USA: Director Paul Haggis and Charlize Theron get political in the Valley of Elah." premiere

Record ID: 219394

  • Title: USA: Director Paul Haggis and Charlize Theron get political in the Valley of Elah." premiere
  • Date: 20th September 2007
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 13, 2007) (REUTERS) PAN FROM CROWD AT PREMIERE TO RED CARPET CHARLIZE THERON AT PREMIERE (WEARING BLACK BELTED DRESS ) CLINT EASTWOOD ARRIVING AT PREMIERE THERON BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHARLIZE THERON ON SEPARATING ACTING FROM HER PERSONAL VIEWS, SAYING: "It's important from me always to remember that, I don't want my personal opinions don't get in the way. I think why I love acting is that it is really interesting to watch people and observe other people. I don't want anything to ever step in the way of that." FRANCES FARMER AT PREMIERE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHARLIZE THERON ON WORKING WITH CO-STAR TOMMY LEE JONES, SAYING: "Amazing, I would work with him in a heartbeat, really, really work with him in a heartbeat. He took me under his wing, we had a mutual respect for each other. I have nothing but the most mutual respect for him as an actor." PAN OF CROWD TO THERON AND HAGGIS TOGETHER ON THE RED CARPET PRESS CUTAWAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR PAUL HAGGIS ON THE POLITICAL NATURE OF HOLLYWOOD, SAYING: "When people talk about all the people in Hollywood, there may be a bunch of liberal writers and actors, but, all the corporations, I'm not sure they are running to say let's criticize the corporate media or the Bush administration. They are usually very cautious, so it is very rewarding to see the other directors and actors to be speaking out at this time." THERON SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS
  • Embargoed: 5th October 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVACI7XCB9VTJWHNQXUJCFW2MIOX
  • Story Text: Charlize Theron and director Paul Haggis stroll the red carpet for the premiere of their dramatic war film, "In the Valley of Elah."
    A-list actress Charlize Theron and director Paul Haggis took the to the red carpet Thursday night (September 13) in Los Angeles for the Hollywood premier of "In the Valley of Elah," a dramatic film which puts a face to the Iraq war in this country.
    The South African actress, who recently gained dual U.S. citizenship, calls herself "politically aware" but tries to keep her personal views separate from her work.
    "It's important for me always to remember that, I don't want my personal opinions to get in the way," Theron told Reuters. "I think why I love acting is that it is really interesting to watch people and observe other people. I don't want anything to ever step in the way of that."
    Yet, it is hard to imagine Theron finding a more political film than "Elah." The movie was written and directed by Paul Haggis, whose 2005 racial drama "Crash" won the best film Oscar, and hopes are high among the movie's backers that "Elah" could vie for awards too, particularly star Tommy Lee Jones.
    The movie tells of a father (Jones) whose son has been murdered outside a U.S. Army base after he returned safely from Iraq. The dad, a retired Vietnam-era military policeman, goes to the base to look into the crime, and he meets Theron's character, the only female detective among the local cops.
    Together, the pair bypass police procedure and work around army red tape to solve the murder. But the real crime is what the war has done to the young men and women fighting it.
    "Elah" is meant to spark conversation about the war's impact on people who fight it and their families in the same way "Crash"
    was meant to spark discussion about race relations in America.
    "When people talk about all the people in Hollywood, there may be a bunch of liberal writers and actors," explained Haggis. "But, all the corporations, I'm not sure they are running to say let's criticize the corporate media or the Bush administration. They are usually very cautious, so it is very rewarding to see the other directors and actors to be speaking out at this time."
    "In the Valley of Elah" came out in theaters on Friday (September 14, 2007).
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