Stephen Lang: Committed to the role as I was scared by it

Stephen Lang offers insight into his upcoming film, 'Don't Breathe', in which he plays a blind man; also talks about his other film, a sequel to 'Avatar' (2009)

Stephen Lang began his career as a theatre artiste, but his best known work, arguably, remains his portrayal of Colonel Miles Quartich in 2009 epic sci-fi film, 'Avatar'. Ahead of his next outing, 'Don't Breathe', hitlist caught up with Lang for an exclusive conversation. He talks about playing a blind man and the upcoming 'Avatar' movie.

Exceprts:

Stephen Lang

Q. In 'Don't Breathe', there are a lot of complexities to your character, who is blind. What drew you to the script and how did you prepare for the role?
A. I have known blind people over the years. I used to do theatre for the blind in New York. I saw a performance there and found it interesting. But [I] mostly [prepped up with help from] the internet. After I read the script, I decided I could commit to playing this role, the reason being I was scared of it. What I was initially attracted to was his silence, and also the kind of joke-like sufferings that this guy was undergoing. But when you get to the twist, you realise that it's not that simple. By that point, I was terrified and I have learnt through years of experience that it is a really good reason to do something when you are scared by it. Then Fede [Alvarez, director] and I had a conversation, and after that, I committed to come on board. I had been anyway, but at that point, I was ready to do it. I mean, how could you not play the blind? What kind of an actor would I be if I said no to this? I knew right away that this is a quality script.

Q. Tell us about the new 'Avatar' film. Also, how is it being part of such diverse projects?
A. When you work on a film like 'Avatar', you don't know how the ship is going to work, but what you are doing is relatively simple… It will be transformed into something else, obviously. There is a great amount of satisfaction in this.

Q. We heard you wore contact lenses that practically made you blind.
A. The lenses were not designed to block my vision; they were designed for the cloudiness and shrapnel that they convey, but they also did knock out some of my vision, probably 40 to 60 per cent and then the lighting on set took out some more.

Q. One of the core concepts is that fine line between being a hero and a villain. Given that your character leans more towards the latter, was it challenging to not judge his intent?
A. Yes. The line between being credible and incredible for a blind man is very clear when you see it. And so, I did everything I could think of doing to be credible as a blind man and making it not an extraordinary state but a state of normalcy for this character.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!