Page 53 - Demo

www.MOSTmag.com || FITNESS MAG A ZINE || 532, Neil explains that the best part %u201cis trying to get inside the head of such a conflicted and morally ambiguous man; to find his angels and devils. Peter%u2019s motivations are fairly liquid in nature; he is a bit of an opportunist and he justifies and rationalizes a lot of his behavior. He is jealous, ambitious, disloyal and filled with resentment. He also has a great capacity for love and tenderness, but is equally cold and calculating, and capable of horrific acts of violence. %u201cFolding all these elements into one man and finding a way to understand and inform all his choices in order to love him from within, is a deeply gratifying challenge-%u201c a challenge that Neil is more than ready to surmount. By identifying with all his characters, he is able to not only portray them to perfection, but learn things about his own character and the inner workings of his mind. %u201cMy job is to find those aspects of myself that are relevant to a particular character and to access and highlight them. I have played some sweet and loveable characters, but I also play some morally reprehensible cats. I like to think I fit more into the sweet and loveable category as a person, but it would be an incomplete picture if I did not recognize the less warm and fuzzy elements of my psyche. I need to see and recognize myself as a whole. To quote a Tom Waits song, %u2018If I exorcise my devils, my angels may leave, too%u2019. What is important is making sure it is the angels who are running the show (even though for a role, I may need to hand the reigns over to the devils%u2026).%u201deil may play some morally reprehensible people, but as evidenced by his interview with us, we know the truth, that he is a sweet and lovable guy, who has figured out how to use his incredible talents for good. And speaking of Tom Waits, he just so happens to be one of the five (living) people in the world that Neil would love to have dinner with if provided with such an opportunity-Tom made the cut, as Neil said that %u2013 %u201cI love his music and his poetry, and he just seems like such an interesting character that it would be great to just sit there and listen to him tell stories.%u201d A good narrative is another reason for one of his other dinner companion choices, Jon Krakauer %u2013 %u201cI am a big fan of his books. I am always interested in documentary stories, and he brings to it an engaging narrative style.%u201d His other three picks being: %u201cNoam Chomsky - I would love to pick his brain about the state in which we find our world today and what he thinks we can do to save it. Sarah Silverman - Well, because she is awesome and hilarious and smart as hell. Paula Jean Hixson - Because I cannot have dinner with Jon Krakauer AND Sarah Silverman and not invite my wife! #GroundsForDivorce.%u201d And if that was not the sweetest thing you have ever heard, wait until you read what his response to the question of what the best thing that has ever happened to him was. %u201cThe single best thing that has ever happened to me? That would be that my best friend and greatest ally agreed to marry me. Having my wife, Paula Jean as my teammate makes all the joys more profound, and all the obstacles seem merely like challenges to be met. And we laugh. We laugh a lot.%u201dLaughter is the best medicine, and the best way to know you have found your best friend, which Neil clearly has. The likeable actor also admits that he has a great respect for those people who put their lives at risk to help others. %u201cFor deeply personal reasons, if I was not an actor, I would hope that I would be a firefighter.%u201d Admirable indeed, and that%u2019s not the only way Neil helps people as he is also actively