• back to news page
• home
|
Hollywood Online - The Press Room
Vince Vaughn Swings by 'Paradise'
MARINA DEL REY, CA -- A bleary-eyed Vince Vaughn sits down with a cup of coffee at the sacrosanct hour of 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Although he won't reveal his late night revelry, the bags under his eyes speak volumes. While Vaughn does not completely live up to his character's reputation in "Swingers," he does light up a cigarette - brand name "Players," of course.
Vaughn, the broad-shouldered charmer whose breakout performance as a womanizing actor in "Swingers," is soft-stepping his way into mainstream films. In a faded army green T-shirt over black jeans, Vaughn reflects on his career from the posh Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey. Despite his high-profile roles in "The Lost World" and "Psycho," Vaughn still holds a soft spot for the independent comedy that launched him.
"For me, it's really strange," he said. "I came off from 'Swingers,' which was a great place to start as an actor because it was validating that we could get this small movie made our way, and actually have a favorable response to it. That's a good place to start because it gives you confidence that my instincts are right, and we do know what could work in storytelling."
The latest story Vaughn tells is an old-fashioned moral dilemma in the Polygram drama "Return to Paradise." Vaughn stars as Sheriff, a feckless young man whose sojourn in Malaysia with traveling companions Tony (David Conrad) and Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix) include plenty of wine, women and hash. When Sheriff and Tony leave Lewis behind with a kilo of hash, they never suspect that the illegal drug will land Lewis in jail with a death sentence for drug dealing.
After two years, determined lawyer Beth (Anne Heche) contacts Vaughn and Conrad with a proposition. Either they accepts a share of responsibility in the drug charge and serve three to six years in a third-world prison, or their friend hangs for the crime that they all committed.
"'Return to Paradise,' you got young guys who are friends, and sort of for their own reasons, they're doing a last, youthful attempt before starting a life or running from life," he said. "So there are consequences to that, the dilemma of do you go back or do you not. And then a love story, on top of it, and the love story, too, with Anne, makes sense when you're in extreme situations like that. You got a guy who's got nowhere to turn, he tries to turn to his father, and you see his point of view on him. She's kind of stripping him down and forcing him to get to his core, and the same with her. So they're both very vulnerable and they come together."
Written by Nina Davidson, ©1998 Hollywood Online
|
