Sam Elliot on ‘Grandma’ and His Love of Independent Cinema

Sandra Miska

Actor Sam Elliot, a native of Sacramento and graduate of Cal State LA, got his first break in film 46 years with a small role in the classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” He went on to have an illustrious film in the Western genre, his most memorable role being in “Tombstone.” He’s also had prominent roles in films such as “Mask,” “Road House,” “Gettysburg,” “The Big Lebowski,” “The Golden Compass,” “Thank You for Smoking,” and “Up in the Air.”

In “Grandma,” Elliot plays Karl, the heartbroken former husband of Lily Tomlin’s character Elle. Entertainment Voice spoke to him about that experience, his love for both indies and Westerns, and Hollywood’s relationship with mature actors.

EV: What attracted you to this script?

Sam Elliot: Oh, boy, I think the first thing was, before I even read this script, was where it came from, Paul Weitz. I’d worked with Paul’s brother [Chris Weitz] one time and I knew of Paul, and I knew of his work, and that’s always intriguing, when it’s somebody you admire who sends you a script. Then I saw the part, and I went to my piece of it first, you know, it’s broken down into sequences, vignettes, and I was just taken by the material. The character, he was so well drawn. It was only eleven pages, but there was so much there; it was so rich. And the fact that it was Lily Tomlin that I was going to be working with, the combination of things, there was no way to not do the thing.

EV: Did you relate to Karl at all? I know you said earlier at the press conference that he’s different from you in a lot of ways, but are there any similarities?

Sam Elliot: There are some similarities as well. …You know, there’s a certain percentage of people, I think, who probably deal with things as they come, and whatever problem, whatever something may be that crosses their path, they deal with it, and it’s over with and they move on to something else. I think there’s another percentage of us who don’t deal with things so well, and sweep them under the rug and whatever, but we end up living with them later on down the road. I think that’s what happens with Karl. It’s like the one line that he has where he tells Lily, “As I grow older, things keep bubbling up. They bubble up from the tar.” …Obviously, they had issues, and maybe that’s really what bothers him most, whatever his problem was with this woman who’d broken his heart, run off with another woman.

EV: How long did it take to film your scenes?

Sam Elliot: Two days. I was there two days. One day for the interiors, in the kitchen, and a day out on the patio.

EV: And the house you filmed at was right here in Los Angeles?

Sam Elliot: It was in Topanga. It was Paul’s house.

EV: Oh, really? I didn’t know that. It’s a nice house.

Sam Elliot: It’s a great spot. Beautiful spot.

EV: You spoke earlier [at the press conference] about independent films. Can you speak more on your preference for indie films?

Sam Elliot: I just think they’re so unencumbered by the structure, you know, the Hollywood game. You don’t make money on these things, unless you’re fortunate enough to participate on the back end of them and they do well at the box office, which they don’t necessarily always do, or maybe rarely do. There’s something about being on a set with a group of people, whether in front of the camera or behind the camera, that are just so enthusiastic about making a good film. It’s just invigorating, you know? It’s such a positive experience. Not that you don’t have people who are watching the clock, but you just don’t feel that same pressure. You feel a different pressure because you’re tight on money and you’re tight on time. There’s always that constraint. But there’s not a powerhouse over the top of you, dictating, or telling you what’s missing, or telling you what they want to change. Rarely, I think, are there personalities on independent films, at least none of them that I’ve ever been involved with, where they’re problematic. There’s no room for divas in this kind of stuff [laughs]. It’s too hard work. But the hard work is what makes it great fun.

EV: People are more willing to work together and be collaborative?

Sam Elliot: It’s all being together. Exactly. And the collaborative thing, which Paul certainly was… Collaboration is a wonderful thing. There’s only one captain of the ship, I’ve always felt. It’s a director’s game, but when you got a director who’s open, that just takes it to a whole another level.

EV: “Grandma” is Lily Tomlin’s first leading role in 27 years, and you recently co-starred in “I’ll See You in My Dreams” with Blythe Danner, which was her first leading role ever. Do you think Hollywood is becoming more receptive to films featuring leading actors over 60?

