I didn't think of the Clinton administration when I was preparing to play the president in Rod Lurie's The Contender. I looked at earlier presidents such as Lyndon Johnson, but mainly I thought of my father [actor Lloyd Bridges]. The Big Lebowski was the film I did before The Contender - so it was a wonderful shift, moving from a slacker to such a powerful man.
All the characters in the movie are ambiguous. You think you've got them pigeon-holed, then they fool you and do something that doesn't suit them. With my character, he seems to enjoy the perks of ordering, say, a shark sandwich from the White House chef, but in fact he uses that to disarm people he talks to. He's a politician, and he really enjoys his work. In the film, he remains loyal to his new vice-president nominee, played by Joan Allen, despite her suffering a sex scandal. All the characters see themselves as doing right.
I haven't talked to Gary Oldman [who plays a Republican senator] since I made the film, but from what he said in the press, he thinks his character is the hero. I love the fact that it is so open for discussion. It depends where you are in the audience as to who you'll be rooting for. To me, the hero is Joan's character, Laine Hanson. She remains true to her principles.
What was interesting to me was whether my character's motives, in supporting his nominee, were egotistical or whether they were really for the common good. One of the things artists do is reflect society back to itself. I hope it will stir up a debate over coffee after the movie has finished.
