"I was a disaffected teenager growing up in New Haven, and I used to rent obscure foreign films. I was a lot of fun (laughs). And Wim’s films always caught my eye. As I realized that I was going to do this nearly impossible thing, I had a short list of directors that satisfied my sensibility- which lies somewhere between “French Lieutenant’s Woman” and “Star Wars.” You figure it out," says Gabriel Mann.

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If you're not yet familiar with the guy, then you might recall seeing him in the first two Jason Bourne movies. Or better yet, if you're into indie films, you might remember him for his role in Wim Wender's Don't Come Knocking. Mann also happens to be a former male fashion model.

More of Mann from an interview:

Was it hard to spend so much time in Montana?

I really spent a lot of time driving around the streets and just trying to get lost. What would it feel like to be in this town for twenty-some odd years? I had a lot of mixed feelings about Butte. It’s just beautiful, but it’s so sad…you stick a camera on it and it’s Edward Hopper. It was living the boulevard of broken dreams.

Are people who watch the film surprised that you’re such a nice guy?

Yes, and my response is “it’s acting, my dear Watson!” I mean, my god. But as kind or as open as anyone is, if you peel back the curtain there’s that much darkness as well. And people always say, “But you were just so mad.” Look closer. He’s mad but he’s got tears in his eyes.

Even in the scene where he trashes the apartment?

That was hard, physically and emotionally. It was one take. We finished doing all our shots in that location, and Wim said, “OK, now you’re going to trash it.” The bruises are real. But man, I get to trash a room, don’t we all think about doing that? You should do it once, make sure it’s not your own place, do it at somebody else’s…

The actor makes quite an interesting interview subject. Aside from his notable role in Don't Come Knocking, he's also been in a number of other films including The Life of David Gale, The Big Empty and The Rainbow Tribe.

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