J.K. Simmons Won't Throw A Chair At Your Head, But His Character Might

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

You've probably had a tough teacher in your life - a coach, a mentor who's challenged you, pushed you.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

J.K. SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Five, six, seven.

CORNISH: But how far is too far? This is the question threaded through the new movie "Whiplash" from writer-director Damien Chazelle.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Not quite my tempo. It's all good, no worries. Here we go - five, six, seven.

(MUSIC)

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) You're rushing. Here we go.

CORNISH: That's the voice of J.K. Simmons. Now Simmons often plays smaller, supporting roles - gruff authority figures or sweet-hearted dads. But here he's fearsome as a music instructor focused on a driven, young jazz drummer, named Andrew, played by Miles Teller.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Why do you suppose I just hurled a chair at your head, Neyman?

MILES TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) I don't know.

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Sure you do.

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) The tempo?

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Were you rushing or were you dragging?

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) I don't know.

(STOMPING)

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Start counting.

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) Five, six, seven...

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) In four, dammit. Look at me.

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

(SLAP)

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

(SLAP)

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Now was I rushing or was I dragging?

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) I don't know.

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Count again.

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

(SLAP)

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

(SLAP)

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) One, two, three, four.

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) Rushing or dragging?

TELLER: (As Andrew Neyman) Rushing.

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) So you do know the difference.

CORNISH: J.K. Simmons playing the role of Terence Fletcher, there a teacher. In that case slapping his student, a jazz drummer. Very, very intense scene. I wish I could say it was the most intense scene (laughter) 'cause it is not.

SIMMONS: I'm glad you can say that it's not, actually.

CORNISH: Oh, really?

SIMMONS: (Laughter) It gets, it gets - I was going to say better, but it gets more intense.

CORNISH: Yeah, this is one of those things, it does not get better folks.(Laughter) It gets worse. But talk a little bit about this particular villain.

SIMMONS: Yeah, a perfectionist is definitely a term that applies and villain also is, you know, in the context of the story - although I think one of the things that Damien, our writer-director, wanted to do was inspire debate. Really the nature of the story is, does the end justify the means? How far is too far? You know, how much can you push people in the name of artistic greatness without sort of sacrificing humanity. And it's interesting how people come down on all sides of that debate and how much they see my character, Fletcher, as a villain or how much they see him as a sort of tough love mentor.

CORNISH: What are you hearing from other artists?

SIMMONS: Well, it was interesting. And Damien says this when he was first showing the script around, you know, that people in show business would say, yeah, this seems kind of far-fetched to me, you know, and then he would show it to musician friends who had been through like an intense conservatory kind of environment, and they would say, I think you should go farther with this guy because I knew people who were, you know, way over the top. So - and, you know, a lot of people have something they can relate it to - a teacher or a boss or whatever. In my case it was high school football.

CORNISH: It is interesting though because this kind of figure on film is almost always a sports figure, you know, the coach who's a yeller. And I know that you're known in some of your roles for playing authority figures, but I read this interview where you said you still have problems with authority figures and certainly did as a young person. How did you draw on that?

SIMMONS: Well, to me it's - this is a little different because - and I do still and certainly did as a young man have problem with authority figures. But as I matured, I only have a problem with sort of mindless authority now, unchecked authority that is just sort of getting off on its own authority, you know? And in Fletcher's case, it does not apply because this guy is a 100 percent obsessed and dedicated musician slash teacher slash mentor. And if I can understand where a character or a person in life, you know, what their motivation is and if I can get behind that, then I have much more patience with that kind of character.

CORNISH: I was surprised to read that you actually had earned a degree in music composition, right? University of Montana?

SIMMONS: Yeah, my degree was in voice with a minor in composition and conducting. And I remember my choir conductor, Professor Don Carey. And one of the things Carey said was - we were working on a particularly difficult piece in the small choral ensemble, it was a Schoenberg piece, "Friede auf Erden" - enormously hard. And we worked and worked and worked on it for weeks and months. And as people were getting sort of frustrated with it, he said look, our job here is to get this perfect, to get it note perfect, rhythm perfect. And then we begin to make music.

CORNISH: What kind of, I guess, experience was it like for you to get to use your musical skills in a film like this? I mean, there's a really lovely interlude where your character is performing on the piano.

SIMMONS: Yeah and that was - although I do have a degree in music, I - my hands never had a lot of talent.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

SIMMONS: Any musician who watches that will say oh, that's - you know, hopefully they'll say that I'm playing it nicely, but they'll also say well, that's a pretty simple tune. I mean, that might as well be, "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" in the key of Cs. It wasn't all that challenging for an accomplished pianist, but for me I had to spend quite a long time practicing.

CORNISH: You know, there's one line in the movie that stuck with me is -and maybe you'll remember it better than me - it's the idea about the two worst words in the English-language being good job.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

SIMMONS: (As Terence Fletcher) People wonder why jazz is dying. I'll tell you man - and every Starbucks jazz album just proves my point really - there are no two words in the English-language more harmful than good job.

SIMMONS: Yes and I love that the actual line is the most harmful words.

CORNISH: Harmful.

SIMMONS: And that whole scene in the jazz club, where I sort of espouse this philosophy that, you know, greatness needs to be - you need to be pushed and prodded and pulled. And I actually firmly agree with pretty much everything my character says. It's just his pedagogy that I think could use a little work.

CORNISH: Was it cathartic then in a way to get to be that character who, like, yells and gets it all out?

SIMMONS: Oh, absolutely, yeah. No, it was 100 percent cathartic and, you know, occasionally painful, you know? Screaming gets - screaming is hard after a while, you know. But it was - it absolutely was fun to get it out, and you know, as - I live in L.A. I mean, we all have that inner road-rage, so, you know, I got to let it out at work. It was awesome.

CORNISH: Well, J.K. Simmons, thank you so much for speaking with us. It was a pleasure. And best of luck with the film.

SIMMONS: My pleasure as well. Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WHIPLASH")

CORNISH: Actor J.K. Simmons, his new film is called "Whiplash." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.