Benjamin Bratt explores the human side of a drug lord in "The Infiltrator"
Actor Benjamin Bratt has tackled the topic of the War on Drugs onscreen before -- from both sides of the conflict -- but that didn't deter him from taking on the role of Robert Alcaino in "The Infiltrator," opposite Bryan Cranston as an undercover agent.
Bratt spoke to CBS News about understanding the humanity of a man who makes his living profiting off human suffering.
This isn't the first time you've dealt with the War on Drugs on screen. "Clear and Present Danger" and "Traffic" come to mind. What has your experience taught you?
Well, first of all the so-called "war on drugs" is a futile effort. When this government mandate was passed back in the Reagan era, it was thought that military force would solve the problem. But when you stop to consider this as an issue of supply and demand -- that's an oversimplification, of course -- you're talking about our country, which has a seemingly ceaseless appetite for drugs, so it's no small wonder that it's a huge and intractable problem, one that is not solved with mere force or authoritarian rule. It really is a much more complex issue than any of us lay people can hope to try to solve, let alone the people who are mandated to doing so.
There's also the War on Poverty, the War on Terror -- it doesn't seem we have the best track record with declaring war on things.
No, it doesn't, but unsurprisingly, it has a ring of "we're taking care of business" to it. There's a ring of positivity to it that everything's going to be OK, let the government handle it, we're launching a war on XY and Z to put those of in society removed from the issue at ease. How effective these plans are -- who's to say? I think the effort has to be applauded, but again I don't think there are any solutions that are readily at hand.
This film is based on Robert Mazur's own story. Did you get a chance to talk to anyone still alive from it to help develop your performance?
No, my three main sources of research were the book, direct personal conversations with Bob Mazur and the actual recordings of Robert Alcaino and Bob Mazur. Bob gave me access to those, and they proved to be a treasure trove of insight. With no visual cue as to what this man looked like -- I have yet to see a clear picture of him -- the way he spoke, the manner, the use of vocabulary, it gave me a sense of his worldliness, sophistication, of his larger-than-life persona, and it unsurprisingly gave me a very clear way into discovering a portrayal and developing something that felt a little more complex than roles I've played in the past of similar ilk.
The way he lives with his family, he seems very removed from the work he's actually involved in.
I think it's a mistake for any actor to prejudge whether the character they're about to play is either good or bad. What I was fascinated by -- and it's one of the reasons why I took this role on, given the familiar territory of it and other roles that I've played -- is that it was an opportunity to show that multidimensional-ism, to show that complexity, and -- I dare say -- a humanity that he possesses. Here is a man who is in possession of qualities that we all would hope to have in ourselves. He's a man of faith, he's a family man, a doting a father and a loving husband, he's worldly and sophisticated. What's not to like about a guy like this?
Of course, you must take a very sober look at his chosen career and realize that's probably not just a lack of judgment. That probably speaks to character. What we're discovering here in his mind is an issue of supply and demand. This is the American way. "I've made my way in America as a Chilean national, as a man from South America, and I've succeeded in the way America does business. You need and want drugs, so who am I to say no and to not be the one to present them to you? That's smart business." Of course, that's twisted logic, but on some level, it's those other qualities that at least make him relatable if not entirely empathetic by the end of the film.
I have to say, you do a fantastic job of making the simple act of chopping vegetables menacing.
Actually, I was very frustrated that day as an actor on set because I actually love to cook in real life and I have a set of high-end knives, but these were the s***tiest knives. They were not sharp, and all I could think about that day was, "This chopping business looks so inauthentic, it's not real at all." I wasn't thinking about my lines or my words or what my face was doing or what my interaction with Bryan was -- I was worried about how the chopping looked. So that I pulled it off and impressed you, I'm relieved to hear.
"The Infiltrator" is in theaters July 13, 2016.