Tom Berenger on RP: Fun Jeepney Ride, Swimming & Lots of Beer!

I remember Tom Berenger from the movie Looking For Mr. Goodbar in which he played the co-star of Diane Keaton who was cast in the lead role as a split-personality – a conservative teacher by day and a sex-hungry woman at night who picked up men at the bars. The movie’s ending was chilling: At the peak of orgasm, Diane was stabbed with a knife (guess in what part of the body?) by the cool, handsome guy she took home that night. The killer was played by Tom.

I reminded Tom about that movie when I did a phone Conversation with him in connection with the Hallmark Channel presentation Arthur Hailey’s Detective, part one of which will be aired at 9 p.m. on Sept. 3 (Saturday).

"Oh, you remember that movie," said Tom as soon as he was on the line (from New York). "I was very young then."

In Arthur Hailey’s Detective (the famous novelist’s last masterpiece), directed by David Cass, Tom plays Det. Sgt. Malcolm Ainslie, a Catholic priest-turned-distinguished investigator for the police. Ainslie has agreed to hear the confession of a convicted serial killer sentenced to death in just a matter of hours. What he promises to reveal to Ainslie is the truth behind the crimes and the reason he confessed to the one crime Ainslie doesn’t even believe he committed. What unfolds between the two men is a serpentine trail into both their pasts.

The two-part Hallmark telemovie also stars Cybill Shepherd as the woman Ainslie left the priesthood for.

For more refreshers on Tom Berenger, here’s a rundown of his other movies:

His big feature break came when he joined the ensemble cast of Lawrence Kasan’s The Big Chill. He was nominated for a 1987 Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role as the sociopath, battle-scarred Sergeant Barnes in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning Platoon. Additional feature film credits for Berenger include Gettysburg, starring Martin Sheen; In Praise of Older Women; Rustler’s Rhapsody; Someone to Watch Over Me; Betrayed; Last Rites; Major League followed by Major League II, both starring Charlie Sheen; Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise; Jim Sheridan’s The Field, starring Richard Harris; Robert Altman’s The Gingerbread Man, starring Kenneth Branagh and Robert Downey Jr.; One Man’s Hero, Sliver, starring Sharon Stone; Shattered, starring Bob Hoskins; Watchtower; True Blue; Training Day, starring Denzel Washington; and D-Tox, starring Sylvester Stallone.

In television, Berenger portrayed Teddy Roosevelt in the TNT original movie, Rough Riders, which he also produced. Additional television credits include Flesh and Blood, If Tomorrow Comes, HBO’s Body Language, Showtime’s In the Company of Spies, Hallmark’s Johnson County War (also directed by David Cass) and The Junction Boys. He has also starred in television series such as Peacemakers, Third Watch (recurring role), and earned an Emmy nomination as the amorous plumber who claims Kirstie Alley’s heart in the final two episodes of the long-running NBC comedy series.

Here are excerpts from our Conversation:

You were in the Philippines a few years ago to shoot Platoon (in Laguna) and then Born on the Fourth of July (in Ilocos) both directed by Oliver Stone...

"...Oh yes. I was there for 13 weeks for Platoon. We were in Los Baños (Laguna)... in Mt. Makiling. We had a great time! We drank a lot of beer."

Is that all you remember about the Philippines?

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I remember riding on the jeepney and swimming a lot. There was this huge pool in Puerto Azul and I did several laps there every day. Or I swam in the ocean. I love swimming. It’s my favorite sport, a nice way to condition your body."

By the way, how do you usually prepare for a role, specifically for your role as Det. Sgt. Malcolm Ainslie in Arthur Hailey’s Detective?

"Well, it starts with the reading and getting together with your co-stars. I have played a cop and a priest, so I kind of knew about those characters already."

Come to think of it, have you ever envisioned yourself as a cop or a priest?

"Yeah. I could see myself doing that. I have a good friend who is a homicide detective out of the cold-case file. I got a lot of information from him about the work of a detective. I read a lot of detective books and that helped, too. As far as the priest side of the character was concerned, I didn’t have any problem because I’m Catholic."

A devout Catholic?

"I could say yes, I am a devout Catholic. In a different life, I could have done something like that, I guess – being a good Catholic."

Are you an Arthur Hailey fan?

"I read his other novels, Hotel and Airport. They were best-sellers, done into a movie."

What other types of books do you read?

"Mostly history books. I read probably about a hundred or 120 books a year – books about science, about art, about true-crime books."

Any favorite authors?

"None."

What’s the latest book that you read?

"It’s called Considerate Spy, written in the ’50s. It’s about a guy doing undercover work during the war."

You were in journalism school and you aspired to be a sports writer. What happened along the way? You were diverted to showbiz.

"I ended up joining a play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, in school. And, well, I loved it. And I got stuck in acting."

You were nominated for an Oscar and actually won a Golden Globe for your role in Platoon. Do you consider this role the most outstanding among the many that you have done?

"Probably yes."

What other roles do you consider memorable?

"I did a TNT movie called Rough Riders which is about the American Civil War. I played Teddy Roosevelt and I like that. There’s also Sniper. And Someone to Watch Over Me."

Oh, you shift from action to drama...

"Yes, I do. To me, it doesn’t matter, though. I also do comedy. I’ve done six so far."

When you played Roosevelt, how did you internalize the role?

"I did a research for two years for that. I was supposed to play another character. When the director told me I’d be playing Roosevelt, I did my homework right away. I read Roosevelt’s autobiography and other books about him and watched film footages about him. I also listened to his tape recordings starting when he was Vice President."

So you had to approximate his voice and mannerisms.

"That’s right!"

Anyway, how was it working with Oliver Stone?

"Oh, great! He’s a character. Pretty fast and very impatient. He was more demanding with the crew than with his actors. I like to work fast, too, so it was nice working with him."

What about Tom Cruise?

"He would send me bottles of champagne on the set. Nice guy."

And Denzel Washington?

"Before Training Day, I worked with him in a boxing movie called Flesh and Blood. But I knew Denzel back when he was living in New York. He stayed in my house a couple of days. But I haven’t seen him since Training Day."

What about Diane Keaton? What are your fond memories of her from Looking For Mr. Goodbar?

"Well, she would practise sign language with the coach because she was teaching the deaf. She’s really nice, you know."

And Cybill Shepherd, your leading lady in Arthur Hailey’s Detective?

"I never met her before. I thought she was serious. But she turned out to be a comedian. I like a lot of laughter and a lot of comedy on the set."

I’m curious. How are you like off the camera? How do you unwind?

"I do a lot of swimming. I live in South Carolina. Swimming keeps you in shape; it’s very relaxing."

Do you have any regrets having been diverted from journalism to showbiz?

"No, no. Not at all."

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