Robert Kojder chats with Motor City star Ben Foster…
Perhaps best known for uncomfortably embodying loose-cannon characters and changing up his appearance like a chameleon from movie to movie, one generally has an idea of what to expect from a Ben Foster performance. He has taken on the roles of violent outlaws, soldiers, drug addicts, and abusive partners. To be fair, not every character he plays is unsavory; he has also appeared in rescue dramas, portrayed Lance Armstrong, and more, showcasing a wide range of versatility. Under the direction of Potsy Ponciroli, Ben Foster’s character in the 1970s Detroit-set crime drama actioner Motor City certainly falls under the unhinged label, albeit with a twist.
The film has only five lines of dialogue, relying heavily on visual language and musical cues to drive the story and action, leaving just enough room for the actors to convey characterization through body language. As Reynolds, he plays a slimy crime boss hellbent on ruining the life of Alan Ritchson’s John Miller and manipulating his way into taking back the woman who was once his, Sophia (Shailene Woodley). In other words, it has Ben Foster similar to how you have seen him before, but under entirely new guidance and limitations, making this performance a blend of the familiar and the fresh.
Partaking in virtual interviews, it was an honor to interview Ben Foster (from Hell or High Water to The Program or breaking out alongside Bruce Willis in Hostage – which is where I first took notice of him – to Alpha, Warcraft, and recently playing the violently abusive husband of Christy Martin in her biopic of the same name), he has had an impressive career so far. In conversation, his answers range from a well-thought-out mellow tone to a sudden burst of animation, the latter of which comes when describing the mindset of a certain scene or going head-to-head with Alan Ritchson in intensity. We also get into some interesting history about his parents that helped him sink into the era, and how he approaches the performance knowing it will be sonically drowned out by either the score or licensed music. He tries to do as many of his stunts as possible, which shouldn’t be a surprise for a guy set to play Evel Knievel.
Perhaps more importantly, Motor City is something of a psychological slow burn that builds to some truly kinetic and memorable action. It deserves to find an audience as a throwback to action movies of yesteryear, and to be appreciated for its experimental telling of a conventional story by stripping out the dialogue and focusing on the sights and sounds that drive the action and emotion, complete with another terrifying, morally gray turn from Ben Foster. Enjoy the interview below:
You play a menacing slimeball crime boss here, but you also have to convey a twisted love for Sophia without words. So, can you talk about putting that together for this character without dialogue?
Sure. I’ll try! Chad St. John wrote the script, and without images, it felt like a graphic novel. It just had so much momentum, and it felt pressurized. Speaking with Potsy, veering it away from – and that’s for the audience to decide, not me, villain or not – Reynolds is a guy who cares about something, and he cares about someone, and his desire to maintain his love… people are capable of doing very complicated things. Playing in those values was exciting. It’s not what you say all the time, but mostly how we feel. So that was exciting.
One aspect I like, aside from the action, is how you torture John Miller’s mind without words, like the writing on the card sent to him in prison, or the imagined scene where he’s making out with Sophia (Shailene Woodley) in front of John. That scene is daring and phenomenally acted. Can you talk about shooting that scene?
A great question! Those dynamics were written. It’s two people saying, “Get off my porch, that’s mine,” and asking how far you will go for that? Be it a dialogue scene or a non-dialogue scene, at least for me, it’s what it feels like. What are you trying to get done? So was he torturous and arrogant? Maybe. But he is also peeing on a tree to be like, “that’s mine!”
That’s the way I saw it, and I love the way you put it. Did you research anything about 1970s Detroit or model your character after anyone?
Yeah! My parents, oddly or not, had a disco roller rink when I was in utero, and my mom would count out pennies as she rocked me to bed. So I think somewhere the disco, while she’s deeply pregnant with me, is very much a part of what infiltrated her body. I also looked at a lot of old photos of my parents. The 70s were a wild, free time. So yeah, just kind of digging on people’s big middle fingers and dancing.
You danced good! The final fight in the speeding car is thrilling. How much of that is you, and how much is a stunt double?
I like doing as much as I can. I was grateful for my stunt double for certain car stuff, because they can go wrong real quick. Alan is a formidable dude. He’s a big guy. I’m not a big guy. But you have to figure out how you’re gonna get it done if you’re not giving up.
He’s a very intense actor in a different way from you.
Yeah! We’re all a bunch of animals put in a cage together. That was the great thing about Potsy; he just kind of let us have at each other. He guided it.
This is a very music-heavy movie. Do you know what will be playing when you shoot a scene? Or is that for later? And how does it affect your performance, knowing or not knowing?
Sometimes, because they’re placeholders, the director will say, “I really want this song. I don’t know if we can get it”. So for me, I just bring in a boombox, blast my playlist, and be like, “I think this is the song.” And Potsy will come on and be like, “I think it’s this song”. We wouldn’t necessarily play it over the scenes, but before, to rev up. You’re like, “yeah, it’s kind of funky or dirty or sexy or weird”, and it puts you in a feel. He did a hell of a job.
Before we part, I have to let you know that when I interviewed Christy Martin last year, she told me you were so incredible in the role of her abusive husband that she was terrified of you and she couldn’t be near you on set. That’s how good you were.
That’s the strangest, backward compliment I’ve ever had. “I don’t wanna be around you.”
Thank you so much for your time. This was fun.
I appreciate you, Robert.
Robert Kojder
