The movie role John C. Reilly called “an awesome responsibility”
It’s fair to say that John C. Reilly has enjoyed one hell of a career. The Chicago-born star has explored just about every cinematic venture that there is to dive into, from side-splitting comedy movies to tear-inducing dramas, and he’s rightfully been recognised for his efforts at the Academy Awards in the process.
When making his film debut in Brian De Palma’s 1989 war drama Casualties of War, the director was so impressed with Reilly that he expanded his role and gave the young actor more screen time. This led to more acclaimed roles for Reilly, and by the time the 20th century threatened to close, he had worked with some of the biggest actors on the planet.
In Days of Thunder, he featured alongside Tom Cruise, in State of Grace with Sean Penn, in Hoffa with Jack Nicholson, in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape with Johnny Depp and in River Wild with Kevin Bacon. Suddenly, Reilly was on the precipice of stardom, and his late 1990s collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson tipped him over the edge into greatness.
The likes of Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and Magnolia all profited from Reilly’s brilliance, and it wasn’t long before he proved his comedic talent too in movies such as Talladega Nights, Walk Hard and Step Brothers. Naturally, Reilly was able to work with some of the most significant film directors during that period and in 2002, he was afforded the chance to play for one of the all-time greats.
Martin Scorsese’s epic historical drama Gangs of New York starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz, although the supporting cast was equally filled with striking acting talent, including Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson and Stephen Graham. When Reilly joined the cast, it was Scorsese that he was most keen to work with, though.
Speaking with the BBC, the actor noted, “Martin Scorsese is someone I consider to be the greatest living filmmaker out there. So when I showed up for that movie, it was an awesome responsibility to do well.” Gangs of New York takes place in 1963 and tells of a battle for Five Points in New York City involving two rival gangs.
“That project was something he had been trying to get done for 30 years,” Reilly added of Scorsese’s long wait to get to make his eventually acclaimed film, in which Reilly played a member of Leonardo DiCaprio’s murdered father’s gang. “That movie meant a lot to him; I wanted him to realise it in the way he always dreamed.”
Reilly once spoke of the way that his frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson focuses on the acting rather than worrying about the lighting or the camera, which allows his actors to give their best performances. This is a luxury that Scorsese also provides to his cast members.
“Martin Scorsese is the same way: He hires great people, and he lets them surprise him,” Reilly told Vulture. “I haven’t worked with many mediocre directors, but if I were to describe someone that way, it would be because they weren’t paying attention.” If working with Scorsese on Gangs of New York were a taste of the director’s brilliance, then Reilly would get the full treatment when he featured again for the filmmaking icon in 2004’s The Aviator, which just so happened also to star Leonardo DiCaprio.
