DA: Thanks in part to its stellar
case, “This Is Us” has, without
doubt, a huge fanbase. Have you
had any particularly interesting
encounter with fans of the show?
MV: Yes, I’ve had many interesting
encounters. I received a lot of hugs.
Some people cry, for some people
I really can tell it’s a big moment
that they’re meeting a character
that has impacted the way they
view adoption or body issues, or
family matters, anything like that.
So, it’s really just a beautiful thing
to know about how it impacts
people the way the show “This Is
Us” has.DA: Back to your character, what
does Jack Pearson really mean to
you on a personal level?
MV: Jack feels like so many men
that I’ve come across and known
in my life of 42 years. My father,
my friends; he’s just this every
man. What I love about him is that
he’s not perfect. But he tries to be
the best version of himself that he
can and he does it simply for his
wife and for his kids, and I’m really
enamored by him for doing that.DA: Other than “This Is Us,” this
year you’re also set to appear in
“The Art of Racing in the Rain.”
Other than the imaginative title,
can you tell us a bit about what
the movie is about and your role
in it?
MV: Yeah. The film “The Art of
Racing in the Rain” is about a
racecar driver who has this dog
and the film takes place over the
course of the dog’s life, from
puppy until he’s old. As he watches
his owner go through auto-racing,
meeting a woman, falling in love,
having a family, just the trials that
happened in life. It’s a beautiful
film and very-very much in the
same category as “This Is Us.”DA: What would you say is the
number one reason to go see this
movie when it comes out?
MV: If you love great characters
and dogs, as well as romanceand auto-racing, then you should
definitely go out and see “The Art
of Racing in the Rain.”DA: How do you feel about the
character you play here?
MV: My character in this movie,
Denny Swift, is simple like Jack
Pearson. But that doesn’t make
him uncomplicated. He’s a man
who has drive and focus and wants
out of life but he’s also not without
his challenges. And he does
the best that he can, under the
circumstances that he’s put in, and
he’s a character that I admire for
his strengths, his perseverance, his
focus and his simple determination.DA: All in all, how would you
describe your experience
working on this movie?
MV: The overall work on “The
Art of Racing in the Rain” was so
much fun. There were moments in
filming that are very heartfelt, that
are emotionally testing, but there
is this beautiful, hopeful thread
underneath the entire film and I
think that kept me going through
the course of filming. When
Simon Curtis, our director, and
I got together, we talked about
how seeing the title, everybody
expected that it was about racing
as in automotive racing. But the
first conversation that Simon and
I had were about being a father
and a husband and the dog owner.
And that quality of life became
the center of the film and truly is
the center of film.DA: Looking ahead to the
foreseeable future, are there
any specific challenges—maybe
certain kind of roles or certain
genres—that you’d like to tackle
as an actor?
MV: I’m looking forward to
tackling anything that comes
into my way. That’s the great part
of being an actor. We, actors, as
human beings are constantly
evolving. So, I look forward to
diving deep into whatever comes
my way.DA: On the flip side, when you’re
looking back, what are some of
your most memorable roles?
MV: Some of my memorable
roles ... well, a lot of them are
memorable based on who I was
working with or the circumstances
of filming. Like, working with
Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth on
“Grace of Monaco” was an amazing
experience. Working with Sylvester
Stallone on “Rocky Balboa” was
incredibly memorable because of
how much I admired all that Sly
does. Working with Adam Sandler
on two back-to-back movies from
“Grown Ups 2” and “That’s My Boy”
was a lesson in understanding that
you’re going to have the most
fun while you’re working and to
where it feels like summer camp.
Even darker roles, like Josh in
“The Divide,” working with great
actors like Michael Eklund and
Michael Biehn and Iván González,
is a reminder that it doesn’t matter
how small film may be, it can have
such a deep fundamental impact
on us as actors and the roles that
we played.DA: Moving to more personal
matters; besides acting, what else
are you passionate about now?
MV: I’m passionate about putting
some good will out into the
world. You know, I think right
now, the frequency of the world
is very erratic and I’m trying
to put some positivity and
calm and understanding good
communication out into the world.
Yeah, just trying to put some
good out there ... that’s what I’m
passionate about.DA: Last but not least, when
you’re not busy filming, what do
you usually do?
MV: When I’m not filming, I’m
always working. [Chuckles] I’m
running a production company,
which takes up quite a bit of time.
But all of it never particularly feels
like work. It feels like creative
problem solving and victory with
your friends. You know, I’m lucky
enough to work in an artistic
capacity with people that I admire
and respect and want to be around.
And that’s both on “This Is Us” and
my production company “Divide,”
as well as with my team that I’ve
been with for a long time. I’m a
very fortunate working actor and
it’s pretty good feeling.“I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT
PUTTING SOME GOODWILL
OUT INTO THE WORLD”