Intreview with Tim Griffin: Star of Chris Weitz's 'A Better Life' and 'Abduction' Filed under ( a better life, abduction )

There’s only one man who has more going on this year than Matt Damon and Leonardo Di Caprio combined… and you’re probably don’t even recognize his name (yet). Tim Griffin has appeared in a few films, such films as “Star Trek” and “The Bourne Supremacy”, but this year he’s adding quite a few flicks to his CV, including “Abduction” with Taylor Lautner, J.J Abrams’ “Super 8″, Josh Stolberg’s “Conception” and a sequel to the horror flick “The Collector”. Griffin is also involved in the new “Prime Suspect” series, which Peter Berg will executive produce and direct the pilot of.

You’ve been cast in such great films in recent years – is there one role in particular that you believe has helped your career?

Shame on you for making me choose! My (cop-out) answer is that they all are important, but for different reasons. “Higher Learning” was my first film, and even though my part wasn’t that big it gave me the chance to work with a big-time director in John Singleton (who I just reunited to work with on “Abduction”) so that was special to me. “Lovergirl” was first starring feature role. But probably the biggest turning point was when I did “Bourne Supremacy” in 2004, because it’s one of those rare “lightning in a bottle” movies where everything came together. It was just a hand-over-fist success, both commercially and critically, and even though I had been working consistently as an actor for over a decade before “Bourne,” things seemed to explode after that movie hit. Being a part of the Bourne Trilogy, to me, is like being in the “Lord of the Rings.” Just a huge thrill, and even bigger honor.

Having read the script for Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life”, I’m intrigued to know who you play in that?

I understand your confusion. Because the story is about an (illegal) immigrant gardener and his teenage son, Luis, who is struggling to survive the twin perils of gangs and immigration agents in East L.A….sounds like the perfect vehicle for a Blonde haired, blue-eyed Irish-American actor born and raised in Chicago, right? Actually, Chris Weitz put together an amazing cast, of mainly Mexican-American actors, many of who are newcomers. I loved the script, and just wanted to be a part of the movie, so Chris asked if I would play Charlie, a world-weary cop who has seen one too many kids grow up to be gang bangers, and ends up unfairly profiling Luis after he gets in a fight at school. I don’t want to give anything away, but it is a heartbreakingly beautiful story.

And “Abduction”, how did you enjoy doing that? What was it like working with Taylor Lautner – has he remained down-to-earth despite his sudden success?

Taylor Lautner, I was happy to discover, remains very down-to-earth in the face of insane fame and notoriety. After spending 4 months trekking across the Carolinas with George Clooney, I’m used to seeing a whole towns full of people come out to watch us film, but the crowds that would gather outside our base camp while filming “Abduction” was a level of hysteria that I was unaccustomed to. People, young girls especially, would camp out for days at a time just to get a glimpse of Taylor. It was like being on tour with the Beatles. And Taylor, like Clooney, couldn’t be nicer to his fans. Stopping whenever possible to sign autographs or take pictures, but invariably it would turn into a frenzy and eventually the security team would have to escort him away. If I was 19 years old, I don’t know if I could handle that level of fame. But Taylor takes it all in stride, and remains grounded. He was a pleasure to work with.

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