Interview: Stuck in the Middle with Michael Madsen
Tilt, ESPN’s new drama from the makers of Rounders, is a fantastic sleaze-glam soap, packed with menace and intrigue. With its depiction of a fantasy Vegas, populated by cheats and avenging poker-angels, it ain’t much like the real poker scene, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a roaring, sprawling comic-book poker adventure, and it’s got us on the edge of our seats. When the star of the show, cult movie icon Michael Madsen, swung by to tell us all about it, we were only too happy to, ahem, lend him an ear.
Tell us about Don ‘the Matador’ Everest, your character in Tilt.
The character was appealing because I saw an opportunity to play a guy who was unpredictable, in that you’re not really sure how good or bad he really is. I kind of like that duality.
I loved Vegas when the Sands and the Desert Inn used to be there – some of those places I used to go to 15 to 25 years ago. I loved the mood it had then. It’s changed a lot now, of course. With my character I was thinking back to that old Vegas feel. I missed an opportunity to play Dean Martin a long time ago in a TV movie called The Rat Pack and always regretted it. I always have Dean in the back of my mind when I play Don Everest. I mean the guy’s called ‘the Matador’…
How did you get involved?
David [Levine] and Brian [Koppleman] came to me with
the script and they were the guys who did Rounders;
I figured Rounders is kinda the bible of poker movies.
I don’t know how other people feel, but for my
money, it was a pretty good run at a card movie. So
I figured I was in good hands. We spent a lot of time
fooling around playing cards, talking about people we’ve
known who we could assimilate into the Matador. I knew
we were really onto something. Then we got John Dahl,
who’s a feature director – he directed Rounders,
to direct a few episodes – he’s going to
do episode seven and nine of Tilt.
Are you a good player?
I didn’t know much about cards at all. I’d played poker in high school – you know – down in the basement with my friends, kicking each other under the table – but that was about it.
So how did you prepare yourself for the role of a cardsharp?
They set up a bunch of games in my hotel room. Eric Seidel’s been hanging around the set, and there are a few guys who are real champions, like Daniel Negreanu, who have come and done cameos. When you’re making a film or a TV show, there’s an awful lot of downtime, so we found ourselves playing a lot of cards. It’s something that you have to learn slowly. You can’t just dive right into it. I love the fact that it’s more about who you’re playing than the rules of the game. It’s very psychological. I read Doyle’s book and that was my first step into the finer points of poker.
It’s a great game because any guy can walk in off the street and sit down at the poker table and he could be the next World Champion. That’s glamorous. That’s hardcore. There aren’t too many games that are so universal.
Any chance we’ll see you in character at the World Series?
The World Series will be in the show… but as for a personal appearance in the real one…? If I had that kind of money to throw around and the time to prepare myself, I think I would, but I’m so busy shooting and working, trying to keep a roof over the heads of my five sons, I don’t have enough time to indulge myself in serious card playing. But you never know. One of these days…
Speaking of being busy, you’ve made over a hundred films…
Well, that’s a little overblown; I think I’ve done about sixty or so. There are an awful lot of films that are listed on these databases that I never had anything to do with. You meet someone at a party and they give you script and suddenly you’re listed as being involved in the pre-production.
Which was you’re favorite role?
There’s been a handful that I think are good. Reservoir Dogs, I think put a big stamp on the independent film industry. I liked Donny Brasco, too. I was surrounded by a great cast in both of those pictures, and some of the time you’re only as good as the talent you’re surrounded by. The Getaway was pretty exciting, that was a lot better a film than it was given credit for.
How about Free Willy?
I liked the first Free Willy. I’m a father, so the role was good for me. I got a chance to play somebody else. I didn’t have to do any bodily harm to anyone, or be abusive to women, and it was a great part. I enjoyed that role immensely and I’m glad it’s there. It stands on its own and it’s different from anything else I’ve ever done. I’d like to be the guy that rides over the hill into the sunset, but that’s not the way casting directors tend to see me.
I’m not sure I should have done the sequel, though (laughs). Beware of sequels.
Kill Bill 2 was okay, though…
Kill Bill 2 was one of the best experiences I ever had making a film. Not only was I reunited with Quentin after ten years, but it was a great role. Bud was kind of the moral conscience of the film. That film was tremendous, but was completely ignored by the Academy. Maybe it was too good!
Whenever anyone hears Stuck in the Middle they think of that scene. What do you think of?
I’ve noticed over the years that people are somewhat reluctant to get in an elevator with me. It’s one of those scenes that really stuck in people’s minds. I thought it was rather tame at the time, but it had an enormous impact. If you have a moment that gets frozen in time like that, well, you’re damn lucky as an actor.
That was actually my car in the scene – that
yellow Cadillac – and when we were done shooting
that day, I got in the car and up on the Ventura Freeway.
I switched the radio on and Stuck in the Middle was
on. I hadn’t heard that song on the radio for
years – they never played it. But for it to come
on at that moment, right as I clicked the button, after
spending the whole day shooting that scene, was very
strange. Kinda shook me up a little - very Twilight
Zone.
Is it true you have a 6 ft statue of Mr Blonde in your house?
I do. It was made by an artist who, in fact, I’ve never met. I tried to meet him, but he’s a quiet guy, not the social type. But he made some wonderful statues of some of the characters from Quentin’s films. He did John [Travolta] and Sam [Jackson] from Pulp Fiction. It’s bronze and it’s really heavy. That thing could probably stop a train. It’s very flattering. There’s only two in existence and Quentin has the other one.
It’s clear that your cool movie voice is actually your real voice. Have you had it forever and did it scare the crap out of your high school teachers?
(Laughs) I sound a lot like my father, so it may be genetic, but my mother told me that when I had my tonsils out, the surgeon slipped and cut part of my vocal chord in my Tonsillectomy. I can’t remember if that’s true or not, though, I’ll have to ask her. Fifteen years of smoking unfiltered cigarettes probably helps too.
You’ve been doing a lot of video game voiceovers…
I did True Crime, Driver 3, and I’ve just finished the lead voice for a game called Narc.
How about an online poker game?
Acompany in LA has mentioned the idea. I’d do it. It would be good fun and really good for Tilt.
Is Tilt coming back for second series?
I hope so. And I hope they move it to LA. I don’t think anyone wants to freeze their ass off in Toronto anymore. The exteriors in the show are at the Flamingo, which I love. I think it’s one of the few original casinos that’s still there and it gave the show some authenticity.
You’re a poet too. Has Tilt inspired you to write anything?
I don’t know if you’d call it poetry; it’s not for everybody - but I started a long time ago, writing things on matchboxes and napkins, and it somehow turned into a book. It was appreciated more than I could ever have expected, so I wrote another one. And I finished the third one when I was shooting Kill Bill. Then there was a long time when I never wrote a word, so I figured I’d dried up, but since I got up here and started this show, it seems I’ve been writing a lot and I’m halfway through book four. But there’s a collected works that’s going to come out later this year.
What other projects have you got in the pipeline?
As far as acting goes, I’ve just done a war picture in Romania called The Drop. I’m only in a handful of scenes, but it was great fun playing a soldier, I really enjoyed that. Quentin’s getting ready to do a big WW2 picture called Inglorious Bastards, so I’m really looking forward to that.
I want to start producing my own pictures, because I can’t stand being a puppet on a string. You realize that you’re never going to get anywhere if you don’t take control of your own destiny.
