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Robert Forsters comeback storynever seems to end.
ThenJackie Brown, an Elmore Leonard adaptation written and directed by longtime Forster fan Quentin Tarantino, changed everything.
The last couple of years have been good ones, too.
Forster stepped in as the sheriff ofTwin Peaks for David Lynch.
Was this written for you?
This is the out of the mind of Elizabeth Chomko.
Who as you know … well, you probably know, is a Chicago woman.
So, Ive been here, but not a lot in the interim period.
And I said, Wow, thats Chicago, and thats like Rochester, I come from Rochester.
Youve been playing grandfather roles for about ten years now.
First I was the younger cop.
Michael Shannon is a Chicago native.
People who dont take much for granted.
And work, thats the best thing in life.
Its almost the best thing in life.
Best thing in life is taking care of those you love, but work is also part of that.
And as an actor, God, I could not have gotten better work.
I could not have picked something better to do.
Its creative, and demanding, and occasionally you work.
You kind of have an affinity for playing cops and military figures.
I did start out as a private in my first movie [Reflections in a Golden Eye].
InOlympus Has FallenandLondon Has Fallen, I became a general.
I did go from being a private to a general and a couple stops in between.
Im no longer a private for sure.
Its been over 20 years sinceJackie Brown.
That first five years was lucky.
And he said, Im writing an adaptation ofRum Punch, why dont you read it?
So that was a big, big buoyancy, that gave me loft for the past 20 years.
And you dont catch great roles, but you get the best ones you’re able to.
And dont forget, Ive got four kids, so I always knew why I was working.
If David LynchsMulholland Drivehad gone to series, you would have had a bigger role.
And thenMulholland Drivecame along and the phone rang, I was in my kitchen.
I said, Hello.
He said, This is David Lynch.
I said, Hey, David, hey, how you doing?
He said, I want to do this television series.
I said, By all means, lets go.
He is a very, very good guy.
A straight shooter, no nonsense, not a wild, offbeat character.
Hes a straight shooter.
And Ive been getting those kind of roles.
And this role inWhat They Hadis same thing.
So I am doing something that I am not allowed to speak about.
Its not a big job, but its a gem.
And I dont get a lot of big jobs anymore.
I get, here and there, gems.
But this is a big job and this is a gem as well.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
