorry for what had happened in Bhopal and his involvement in the tragedy. For that reason, the film needs to be seen and viewed as a lesson to the West for being very very careful in dealing with their resources particularly human resources in the developing world.

 

We didn’t want to do a hatchet-job on him, if you’ll pardon the expression. We didn’t want to make him an easy target. Anderson was still very much alive when we did the film. We tried to contact him and his family to show him our script. But he never made a single move towards us.

 

Well, in that case he had shut his life out. He had an opportunity to become human. He chose to remain inhuman. What we tried to do—and I think we succeeded—is to show how charismatic these CEOs of Western companies are. They’ll do anything to harm the local people and get what they want and then walk away when all hell breaks loose.

 

This is an age-old story of how the West has taken advantage of developing countries, abused their people and labour and walked away with their profits. Much of our (American) success is based on that exploitation.

 

It’s true, isn’t it? We can no longer escape our responsibility to the developing world. We in the United States are just 6 percent of the world population. Yet we use nearly 60 percent of the entire resources of the world including food. We have a huge responsibility. I think ‘Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain’ is an opportunity for the young to see what not to do. It is important for us in the West to be fair and just and above all moral in our dealings with developing countries....for our own sake.

 

I don’t know any directors by name. But I met one of the most celebrated directors. Forgive me, because I can’t remember his name. But his movie was ‘The Life Of Pi’.

 

Yes, a very charming man and has made a wonderful film. Also, I don’t know who directed Slumdog Millionaire. That’s one of my favourite films.

 

Oh , Danny Boyle. He isn’t Indian(Laughs).

 

I’d love to be in one. I love your country. I was in India in 1981 for a role in Gandhi for about six weeks with my son Emilio. But I was only in Delhi and Porbundar. I did visit Agra for the Taj Mahal. I also did the voiceover for a documentary on Kerala. But I couldn’t see Kerala. The closest I got it was Hyderabad where we shot for ‘Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain’.

 

Your country people and culture had a profound affect on me in deeply personal way. In fact I was hoping to be in Bhopal for the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal tragedy. But I couldn’t. Because it takes a while to get a travel visa. I’ve another job here to attend to which prevents me from going to India. But I hope to return soon. I am very comfortable in your culture. India is a nation of families. In your country people are not committed to be on their own.

 

I hope so too. In December am committed to do play in New York for five weeks. Thereafter I don’t know.

 

I just finished a television series entitled Grace & Frankie. It’s a sitcom. I am pleased to have worked with Jane Fonda on this series. She is one of my heroes. It’s comedy about two married couples who experience volcanic changes in their lives. It’s very human and also very funny.

 

(laughs)I’ve had equal measures of both. It’s always more rewarding to have good co-stars

 

Well, we live in a somewhat rural community. Not that we live in the wilderness. We have electricity and water. But we live in an environment where there’s so much wildlife that it encroaches into our home.

 

I think I should go out and tell them who I am.