When Jeff Daniels walks out on a stage, it doesn't matter if he has a script in his head or a guitar in his hand. And it doesn't matter if the stage is small, like at the Purple Rose, or big, like on Broadway. Whatever the occasion, Jeff Daniels always brings his experience, confidence, humbleness and ability to tap into every emotion in the blink of an eye - or the strum of a chord, depending on the venue.
Great actors can give a speech that has the audience roaring with laughter at the beginning, and wiping tears away at the end. When Daniels walked out onto the stage last week at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea and reached over and grabbed a guitar, many of the 170 in the crowd didn't know what to expect.
"How many people here have never seen me do this," Daniels asked before playing a note or singing a lyric. A good number of hands confessed to being newcomers to the Chelsea native's musical side. But it didn't take long for the audience to realize that just like a Jeff Daniels' play, they would be spending the next couple of hours laughing, thinking, reminiscing and even shedding a tear or two.
Daniels took all 170 folks in the audience on that emotional journey, delivered with the same ease and effectiveness of a great actor.
A few minutes afterriding off stage in his "Recreational Vehicle," Daniels props his feet up on a table in a corner conference room at the Purple Rose. A fresh bottle of water sits on the table in front of him as he runs his hand through his still thick and long hair. As night settles in outside, Chelsea's favorite son settles in for a quick break before his New Year's Eve show later that evening.
At age 53, Daniels looks trim and ready to go as 2009 is only a few hours away. "I've lost 25 pounds," he says with a smile. "Just felt like I needed to. It wasn't easy during the holidays, though."
What Daniels hasn't lost in all his celebrity and long list of accomplishments is his humble side. He never, ever takes his fame and popularity for granted. When he looks in the mirror, he sees the son of a lumber company owner, a proud father and a husband for 30 years who met and married the love of his life. He doesn't see the star of "Dumb and Dumber," he doesn't see a big-shot actor who has shared the big screen with the likes of Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson and Russell Crowe, and he doesn't see a person who has walked along Broadway and the red carpet of fame countless times or the person who started a successful local theatre in his spare time.
"I'm so appreciative that I still get phone calls from people who want me to act in things," he said. "It's the fourth decade now that I've been getting those phone calls. And I still don't take them for granted. If I have a new year's resolution it's to enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy doing what I want to do. And I'm not going to do what I don't want to do."
Daniels has always felt fortunate to be able to make a living doing what he loves to do, and given the opportunity to do it on a stage that reaches millions of people all over the world.
"Every time I finish a gig, I'm out of work," he said. "You kind of get used to this life of being a gypsy and transient. What I choose to do now is what is well written. Then that's the easy decision. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago I may have done a film that was not so great, but the money was good. I know the kids are going to go to college now because of that film or I have some money I can put in the bank in case Hollywood stops calling. I don't have to do that anymore. I can choose what I want to do, and that all comes down to the writing."
New York, New York
Like most years in those four decades on stage, 2008 was a busy one. He made a number of films, debuted an original play at the Purple Rose and spent the fall at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago staring in "Turn of the Century," a star-studded romantic tour through time and the American songbook. The play was directed by the nine-time Tony Award-winning director/ choreographer Tommy Tune.
Also starring Rachel York ("City of Angels," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), the play ran from Oct. 1 through Nov. 2. Daniels said he enjoyed doing the play and it went over well during its run in Chicago.
"If we got 12 reviews, I'd say nine or 10 of them were good or great," he said. "There were some problems with the script, but we knew that going into opening. We took this show from 90 pages on paper on July 1 and opened on Oct. 1. It was a brand-new musical with re-writes everyday and you're out there sometimes on stage spinning, what is the rewrite today."
The future of the show is unknown.
"We went to Chicago to go to Broadway and get the show ready," Daniels said. "The show still needs work, and we haven't heard from the musical. The big problem is with the economy. There are Broadway investors trying to get their money back. To get a new show to New York or to Boston and then to New York is a few million bucks and it's difficult to raise right now."
Despite the setback with "Turn of the Century," Daniels is still heading to New York City. The phone rang in November and the result was a ticket to Broadway.
Matthew Warchus will reprise his directing duties for the Broadway production of Yasmina Reza's "God of Carnage," which he previously helmed at London's Gielgud Theatre last year. The play is about a schoolyard dispute and its aftermath and will star James Gandolfini ("Sopranos"), Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden.
Reza's "Art" won the Tony Award for Best Play, and her prior Broadway work also includes "Life X 3."
And no worries about financial backing with this play.
"The money had already been raised, basically on Gandolfini," Daniels said. "They called up around Thanksgiving and said they need a director, but if that goes well, do you want to do it?"
