Walker hits the ground in ‘Running’
Contemplate Paul Walker. You’re thinking of that cocky frat boy smile. Or seeing that “Into the Blue” six-pack. Or maybe hearing that sub-Keanu surfer-cool voice.
“Running Scared” director Wayne Kramer saw something different.
“I don’t know what the hell it was,” admits Walker. “To this day I don’t understand why he gave me the crack. They already had their financing.
“You know, it wasn’t subject to someone signing on who had a little marquee value. But, I think he liked the idea that it was so opposite of what people saw.”
In this bleak urban fairy tale, which opened in theaters Friday, Walker plays Joey Gazelle, a low-level New Jersey mobster on a nocturnal odyssey to secure a dirty gun, evade several dirty cops and protect an innocent child before sunrise.
It’s a hard-edged role that doesn’t allow the “Joy Ride” and “The Fast and the Furious” star to hide behind his charm – which was all part of Kramer’s plan.
“I saw a Paul Walker that I don’t see in the other movies, that there was a coldness behind the eyes,” says Kramer (“The Cooler”). “That’s the real Paul Walker – not homicidal or sociopathic, but that he’s a tough guy. Paul goes into bars, people think he’s a pretty boy, they challenge him and they end up flat out on the sidewalk.”
“I get a little ornery when I drink sometimes,” is all Walker will say. “I can’t talk about it, dude, I got pending lawsuits and (stuff) so I should just shut up.”
While Kramer raves about his star’s eagerness to dig deep for the character scenes and also to perform stunts, Walker doesn’t get the fuss.
“I only ask questions when I think there is a question that needs to be asked,” he says. “A lot of the time people just like to create drama, because it makes people feel important or they want to exercise their power. I’m pretty confident, I don’t feel like I have to do that sort of thing. I just do what I gotta do and people sing my praises.”
That attitude also impressed Walker’s co-stars.
“He’s pure sunshine on the set, pure sunshine,” says Vera Farmiga, who plays Walker’s wife in the film. “And he’s so relaxed and he is who he is. … It’s very exciting to see him finally have something to play and when he gets that, he’s very inventive and it was good times. It was pure good times with him.”
With the nation’s top movie currently in theaters (“Eight Below”), his biggest acting stretch pending and a Clint Eastwood movie in the can (“Flags of Our Fathers”), you’d think the 32-year-old Walker would be itching to take advantage.
You’d be wrong.
“Got to take a break, see if you want to remain normal,” he says. “I don’t want to become one of those freaky kids.
The birthday bunch
Actress Betty Hutton is 85. Singer Fats Domino is 78. Guitarist Paul Cotton (Poco) is 63. Singer Mitch Ryder is 61. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain (Journey) is 56. Singer Michael Bolton is 53. Actor Greg Germann (“Ally McBeal”) is 48. Actress Jennifer Grant is 40. Singer Erykah Badu is 35. R&B singer Rico Wade (Society of Soul) is 34. Singer Kyle Norman (Jagged Edge) is 31.