Amy Ryan Green Zone Interview

AMY RYAN INTERVIEW FOR GREEN ZONE

(Lawrie Dayne)

Question: What attracted you to this project?

I was excited about being in this project because of the names, Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon, as I knew their involvement was a potential recipe for an exciting and rewarding experience.


Question: When did you become familiar with Greengrass' work?

The first time Paul Greengrass was brought to my attention was with Bloody Sunday, because I had never seen a movie that felt so real. Since then, he has been on my list of directors I have wanted to work with.


Question: What can you tell us about your character, Lawrie Dayne?

Lawrie works for The Wall Street Journal and is one of those journalists that reported inaccuracies. Paul and I had lengthy discussions about her because we were interested in portraying her human flaws and how her ego got in the way of her job.


Question: Who do you think she represents?

Lawrie Dayne represents the failure of the press, the same way Matt's character represents the hero.


Question: And how did meeting Chief Miller, played by Matt Damon, open her eyes?

She is a smart journalist and realizes that it is an odd sight to see him in The Green Zone talking to a CIA agent like Martin Brown. So, Miller becomes her next target; but once Lawrie realizes she was wrong about the whole weapons of mass destruction issue, I think the journalist she started out as, kicks back and searches for real answers.


Question: Could you be a journalist?

I don't have the right set of skills and I believe my mind is inquisitive in other ways, as I focus more on human behavior. And I am not nearly as brave as they are!


Question: How would you explain your character's relationship with Clark Poundstone?

Right off the bat you see that this senior official from the Pentagon and my character are very familiar with each other, and it sets off some doubts as to what information he has been feeding her. We actually explored their back-story in an earlier version of the script and even the possibility of them having some kind of romantic relationship in the past.


Question: How did you prepare the role?

The first thing I did was read Rajiv Chandrasekaran's book Imperial Life in the Emerald City. I had never heard of The Green Zone before, and I have to admit that I was shocked by his detailed account of what went on in there. And then a friend put me in contact with Anne Garrels, who spent time in Iraq covering it for NPR and wrote a very interesting book called Naked in Baghdad. So, she very generously spoke to me about her experience, and we also had many journalists on set that I could go to.


Question: Green Zone feels very real.

That's thanks to Paul's way of shooting it, which comes from his background in documentaries. He knows how to make an action movie and has a really sharp eye to ensure that every scene fits and the story is being propelled forward at all moments. So, even if we may feel we are improvising something unexpected, it's all in his head and it works out perfectly in the end. Other directors try to duplicate his style throwing the camera around; but only Paul knows how to do it, because there is a method to his madness.


Question: And he knows how to deliver an entertaining action movie!

Paul's world is this impressive moving force of cameras and cables. All I can say is that you don't want to be the one that trips and spoils the take!


Question: How is Greengass as a person?

He is pretty laid back for someone who makes these frenetically fast-paced movies. Paul Greengrass is very relaxed and a true pleasure to be around.


Question: What was the energy like on set then?

There was a lot of camaraderie and laughing on set because Paul kept it light. They all form an amazing group that has worked together before, and it was amazing to be a part of it.


Question: Where did you shoot the film?

I went to Morocco, Spain and England; and it's funny how all these filming locations doubled as Baghdad. We spent most of the time in Morocco - which I loved because it is such a friendly and magical place.


Question: What was Matt Damon like to work with?

Matt is incredibly down-to-earth and smart, and he is also very hard working. The biggest challenge he had was to command real soldiers - which was a very hard thing to pull off, but he did it beautifully.


Question: What did you learn from working with Greengrass and Damon?

A lot! I'll never forget this scene in which Matt confronts me, as I couldn't figure out what to do. Paul told me to run with it and see what happens, even though I was dreading it; but it came to life because it was about my character being in the hot seat. So, what I was feeling ended up being exactly what the scene needed. That day I learned that sometimes not knowing can actually help.


And what can you say of Greg Kinnear?

Greg is a very talented actor with a great sense of humor, and he made me laugh many times on set. It was great to work with him.


Question: In such an intense fast-paced thriller, is it important to have those moments of humor?

Oh, it certainly helps, and especially during such an action-packed movie. Greg and I would sometimes have a laugh about the fact that we were just two actors in a war movie.


Question: What did you think of the film when you finally saw it completed?

I loved it! And it was breathtaking to see the final look of the film and how it adds to the thrilling ride of the story.


Question: What do you think an international audience will take from Green Zone?

I think they will enjoy this ride because this movie does a great job at entertaining. And I believe they will connect with Matt's character, who kind of represents the audience.

Green Zone

Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Khalid Abdulla
Director: Paul Greengrass
Classification: M
Genre: Action
Running Time: 115 minutes

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) re-team for their latest electrifying thriller in Green Zone a film set in the chaotic early days of the Iraqi War when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences.

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Damon) and his team of Army inspectors were dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that inverts the purpose of their mission. Spun by operatives with intersecting agendas, Miller must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil for answers that will either clear a rogue regime or escalate a war in an unstable region. At a blistering time in a combustible place, he will find the most elusive weapon of all is the truth.

RRP: $39.95
RRP: 2 disc SE: $44.95
RRP Blu-ray: $44.95