Brand of Outsider: A Special interview with Michael Rapaport

Los Angeles - Native New Yorker Michael Rapaport sits across from me on the balcony of a West Hollywood hotel. He looks tired yet enthusiastic to talk about his work.

A versatile and continually working actor since his first screen acting role on the television series, China Beach, in 1990, Rapaport has racked nearly 80 acting credits to his name. His more memorable parts were in the films Zebrahead, Higher Learning, Bamboozled, Cop Land, and Beautiful Girls, plus his television roles as Dave Gold in The War at Home and Donald Self in the obnoxious current-running series, Prison Break.

Often Rapaport is the best thing about his films or television shows, but his greatest performance in what may be his best film yet (actors can be auteurs if directors can), is that of Les Franken in co-director/writers Jeremy Passmore and Hal Baberman’s quirky yet highly intelligent film, Special.

Les works as a parking enforcement officer. A quiet, unassuming guy who reads comic books and eats microwave food alone in his crummy apartment, nobody notices Les unless he is handing out, or trying to hand out but does not, parking citations. Les could die tomorrow and the only people who would probably show up at his funeral are two comic book reading, stoner dudes (Josh Peck and Robert Baker).

Rather than overcome the inertia of a meaningless existence, Les does no more than take a new drug, Specioprin Hydrochloride (“Special”).

But the drug is more than Les bargained for in life. Now Les thinks he has superpowers and he is going to use them for the good of society. Or at least he imagines this is happening. And Les does not want to quit the junk to find out if he is wrong, despite advice from his friends and doctor (Jack Kehler).

A film with a lot of things going for it — drugs as both self-realization and self-destruction; deconstruction of the comic book narrative; the fantasies of the working class person; paying and playing to advertise brand names as an act of hero worship and identification (albeit false); working class dupe as guinea pig and wild horse; as much as you push down the working class person, he will eventually rise (along with other genders); special as in stupid – although it has taken three years to see the big screen, this is one of the special films of the year.

In this exclusive interview, we spoke to Rapaport about being Special.

Why did you want to make this film?

Michael Rapaport: I responded to it. It was so well written I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t care the budget was so small and people attached to it were not that experienced.

Is there something beyond a well written script that motivates you to pick a role?

MR: It’s always good to get paid well. My first inclination is always the creative process of the role. It excited me to play a part like this. When you do a movie with first time filmmakers with a small budget you’re rolling the dice and this just happened to work out.

What do you think you have in common with Wes?

MR: I related to his insecurities and his feeling alone and feeling like an outsider.

How can an actor be insecure?

MR: I don’t know one actor that’s not completely secure. There’s a lot of insecurity. Probably, actors are able to mask it better. Everybody has insecurities and people have different ways of covering them up and dealing with them.

Les is this working class guy who wants to be a hero. We are seeing a few of those right now in American cinema — high profile; heroic, but not superheroes — such as Che, The Wrestler and Milk. Why are we seeing those right now?

MR: It’s a global appeal to see the everyman in these big struggles, but in reality they’re also getting over little things; these internal conflicts. It’s what makes Rocky still a great movie. It’s about getting over the little humps, not jumping off of buildings. The thing about Special that’s really good is that Les has sort of both those paths. He thinks he’s doing something really big, that’s helping the world; and he sort of comes to terms with that. I really love the dialogue in the voiceover where he talks about there not being any bad guys to fight, any great wars to fight, and superheroes and villains. It’s just you waking up in the morning, getting coffee, do your laundry, you go to work. I like that he’s just coming to terms with that. I think the movies you mentioned are dealing with the same thing – internal fears instead of these big made-up ones.

What is the film saying about drugs and self realization and promise?

MR: The reality is that you need to be careful with what you put in your body. Whether it’s pharmaceutical or whatever, you can’t fuck around with that stuff. People making their bodies into like science experiments and they’re not scientists. It’s a dangerous thing.

What can we draw from the fact he injures himself yet does not realize it?

MR: That has to do with drugs. You can do a lot of damage to yourself if you’re not having your senses working the way they’re supposed to be. You can fuck yourself and, by the time you realize it, real damage can be done.

I was trying to tie in the working class condition where people think they are empowered when actually they are being worked over.

MR: I agree.

The first time I saw this movie I laughed a lot more than the second time.

MR: That’s good. I like that the movie starts off like, “Oh, this guy is crazy. Look at him.” Then it gets serious. That’s the way the script was constructed. I like the turn it took. When you realize this guy was really going crazy it becomes a little bit sadder. That’s what makes it sometimes an uncomfortable movie to watch.

The film was shot in a sparse environment which makes it look like a comic book narrative.

MR: Right. It’s isolating and him being alone. We talked about those things when shooting.

How does this role compare to Donald Self on Prison Break, who has a lot of control?

MR: They’re very, very different. Donald has a lot of control. He’s on top of his shit. He’s confident and assertive where Les is not assertive and, you know, can’t assert himself in any situation until the end when he realizes that it is possible to stand up for yourself. They’re very different characters with a very different approach and that’s the fun of being an actor.

You have done a lot of roles over the years. Are you still hungry to work? Are there certain roles you’re looking out for to do?

MR: I’m extremely hungry to work, to do diverse parts and to try to push myself and push the perception of what I can or can’t do as an actor. It’s challenging and frustrating but also very fulfilling at the same time.

Lastly, what do you think about interviews where you talk about you and your work? Do they serve the work? Should the film speak for itself?
MR: Nah, this is part of the business, man. I’m happy to have the opportunity to do this. I’m happy to do a movie where it’s worthy of discussing and I’m happy to do a movie I feel proud to talk about. We’ve been talking about this movie for three years. If I didn’t feel good about the movie I wouldn’t be here. All that “work speaks for itself” shit; this is part of the business. You get paid to do a job and this stuff here is all part of it. Hopefully you can stand behind what you’re promoting. In this case I am so proud of this movie I’m going to ride it out until it gets seen the way I feel it deserves.

John Esther has been writing about culture a la film, music and theater since the dawn of the millennium.  He said so.

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