The timing, both professionally and personally, couldn't have been better for Daniels, who will begin rehearsals at the end of the month for an opening scheduled in March.
"We have an apartment now and the kids are in college so we're going and I can't wait," he said. "The things that would keep me in Chelsea are the kids, and we're empty nesting now," Daniels said. "The daily responsibilities are pretty much over. Kathleen even came to Chicago with me and brought the dogs and was there for weeks at a time. We never could have done that before.
"So that changes what you choose to do. I couldn't do a Broadway play if the kids were still in the house. It's just too big of a commitment."
On Broadway, Daniels has appeared in Lanford Wilson's "Redwood Curtain," in 1993, A. R. Gurney's "The Golden Age" in 1984 and Wilson's "Fifth of July" in 1979, for which he won a Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Off-Broadway, Daniels received a Drama Desk nomination for Wilson's "Lemon Sky," and an Obie Award for his performance in the Circle Repertory Company production of "Johnny Got His Gun."
So, in other words, Daniels knows his way around New York City.
On the big screen
According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Daniels has five movies rolling out in 2009.
Among those in the "completed" stages is "Arlen Faber," a comedy/romance starring Kat Dennings, Lauren Graham and Olivia Thirlby. The story is about a reclusive author of spiritual books, who is pursued for advice by a single mother and a man fresh out of rehab.
"State of Play" also is completed and features an impressive cast, including Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn. No wonder this is on the big screen, there isn't enough room for all these stars on the small screen. Daniels plays George Fergus.
The movie, directed by Kevin Macdonald, is based on the BBC mini-series of the same title. The story is about a team of investigative reporters who work alongside a police detective trying to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. It's a little bit drama, a little bit crime and a lot of thriller.
Affleck plays handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins, who is the future of his political party. He is an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant (and mistress) is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.
Also scheduled for a 2009 release include "Away We Go" (with John Krasinski of "The Office" and Maya Rudolph); "Paper Man" (with Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Lisa Kudrow); and "Howl" (with James Franco, Paul Rudd, Alan Alda and Mary-Louise Parker).
"I really like 'Paper Man,' it's a low budget film that we just shot in November," Daniels said. "A really good script, and we are going to submit it to the Toronto Film Festival."
Daniels also is off to the Sundance Film Festival later this month to promote "Arlen Faber." Daniels plays Faber, the reclusive author of "Me and God," a book that has redefined spirituality for an entire generation and has been translated into more than 100 languages.
The music
Before playing his next song last week at the Purple Rose, Daniels asks the audience if they remember their first car. A young man sitting in the front replies that his first car hasn't been made yet. It's just too good to ignore and Daniels speaks to 13-year-old Kyle throughout the show, even bringing him up on stage to help out on the train whistle.
"That was wonderful," Daniels says after the show. "The set list you could have just thrown out today, and I like that. There is a show and there is the new stuff that is trying to get into the show. So there is this battle going on."
Daniels packed up his audience in his "Recreational Vehicle" and took a ride to the Lumberjack Tavern in Big Bay, headed over to Cooperstown, N.Y. and conversed about everything from marriage to road rage to his first car to teaching his daughter how to drive. He also sang about Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry Blues" and about forgetting his dress shoes while in Spain with "Tiny Shoes."
The humorous side of Daniels didn't catch many off guard. Anyone who can stand toe to toe with Jim Carrey over the course of a movie has to have some comedic chops. But the dramatic actor also showed his serious side with heartfelt and touching songs, such as "Michigan My Michigan" and "In the Meantime."
It's a rollercoaster of emotions with a conductor who knows the way.
"A part of what they want and what they're paying for is to see the guy they see in movies or heard about and want to be in my living room, so I try to offer that side and make it interesting and fun for them," he says. "It's so different from a musical where 50 people are expecting you to do exactly what you did last night with no variance at all."
And another part of why Daniels picks up a guitar - besides the fact that he enjoys it and he's good at it - is to get people into the building and experience the Purple Rose. Hopefully, to get them to come back.
Several times during his performance he mentioned the theatre and the excellent shows that play on its stage, suggesting that folks come back and enjoy a play in the upcoming year.
"I've asked the question at most unplugged shows of how many people have seen me before, and I get about 75 percent that say they've never seen me play guitar or have never been to the Purple Rose," Daniels said. "The one time of the year they come to the Purple Rose is to see the celebrity play the guitar. Once they get in here, they go, 'wow.' "
All of the money Daniels made during his sold-out shows over the holidays goes to the theatre. He doesn't just put his name in the playbook or sign his name in the checkbook. He believes in the Purple Rose and the quality of the shows. Hopefully, the people who came to see the celebrity play the guitar will return to experience that for themselves.
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