Corey Stoll is just one of those actors who disappears behind a character.
Every bone in his body is carried with purpose for each undertaking. The same can be said for his next turn in “Glass Chin” (directed by Noah Buschel). The film is an independent boxing noir portrait about the toll the industry takes on its leftovers. In it Stoll plays Bud Gordon, a former boxer desperately trying to find his way in the world when he has nothing else to fall back on.
amNewYork spoke with Stoll about “Glass Chin,” opening Friday, as well as entering the Marvel world in “Ant-Man” as the villian Yellowjacket.
You want to root for this guy, not just because his chips are down, but also because he feels familiar.
He felt very familiar. The boxing game is not dissimilar from the acting game. People can come from nowhere very young, and become incredibly famous. It’s very easy to lose sight on why you started, and when you don’t get what you think you wanted, the tendency toward bitterness is very strong. It’s a dangerous path to go down. That’s where Bud is at the beginning.
There’s this perception that character development doesn’t happen in big budgeted blockbuster films. Do you think there’s room for complexity in blockbusters?
Absolutely. “Ant-Man” is coming out. When you’re telling a story to a broad audience as those films go out to, it has to appeal to little kids and young adults, so you do have some limitations in terms of complexity of character, but I think within that context, I felt very welcomed with all of my notes. I felt as collaborative in that film as any film I’ve done. The villain has to be the villain, he has to be scary and formidable, but there is some space in there for some vulnerability and complexity. Hopefully that’s all in there!
Marvel is such a massive world to be in.
Yeah! It was so much fun. Everything was top of line. When you’re in the middle of a scene where you know there’s going to be a lot of special effects, having the confidence to know that the best special effects team in the world is going to be supporting you, you can let go of your inhibitions a little bit. You know it’s going to look cool.
