NPR’s Rob Schmitz asks actor Peter Sarsgaard about making the new movie “Memory” and about the nature of memory itself.
ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
What happens when a woman trying to forget her traumatic past falls in love with a man who isn’t able to remember anything from his? The new film “Memory” explores our perception of the past and its consequences in the present through just such an unconventional love story. It stars Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, and Peter Sarsgaard joins us now. Welcome to the program, Peter.
PETER SARSGAARD: Hey. Thank you for having me.
SCHMITZ: You know, I was struck by how you portrayed your character in this film, Saul. He’s a middle-aged man. He’s suffering from the early stages of dementia. And we see him struggling to remember, you know, common daily routines like where he is and what he’s doing. How did you prepare for this role?
SARSGAARD: Well, I’d known people with dementia. My Uncle Bubba had dementia. So dementia is as unique as we all are. Each case is a little bit different. There’s a doctor – Dr. Peter Whitehouse here, who’s a neurologist, put me in touch with some people that have dementia just over the phone because it’s awkward to study someone’s affliction in person, I suppose.
SCHMITZ: Right.
SARSGAARD: And I was really struck by all that they could do, and that was something I really wanted to explore in the film.
SCHMITZ: Yeah. That’s interesting because I think, you know, many listeners may have family who have suffered from dementia, and they’ve probably seen many films where the portrayal of that condition is much less subtle. It’s more, you know, exaggerated, maybe, or violent. But your portrayal of Saul shows a far more subtle and, I would say, probably realistic approach to someone suffering from this condition. In fact, in a few scenes in this film, your character seems pretty self-aware and tries to make light of his condition. Here’s one of those…
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