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 eing
a journalist occasionally has rewards. Most people lead lives of quiet
desperation, working 40 or more hours a week to provide for their
families. Entertainment writers are no different, really, they just get
to hang out with celebrities. Walking into a roundtable session with
Stephen Spielberg, Halle Barry or Kevin Costner remains a singular
thrill, as close as many of us will ever come to being part of the
Hollywood dream machine.
When Terry Hines & Associates Publicist Kim Pasion invited Inside
Portland to interview actor
Billy Bob Thornton (Oscar winner for
Sling Blade in 1997) and actress
Virginia Madsen (Oscar nominee for
Sideways in 2005) at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle last week, she didn’t
need to twist our arm. “Will I really get to meet Billy Bob?” asked
freelance writer Rachel Quinn, whose previous experience
with celebrity journalism amounted to watching Access Hollywood three
days a week. “Absolutely,” I assured our rookie journalist, “Just try
not to drool on Virginia Madsen.”
 Last
week Thornton and Madsen met with hundreds of journalists in several
cities across the country promoting their new family film the Astronaut
Farmer. We drove three hours north of Portland for our 20-minute
interview, a journey fueled by the anticipation of Rachel Quinn. “I
wonder if Billy Bob will find me attractive?” asked Quinn. “I picked
this outfit just for him. I hope he likes it.” I didn’t have the heart
to remind her that Thornton was once married to the hottest woman on the
planet. After divorcing
Angelina Jolie, Billy Bob focused his attention
on a procession of supermodels and starlets. “Maybe we should stay
focused on the article,” I reminded Rachel. “I am a professional and I
am aware of my job responsibilities,” she replied. “But I still hope
Billy Bob thinks this outfit is hot.”
It never hurts to dream. I suppose I would be flattered if Virginia
Madsen liked my suit and tie, but I wasn’t delusional.
In addition to our interview with Billy Bob and Virginia, we were
promised a session with Astronaut Farmer Director
Michael Polish and his
twin brother Mark, who co-wrote the screenplay. The Polish Brothers were
born in 1970 and work together exclusively on film projects. Their
previous collaborations include
Northfork, Jackpot, and Twin Falls
Idaho. “I have never heard of these guys,” said Rachel. “Me neither,” I
conceded, “But they just made a film with Billy Bob Thornton so they
must have some game. I hit the Internet Movie Database before we left
and apparently James Woods, Nick Nolte, and Darryl Hannah starred in
Northfork.” Rachel was not impressed. “All that proves is that they
persuaded a studio to give them enough money to hire James Woods, Nick
Nolte, and Darryl Hannah. To be completely honest, Nolte would crawl on
his belly across broken glass for acting work after
that mug shot he
posed for in Malibu.” She had a point. “Look, we saw Astronaut Farmer
and it was brilliant,” I said. “I think these guys know what they are
doing.” Rachel seemed distracted. “I wonder if the Polish Brothers will
like my outfit,” she said.
The Astronaut Farmer is the tale of Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton),
a rancher and aerospace engineer who quit the NASA Space Program when a
crisis in his family forced him to return home. Instead of surrendering
his dream of orbiting the earth, Charles and his family built a
Mercury-era rocket inside their rural Texas barn, working toward an
eventual launch into space. When Charles Farmer attempts to purchase
10,000 pounds of rocket fuel, he attracts unwanted attention from the
FBI, CIA, FAA, and the U.S. military. The government fears Farmer and
his engineering project may be a threat to civilian safety and attempts
to shutdown his operation. Fueled by positive media attention and the
support of his wife and children, Farmer fights to launch the rocket and
preserve his lifelong dream of space travel.
The movie was filmed
in the deserts of New Mexico in just 31 days. Madsen plays Audie Farmer,
a devoted wife and mother who supports her husband in his dream to orbit
earth. Max Thieriot portrays eldest son Shepard, a 15 year-old science
prodigy who helps his father build the rocket and plans to monitor the
flight from a makeshift Mission Control Center located in a trailer near
the family barn. Rounding out the cast is
Bruce Dern as the maternal
grandfather, John Gries (who played Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite) as
a disgruntled FBI agent, and adorable newcomers Jasper and Logan Polish,
the real life daughters of the Polish Brothers.
After a quick lunch at the
Revolution Bar and Grill
at Seattle Center,
we arrived at the Alexis Hotel around 2pm on February 12. Journalists in
groups of four were ushered into a small room to visit with Billy Bob
and Virginia. We were accompanied by a middle-aged male print journalist
and a wispy young woman from a struggling Internet site. “I have never
heard of these guys,” said Rachel. “Me neither,” I conceded, “But they
must have readers somewhere.”
 Billy Bob was casually dressed, sporting beat-up jeans, a Native
American bead belt, a Lone Star Texas T-Shirt, a black leather jacket,
and a pair of worn out shoes. His fingers were adorned with several
Native American rings featuring turquoise stones. His make-up artist for
the past ten years accompanied him to the session and his face was
slightly decorated for photographers. He seemed
thinner in real life than on the big screen. The
soul patch on his chin
commanded attention, a style normally associated with twenty something
males half his age. Billy Bob was effortlessly charming and energetic.
His face exploded into a grin as he greeted the two female journalists
in the room. Billy Bob was clearly a man women adored; they literally
swooned in his presence.
Virginia Madsen was easy on the eyes, dressed in smart charcoal
trousers, a black-and-white polka-dot blouse, shiny high-heel shoes and
tasteful accessories. Her trademark golden locks cascaded over her
shoulders, literally shimmering in the bright lights of the room. “God
she is beautiful,” I thought to myself, “This woman is the definition of
a movie star.”
Thornton and Madsen made frequent eye contact throughout the interview
and clearly enjoyed each other. Their chemistry was on display
throughout the Astronaut Farmer. “Virginia and I didn’t know each other
before this movie, and we first met and it was like we had known each
other forever,” said Thornton. “It was so easy. We look like a real
married couple in the movie. Before we worked together, you couldn’t
really tell, but while reading the script you knew if you get the right
people, this is going to be great. There a lot of times when films fail
because the chemistry isn’t there.
Sometimes the studio wants to pair up
a couple of actors because they’re hot right now and will make a jillion
dollars, and it’s like oil and water. You can see it on the screen.”
“I don’t always believe people are married in the movies,” said Madsen.
“It’s not just a romance or just that people are attracted to each
other, but to be married is a whole different thing. There is an ease
with us that just came. The first scene we filmed together, he was
dropping me off at the café, and there was such a spark between us. It
just worked. It was so exciting. It was really great from day one.”
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Billy
Bob was casually dressed, sporting beat-up jeans, a Native American bead
belt, a Lone Star Texas T-Shirt, a black leather jacket, and a pair of
worn out shoes. 
