Guy Pearce on preparing for his 'Lawless' role - See video

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09/02/2012 by OnTheRedCarpet.com Staff

Guy Pearce, an English born Australian actor known for roles in "Memento" and "L.A. Confidential," appears in "Lawless" as the corrupt Special Agent Charlie Rakes. The actor told OTRC.com correspondent Tony Cabrera at the film's premiere earlier this week that his character is drastically different from his real life counterpart.

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"My character is actually very different in the book and in real life than he's ended up being in the film. So in a way I actually had to sort of step back from that reality because he is so different," Pearce said about his research for the role. "You know, in the book he's a local. In our film he's brought in from the outside and he's a real foreigner I guess to these three boys."

"So it was really important to create that and do that successfully," he added. "And in a way, the more that I looked at the book, the more conflicted I was of that and so I kind of needed to put the book down and kind of rely on the script and what Nick [Cave, the screenwriter] had written and what Nick had created. "

"Lawless" is set in Virginia during the Prohibition era. Shia LaBeouf plays the youngest brother of Forrest and Howard Bondurant, played by British actor Tom Hardy, last seen as the villain Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises," and Jason Clarke.

The three run a bootlegging business that comes under threat by local authorities. Pearce stars as Special Agent Charlie Rakes, while Jessica Chastain plays Forrest's love interest. LaBeouf's character romances Bertha, a preacher's daughter, played by Mia Wasikowska.

The film is loosely based on real life Bondurant family and the script was based on the 2008 book "The Wettest County in the World," written by Matt Bondurant, a grandson of one of the main characters in the novel, although the book fictionalizes parts of the story.

The 44-year-old actor said he doesn't mind playing historical roles, as long as they are done well.

"Ultimately any character you play, for me, it doesn't matter if it's now or from the past, you still need to find the truth of the character," he said. "If you're then sort of dealing with the restrictions and boundaries of a particular period, then that's just another element to add to it, but ultimately you're just trying to find the truth of the person that you're playing."

"Yeah sure it's fun to delve into other worlds," he added. "You know for me also, I'm from Australia and playing characters that are you know, from the south in America or from Chicago is also just as fascinating. "

"Lawless" hit theaters on August 29. Check out the trailer below.

Reporting by "On The Red Carpet" correspondent Tony Cabrera. (Check for local TV listings).