B.L. You're in almost every frame of this film, and it's a pretty intense role. What was it like trying to keep up that intensity?
C.S. I don't know, to me it's like trying to solve small problems every day. You try not to look at the whole thing and see how you're going to work it out. We shot this very fast. It took 20 days and cost about one million bucks -- and I like it like that. My character's very verbose, very facile, and hopefully he's both fun to watch but also a little like watching a car wreck.

B.L. Was the movie shot in sequence?
C.S. No, it wasn't. We tried but it didn't work that way. It's not an event movie, not much happens.

B.L. With a film that follows one person throughout, you're sort of "the guy" to the audience. You're not just showing us who the character is, but also who the character is in relation to everyone else and how he constantly changes. Was that difficult for you?
C.S. Every movie is a different kind of challenge. I don't get to play characters like this often. He's very credibly expressive and bluntly and cynically honest about everything, and he's rather cruel too. So it's vicariously pleasurable to be able to do that and not really hurt anybody but that makes it easier to do. The showy parts are the easy ones.

B.L. One of the greatest things about the film was watching the other actors reacting to you and other characters changing based on what they see. How do you not dominate a scene in a case where you kind of have to, but still allow the other actor's characters to shine? Is it hard to detach yourself?
C.S. That's an excellent question. I think you learn as you get older that you're going to be more effective the more you actually focus on someone else. That's just the way it is. Because if you're engaged, then people will hopefully be engaged whether you're talking or not.

B.L. It must be tough to pretend to listen convincingly.
C.S. That's the toughest part and one of the old standby things to say about acting. But the thing is, it's true. The good listeners are the great actors. Look at Robert Duvall. Look at anyone like that. They can fascinate you the way they focus on the other person. There are some very facile actors who work just with the camera and they're very good. But, ultimately, they're probably less effective than someone who really is present for the other person. It's a lesson you have to learn.