“My Psychotic Dinner with Andre” would have been a more accurate title for David Hyde Pierce’s new movie “The Perfect Host,” a film that defies genre (it’s a comedy, a drama, a horror movie and a police procedural) and expectations as two men are brought together by chance for, what turns out to be, the most hellish night of one of their lives.
What’s amazing about the film’s pacing and plotting is that for much of the film, you don’t know who is actually having a worse time: host Warwick, played by David, or wayward criminal John, played by Clayne Crawford.
It’s a thrilling ride and one that plays, oddly, to David’s strengths as an actor. Turns out the chance to flip the script and use the audience’s preconceived notions against them was one of the script’s biggest draws!
PopWrap: It’s rare to say this today, but “The Perfect Host” felt utterly original. Was that one of the first things that struck you about the script?
David Hyde Pierce: Yea, that’s why I did it. It totally goes to Nick Tomnay, who wrote and directed it. And it’s funny because I also felt like they don’t make movies like this anymore — there is something so of another era about the quality of the imagery. It reminded me of the old movies I watched as a kid.
PW: Given how much time we spend with and how developed these two characters are, I assumed it was based on a play. Which it’s not.
David: Oh yea, it’s a very juicy character. Very complex and so much of it hinges on that relationship between Warwick & John – played by Clayne Crawford. As an acting challenge, it really all comes out of the interchange with the other actor, so it’s not like I’m playing Quasimodo and have lots of weird physical stuff that informs the character. It’s just letting your imagination fly while doing a lot of real scene work.
PW: That said, there is a lot of physicality that comes with playing Warwick. Especially in the dinner party scene.
David: That’s exactly how Nick had always conceived it – and because the character goes through so many different phases, there’s also a shifting physicality that goes along with it and that’s fun to play too.
PW: During that scene, you shovel handfuls of chicken into your mouth and all I could think was, he must have had to stuff his face take after take after take.
David: Here’s the key – independent film [laughs]! But truthfully, it wasn’t only a budget thing. Nick really knew what he wanted, knew the story cold so there wasn’t a lot of extra footage. There was no “let’s shoot this a million ways and figure it out later.” He knew what he wanted and he got it.
PW: Same for your big dance number?
David: Yea. I would say we shot that purely for coverage – it was very streamlined filmmaking.
PW: But in with all that light are some seriously dark moments. Like the Zapruder-esque home movie Warwick shows John. That was one of the most unsettling things I’ve seen in a while.
David: That’s where the penny really drops for John, and the audience, about how serious this situation is. It’s one step further than they thought we would be going, so from that point on, they don’t know what could happen next. Which is part of the fun of the movie and something I think people are taking to. They like that spinning top perspective.
PW: I agree with that 100% — I’m a fairly savvy moviegoer and there were a lot of events I didn’t see coming.
David: There is something about the issue of trust in the movie. How, both for the characters and the audience, who you trust keeps changing. By the time we get to the end of the film, the last time you see our characters, there is a mutual respect there. I guess you could call it that. Maybe “an understanding” is more appropriate.
PW: Given your most famous role as Niles on “Frasier, how much of this project/character came from wanting to flip him on his head?
David: I think that’s completely at work in this film, but it’s not something I intended. Although in reading the script, I recognized the opportunity to appear as people are used to seeing me and then taking them on a different journey. What I wasn’t thinking, but maybe the filmmakers were, is that there’s a perk for the movie – which is, when you see this character being played by me, if you’re familiar with “Frasier,” you’re lulled into a false sense of security. Also, there’s a lot of exposition that doesn’t need to happen. You already feel like you know this guy so when things start to careen out of control, it’s too late. You’ve already gone down the rabbit hole.
“The Perfect Host” opens July 1
Photo: WireImage