CraveOnline: How did you feel the day you got to the set and saw the wall of paper?
Dane DeHaan: [Laughs] Well, we pretty much made that wall of paper.
Oh, I assumed that had to be production designers.
No, we did it. That was all through the scene.
So how long did you shoot that scene to make a full wall?
You know, three to five hours probably. That was a fun day, with me, Dan and Ben, tearing up pages and knocking them onto the wall. That’s self-exploration but in a very manic kind of way. That was a totally fun day for sure.
I should have asked: How did you feel at the end of that day when you saw the wall you’d made?
It felt good. It felt really cool and good. I think we definitely accomplished something really cool that day. I’m really happy with how that part of the film turned out for sure.
Was Lou conflicted about using the honor slaying defense?
Wow, historically I really don’t know how he actually felt about it but I think that he really didn’t want to be in jail for the rest of his life. I think that whether David actually was aggressive towards him or not, I think for Lucien there was a part of himself that felt like it wasn’t just a cold blooded murder. I think it was a very complicated thing for Lucien and I think he regretted what he did, but also didn’t want to be punished for the rest of his life. So that was kind of his only way of getting out of it.
I realize it’s a bit of a loaded question. It’s what we’re all trying to figure out with the movie, in literature, etc. but I think that’s a good way to speak about it. Did you see your role in Metallica: Through the Never as a linear story, or something more metaphorical?
Certainly there’s a lot of metaphor in there. That’s a really crazy journey. If you go bit by bit, it is kind of linear in terms of the journey he goes on with a few unanswered questions, but yeah, I think there’s a lot of metaphor involved for sure.
Did you get to go to the Metallica concert?
Yeah, I went to all of them that they filmed.
Did you get to hear the music while acting those scenes?
No, I had no idea what music was going to be played over what scenes. It was just really about getting that part of the movie, getting the story right. They didn’t play Metallica while we were filming. In my trailer, but not on set.
With Amazing Spider-Man 2, it’s such a different Peter Parker. How different is your Harry Osborn than the one we’ve seen before?
Well, you know, it’s my version of it and there are some things about it that are different. Inevitably it’s going to be different because it’s me. It’s a different person playing it. In this version of the story, Peter and Harry are childhood friends. There’s a past that comes along with their relationship and this is the Harry Osborn of today. It’s not the Harry Osborn of 2000. This is Spider-Man today. This is today’s culture so this is where Harry Osborn would exist in today’s culture, not just a recreation of how he’s existed previously.
Does Harry still have daddy issues?
Yeah, Harry still has daddy issues. [Laughs]
You only started acting in your early 20s, right?
Professionally? Yeah, I always wanted to go to acting school and become a classically trained actor, so it wasn’t until after I graduated from school that I started trying to do it professionally, so I’ve been doing it for five-ish years now.
What sort of schooling and training did you do?
I went to the UNC School of the Arts, which is an acting conservatory, classical training. I actually went there for my senior year of high school and four years of college, so I was there for five years of my life training.
Were there any specific aspects of your schooling or training that helped you with the role of Lucien?
Yeah, all of it. That school is where I learned how I work and the work I do to achieve what I do in film. So I credit that school with most of everything I’ve learned about acting, so every role I do is deeply affected by everything I learned there.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Best Episode Ever and Shelf Space Weekly. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
