Everyone wants to know how KHON anchor Joe Moore recruited an Academy Award-winning actor like Richard Dreyfuss to participate in “Prophecy and Honor,” about the court-martial of Billy Mitchell.
Actually, the lure of a free trip to Honolulu made it a fairly simple proposition. “Gee, what do I have to do? Read a play?” Dreyfuss says in the famously sardonic tone that has distinguished him through decades of riveting performances. Even so, Moore’s play-writing skills needed to impress him first. And they did.
Academy Award winning actor Richard Dreyfuss in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Over iced coffee and a Coke (he orders both simultaneously) at the Kahala Hotel on his first trip to Hawaii since 1990, Dreyfuss says, “(Moore) is pretty remarkable, because what he’s writing is historically accurate, and he’s not making things up, which is rarer than you might think. And I have historical knowledge of this.”
Other elements also appealed to Dreyfuss: “It’s a reading and a fundraiser (for the Pacific Aviation Museum at Ford Island), and it’s not meant to be a full production. Readings are fun. You get your acting rocks off, and you don’t have too work that hard. I like the fact that I don’t have to memorize anything; I can play my first instincts about things and have a good time.”
In a wide-ranging discussion that rarely follows a traditional question-and-answer format, mention of his approaching 60th birthday in October causes the movie star to shift uncomfortably in the rattan chair. “When you’re 60, you look in the mirror and say, ‘Who is that?’ That’s when you realize the software is screwed up, because you’re not meant to be puzzled by something so fundamental. I think God is, once again, proving that he has the most ironic sense of humor. When we die, the first thing we’re going to hear is a voice that says, ‘Was that funny?’”
The punch line arrives at a dramatic, too-loud-for-the-Kahala-coffee-bar volume. But with the burst of energy and wit comes a spark that notifies anyone within a certain radius that the average-looking guy is, indeed, a celebrity. All it takes is a smile. Or a direct, unbroken gaze, and the man who charmed nearly every woman in America 30 years ago in “The Goodbye Girl” returns.
Dreyfuss hopes his presence will help draw a large audience to a “great evening” of education and entertainment. “As long as it’s air-conditioned,” he says, “we’ll have fun.”
On one hand, Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss seems bored with his celebrity and the clichés masquerading as journalistic inquiries (and he probably despises assessments drawn from a first meeting as well). Yet he also is engaged, passionate and incredibly captivating when it suits him. This is especially true when he steers the discussion to the topic closest to his heart: the re-introduction of civic responsibility in America.
Whether he’s lecturing at Oxford or developing new curricula for schools, fame’s “double-edged sword” becomes a useful tool to make an impact. Because he knows as well as we do that people pay attention to what movie stars say — on all subjects.
“I have opinions about things I know nothing about, so imagine how many opinions I have about things I know about,” he quips. The latter category includes an impressive knowledge of constitutional history.
Eager to share his convictions, Dreyfuss quickly dispenses with the obligatory interview answers. Favorite role? He doesn’t have one; it’s all about his “body of work,” which, incidentally, dates back to a single line in “The Graduate” in 1967, following many television appearances. Any movies he didn’t like shooting? Several, but he won’t specify. What does he plan to do with his free time while he’s here? Maybe some scuba diving.
In Honolulu to perform in Joe Moore’s “Prophecy and Honor,” Dreyfuss views the play’s subject matter as an ideal segue to a more substantial issue. Dressed in shorts and armed with a spy novel, he chats for a few minutes at the Kahala Hotel before joining his wife on the beach. With the exception of a few spontaneous, unguarded moments, he chooses his words with care.
“We don’t teach civics, which means we lack basic common sense,” he says of our country. “It’s as if the person flying the plane into Hawaii turned to you and said, ‘Excuse me, I’m not feeling very well; could you fly the plane?’ We’ve decided that it’s not fun. It’s boring and it’s not necessary, which means that we’re running the country by happenstance and luck.” Does he intend to change this? He nods confidently.
“It’s a good piece to hear now,” he says of the play that chronicles the court-martial of Billy Mitchell (played by Moore), an American general whom many regard as the patriarch of the U.S. Air Force. “It’s a fascinating bit of American history. All history repeats itself but it never repeats itself exactly, so it’s going to resonate with a lot of people. And they’ll be introduced to various creatures who are interesting. …
“Some warriors are so great that they mislead, and the people that come after think their answer is the answer for everything. And there’s nothing dumber than for the United States Army to fight a guerilla war while using Ulysses S. Grant’s combat documents. Mitchell saw the game board in 3-D. That’s a pretty unique talent.” He pauses. “But lonely.”
Technological advancements complicate matters further, according to Dreyfuss. “When King Philip of Spain insulted the Queen of England, it took her three weeks to find out about it,” he notes. “And the lag time that was built into human political behavior saved the world. Because we have instincts that say that we are willing to kill everybody, if we can. And we have technology that allows us to do that.”
Now information is delivered “instantaneously, all around the world — and by image, not by text.”
What’s missing as a result? “Rumination, contemplation, thoughtfulness. We are removing the factor of time from decision-making.”
Dreyfuss’ formidable acting skills and interest in military and constitutional history inspired Moore to approach the star’s agent. “I’ve always admired and respected his work, especially some of his lesser-known performances in ‘Prisoner of Honor’ and ‘The Day Reagan Was Shot,’” Moore says of Dreyfuss, whom he met last week when they started rehearsing together.
“It just struck me that if I could get him the script, he might be interested — in both the story and the character. It just seemed to me that it was right up his alley.”
Moore was right, so much so that Dreyfuss leans forward in his chair in a specific address to Star-Bulletin readers: “Is there anyone against the teaching of American civics from fourth grade up? Civics being the ability to learn reason, logic and to raise up the values of dissent, debate and civility? And if there’s anyone out there, I’d like to know their names!”