Interview: Andy Powers (Clown)

You did an amazing job in “Clown.” How did you prepare to portray Kent?

Andy Powers: Initially what I did was I had to break down. He goes through such a nuance and a specific sort of transformation. What I did was I charted each and every single moment of the entire script of every scene. I have a giant sketchbook that’s fifty pages of analysis of scenes and stuff. Just to determine what physicality’s are happening to him or different ailments that are troubling him. You don’t shoot a movie in order necessarily so one day it might be the end of the movie and the next day he might be in the middle of a transformation.

What was the most challenging part of the film for you?

Andy: The make-up, you know being in a chair. You get up at four o’ clock or five o’ clock in the morning to be in a make-up chair for three to four hours at a time then you go on set and shoot for eighteen hours. Sitting still while someone is pasting things on your face and airbrushing stuff.

You have an amazing cast in the film. What was it like working alongside them?

Andy: They are fabulous people. In terms of Peter Stormare, he is completely insane in all the best ways. He shows up ready to play, really well prepared and he is just a lot of fun. If you have an idea or you want to go a certain direction he is a very willing participant. He is a thoughtful actor. He is a lot of fun. We had that scene, the car wreck and we kept having to do take after take because he had fake blood in his mouth. I started hearing something and I realized that between takes he was amping himself up with this mouth full of fake blood laughing. I am waiting for the director to yell action and I hear this guy laughing! It was really fun. Laura is a sweetheart. Laura is a really talented, sweet person.

There does seem like there is a moral in this story where you do feel for Kent. Did you feel that for him while playing him?

Andy: Yes absolutely. Kent is a good person. He is an all American loving husband, a loving father who really lost touch with his family and his neighbors. I think the tragedy in himself is he realizes what is happening to him and everyone else around him.

What was it like working with the director Jon Watts?

Andy: It was fun. He was full on in pre-production mode when I met him so his mind was in so many places. He is a thoughtful guy who is always thinking about the big picture, no pun intended. When I got to set he had already put in so many hours. He really knew how to get what he wanted. He is all business on set but he is a lot of fun.

What do you want to say to the audience and the fans who will be watching “Clown?”

Andy: Thank you. If the movie doesn’t automatically tell you exactly how to feel about a situation or what to think of it. Its extraordinary circumstances. If you find it funny, it’s funny. It sort of challenges your own boundaries of comedy and morality.