Harrison finds depth in 'What Lies Beneath'

July 19th-2000
Deauville Film Festival-Filmfestivals.com
by Angela Dawson

In last year's "Random Hearts," Harrison Ford played a cuckold who discovers the truth about his wife's infidelity after she dies in a plane crash. In his newest dramatic turn, Ford's married character is the one who's been fooling around, and he's forced to deal with the consequences in the psychological thriller, "What Lies Beneath."

Ford, 58, said what intrigued him about "What Lies Beneath" was the opportunity to work with Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis and sexy actress Michelle Pfeiffer. The complexity of the screenplay by Clark Gregg also grabbed him. "The entertainment value of it was what I was attracted to," the veteran actor said, adding that he doesn't select roles based on genre so much as on the people and material involved. "I thought it would be a taut, suspenseful and interesting movie. The script was a real page-turner."

Ford plays Dr. Norman Spencer, a genetic scientist who appears to be living an idyllic life in New England with his beautiful wife, Claire (Pfeiffer), and his college-bound stepdaughter, Caitlin (Katharine Towne). Alone in the lakefront mansion while her husband toils away on his latest research project, Claire begins hearing voices and seeing ghostly images around the place. She initially suspects something's up with her mysterious new neighbors. But as Claire investigates further, she is forced to examine her marriage and discovers some skeletons in the closet.

A stickler for authenticity, Ford consulted with a real geneticist to understand his character and his surroundings better. "There were a couple of issues I wanted to nail down and be very clear about: Some of those things found their way into the script," he said. Ford turned to geneticist Risa Peoples, daughter of screenwriter David Peoples, whose credits include the futuristic thriller "Blade Runner," in which Ford starred in 1982.  "She was very helpful on several levels: She understood movies and she understood genetics," he said.

Zemeckis was grateful for Ford's suggestions of what should and shouldn't be on the set of his character's lab. "I'd say, 'Tell the art people to do whatever Harrison says,' " the director said. "His preparation simply made my job easier." The actor dismissed any comparisons between this film and the classic suspense thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. "Frankly, I never was scared by Hitchcock films," he scoffed. "I think what's really scary about this movie is the reality of the characters and their relationships. These days, we tend to make up scary stories out of violence, long knives and ladies who take showers. This film is more maturely developed."

Pfeiffer, who appears in nearly every scene of this two-hour-plus movie, agreed. "So many of the scary movies you see today are slashers, which I don't really like," she said. "But this was more of a psychological thriller. I was intrigued by it." Pfeiffer took scuba lessons to prepare for her watery role, which required her to spend upwards of five hours a day in a tub. "I really felt uncomfortable in the water and I'd panic a little bit," she recalled. "Being in the bathtub was the worst, because it was so confining. It was endless - but I was really clean." The 43-year-old actress, married to TV producer/writer David E. Kelley, is currently taking a yearlong sabbatical from acting to spend more time with her two young children.

She admitted to lingering doubts about her performance after production wrapped last December. "I wondered if people were going to want to watch me walking around this house for two hours," she said. "I thought, 'What if I'm too boring?' But I think that Bob's creepy [camera] angles and moods create a real suspense."

Meanwhile, Ford said he was somewhat surprised by director Ridley Scott's recent comments regarding the character Ford played in "Blade Runner." Scott recently revealed that Ford's character, Deckard - a cop who has to track down and destroy five genetically engineered androids - is actually an android himself. The question has been debated by fans for years. "It's news to me," said Ford. "This is the argument that Ridley and I had from the very beginning. I kept saying, 'I think the audience requires us to have a human representative. . . . But I'm delighted now to finally know the truth.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Harrison Ford Web is making such material available in an effort to promote research. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.