Sam Elliot: I do, and particularly women. I think women are finally getting a better shot at everything in Hollywood. For whatever reason, it’s taken them so long to figure that out. It’s mystifying to me. There seems to be this opinion, and I’m sure it’s well founded in terms of their research and everything, that a film’s success is all about getting young people in the box office, and I just can’t imagine that that’s the truth. Not that older people don’t want to get out and go to the movies, maybe they don’t as readily as younger kids, but there’s a vast audience out there for this kind of film, for mature films, and funny films, films that, you know, speak the truth. I think that’s the thing about this movie and “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” as well. Brett Haley wrote a script about the truth. I went on the road with him like I am with Paul on this thing and I remember Brett every time someone would ask, “What kind stories do you want to do?” And he said, “I just want to tell the truth.” There’s so much to be said in that, you know? For an actor, when something doesn’t ring true, when someone asks you to do something that’s false, it’s just the most painful thing in the world. I try to avoid that at all costs. If someone asks me to do something that I don’t believe, I say, give me something else, another note. Make me believe it, because I’m not believing what you’re telling me. I’ve always felt that if the actor’s not believing it, how can the audience believe it?

EV: You’ve worked with a lot of great directors, such as Jason Reitman, Peter Bogdanovich, and the Coen Brothers. What was unique about working with Paul?

Sam Elliot: Oh, wow. I don’t know if I’ve ever worked with a director that said less to me. It was so quiet, and I mean, he’s right there, he’s right there. You feel his presence. But he never, rarely, would come in and say anything. He came in one time, and I don’t even remember what the note he was going to give, but he came in and I asked him, “Am I over the top here?” Because it was when I really started to get emotional. He said, “No, just keep going. It’s great. Just keep going.” Great directors, I think, don’t need a lot of words to say what they’re saying. They’re very specific, they know what they want, and they have a gift for conveying what they want, not just from the actors, but the DP and everyone else who’s involved in making the final product, and Paul’s that way. He’s so sweet. He’s just a nice man. …We all want to work with nice people. He’s one of them. Because it trickles down, it all comes from the top. He sets the tone.

EV: Do you think you guys will work on another film together?

Sam Elliot: I’d love to work with him, anytime,

EV: You’re known for your work in westerns. How do these more somewhat smaller, romantic films compare?

Sam Elliot: It’s fun. I think the western genre is one of the most romantic genres there is, one some level. I’ve done some. I did one with my wife [Katharine Ross], I did one with Kate Capshaw. I’ve had some of the greatest romances when I was under a cowboy hat. It’s fun playing these characters, for a change. There was a long period of time when I did a lot of westerns in my life, and I used to kinda complain about that to myself, being in that western box, and not getting to do other things because of the way people perceived me. So it’s really wonderful to be outside of that and doing this kind of stuff. There’s no question about it. But I got over that, I finally got over it and realized how fortunate I was to have anything, rather than being an unemployed actor. I think that happened when the Coen Brothers came along with “The Big Lebowski.” I remember being so excited that I had this Coen Brothers script to read, and then I read it and I thought, “Oh, Christ, it’s another cowboy.” But it was a fun one.

EV: What film do you get most recognized from?

Sam Elliot: Probably “Tombstone” and “Road House.” “Road House” was a bar brawl movie I did with Patrick Swayze a number of years ago, and “Tombstone” is one of those westerns… It’s really because they’re on television. They rerun them all the time. I had a period in my life, in my career, where I didn’t work a lot, but all those reruns kept my face out there, kept me ever present. It looked like I was working all the time, but it really was just a loop going around every night. Funny thing.

EV: What’s next for you?

Sam Elliot: Well, I’m doing an arch on the television show that Lily and Jane Fonda are doing [“Grace and Frankie”]. I’m playing a romantic interest for Jane. That’s for the second season that’s just beginning to shoot. And I’ve just signed on to do a series for Netflix with Ashton Kutcher. It’s 20 shows on the air, no pilot, and that starts shooting the end of September and goes on the air in March. It’s a three-camera show and it’s shooting in front of a live audience, neither of which I’ve ever done before. So, it’s very daunting for me at the moment. …Everybody keeps telling me how much fun it’s going to be, but right now I’m scared to death [laughs].

EV: Can you tell us what the show will be about?

Sam Elliot: There was a press release on Deadline the other day. Right now it’s called “The Untitled Ranch Project,” and it’s about a guy who’s on a cattle ranch in Colorado and he has two sons, and one of the sons has been away playing semi-pro football, that’s Ashton Kutcher, and he’s come home to move back in, and his dad is old school, and he and his brother are younger and new school. There’s a rub going on. It’s a comedy with an edge because it’s Netflix. It’ll be fun.
“Grandma” opens Aug. 21 in Los Angeles and New York.