Paul Giamatti was 'horrified' to find out his character in Private Parts was based on a real man
In a Q interview, the acclaimed actor reflects on some of his most iconic roles
Paul Giamatti has had an illustrious career in film and TV, gaining acclaim for playing grumpy, irritable and complex characters, like the wine aficionado Miles in Alexander Payne's comedy-drama Sideways. Now, he's earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as a curmudgeonly teacher in Payne's latest film, The Holdovers.
But in a conversation with Q's Tom Power, the acclaimed actor says playing outrageous or unlikeable characters is sometimes troubling to him when they're based on real people.
His breakout role was playing the ill-tempered head of WNBC, Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, in the 1997 Howard Stern biopic Private Parts. Giamatti played the part so well that Stern asked him if he'd studied the real man the character was based on.
"I said, 'What do you mean? This was a real guy?'" recalls Giamatti. "I was horrified, actually, because I thought, 'I'm making this man look like the biggest jackass on the planet.'
"I felt bad in a way. It didn't stop me from pursuing the character the way he needed to be, but I was shocked to know that I was playing a real person, and they have to see this movie, and their family and kids are going to have to see this movie."
They have to see this and deal with this thing that I'm putting out there in the world.- Paul Giamatti
Giamatti says the real person Pig Vomit was based on was actually called "Pig Virus" — but the producers changed his name for the film. "I'm like, 'Did the guy trademark his name?'" the actor tells Power with a big laugh. "'Is the producer going to get sued if you call him Pig Virus?'"
With Pig Vomit being his first role after graduating from the prestigious Yale School of Drama, it's interesting that Giamatti made the transition from classical training to the raunchy Stern film.
"I mean, [the character is] a big, ridiculous over-the-top clown," he says. "It isn't that far from feeling Shakespearean in some ways."
Giamatti's role in Private Parts wasn't the only time he felt concern over playing a real person. He had the same feeling when he portrayed Dr. Eugene Landy, the controversial psychologist of Beach Boys icon Brian Wilson, in the 2014 film Love & Mercy. Even though Landy was "horrendous," Giamatti says he felt a "sort of funny kind of guilt" at the thought that the man's family and friends would see the film.
"They have to see this and deal with this thing that I'm putting out there in the world," he says. "I hope it doesn't make their lives worse in some way."
But after finally meeting Landy, Giamatti realized the man was just delighted to be in the movie. "It alleviated the guilt for me."
WATCH | Paul Giamatti's interview with Tom Power:
The full interview with Paul Giamatti is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He also talks about his admiration for teachers, playing one in The Holdovers, and reconnecting with Alexander Payne 20 years after Sideways. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Paul Giamatti produced by Lise Hosein. Written by Shannah Williamson.