With an extensive resume in film/television, Adam Goldberg has sustained a career that is quite compelling. Work now for three plus decades, many will recognize Goldberg for roles in films such as 1993’s Dazed and Confused, 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, as well as 2001’s award-winning A Beautiful Mind. Just a few credits to his name, Goldberg has continued to take on compelling roles in recent years; including on the Taken series, as well as CBS’s hit series The Equalizer. Now in 2024 Goldberg stars in the new Horror film The Exorcism. A film which finds him reunited in a project once more with Russell Crowe, Goldberg took some time to talk about the experience, what he looks for in a film, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – To start off, you have been involved in entertainment, movies, television, and music for quite a long time now. This in mind, how did you become involved with The Exorcism?
Adam Goldberg – It was totally based on my relationship with Russell (Crowe) from having done A Beautiful Mind with him and staying in touch with him to a certain extent over the years. He reached out and asked me if I was available. I would have been probably for anything. Once I read the script, I really strongly responded to it and jumped at the chance to play that character opposite Russell.
Cryptic Rock – It is great you have that chance to work together again. The Horror genre is not something new to you as well. You have worked in a lot of genres, but you have worked in Horror before. Do you enjoy working in the genre?
Adam Goldberg – Yeah. It may sound sort of disingenuous, but I don’t really think in terms of the genre so much as what the part is and what I could bring to that part. I think if you work long enough, you’re going to end up doing just as many Horror films as you have Romantic Comedies or whatever. I like to think of myself as a pretty elastic sort of actor. I felt fortunate to have got to do things in just a variety of different genres.
The Horror movies that I like though, you have to look at those early ‘70s Horror movies. So much of the reason that a lot of them work is just because the stories themselves are great. The acting is fantastic, and the characters are great. I mean, that’s the thing about The Exorcist itself is that it’s just a sublime piece of filmmaking.
Also, you look at the films of David Lynch, which I wouldn’t necessarily categorize strictly speaking as Horror films, but they will elicit some of the kind of haunting emotions from you and sensations. To me, it’s really just about the story and the filmmaking.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. You mentioned The Exorcist, and The Exorcism has some ties to it with Joshua John Miller’s father Jason Miller having a leading role in the original film. So, what was it like working with both Joshua as The Exorcism’s director?
Adam Goldberg – Well, it’s funny. I’d met Josh many years ago actually during Saving Private Ryan (1998); he was friends with Giovanni Ribisi. He came and visited while I think he was doing a book tour or something in England. After I talked to Russell, I got on the phone with Josh. He was into the idea of me doing it, so we took it from there.
Josh and M.A. were both very collaborative. I had made some notes, and mainly just dialogue notes. They were really receptive to making some of those changes here and there, let me do my thing, and let me and Russell play around.
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