The River Rat (1984)—“Jonsy”
MP: That one doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it’s a funny little movie, and a strange movie. It was directed by Tom Rickman, who had written Coal Miner’s Daughter, and it starred Tommy Lee Jones and Brian Dennehy. It was the first time… I was 12 years old, and it was the first time I had ever had a lead role in anything. I mean, y’know, it was about me and Tommy Lee, so I was in almost every scene. And it was quite a trial by fire for a 12-year-old. I had to fly down to Kentucky and be down there for three months shooting this movie, living in a hotel room, living in the Executive Inn and Suites in Paducah, Kentucky. And I was down there so long that we celebrated holidays down there, like Halloween. We, like, trick-or-treated in a motel. [Laughs.] It was crazy! And I remember my girlfriend flew down from New York, and she was Princess Di and I was Lana Turner, and we dressed up and trick-or-treated in an Executive Inn in Paducah. But these are the ways you attempt to preserve some sense of normalcy for your 12-year-old self. But I loved it, and I remember being incredibly afraid of Tommy Lee for a long time. He was a very intimidating figure, as he remains today.
AVC: What did he think about having to work with a 12-year-old girl on her first real movie? He’s pretty renowned for not suffering fools gladly.
MP: Yeah, you’ve got that right. [Laughs.] He was extremely interesting, because it was explained to me early on that he was a Method actor and that I should not expect to have a relationship with him on-set or off, as it would compromise his work in the film. So I accepted those terms very early on, and I didn’t cross any boundaries with him. But I did do my best to get him to warm up, and over time I think he warmed to me. And we became friends. And that was really, really special to me. I don’t care what anybody says about Tommy Lee Jones, I still consider him a dear friend and one of my earliest teachers on a set. You know what I mean? I learned an enormous amount from him about professionalism and preparation and commitment and respect for the people you’re working with. He was never anything but an absolute professional, and I completely idolized him, and still do.
I loved making the movie. It was a wild experience for me. Here’s this New York City kid, I had never ridden a bike, I had never driven a boat, I had never caught a fish, and here I was playing a girl from the back hills of Kentucky, with a Kentucky accent, and doing all this stuff like I’d done it all my life. It was pretty surreal, y’know? I mean, I’m pretty impressed that they gave me the opportunity to do that, ’cause God knows I had absolutely no familiarity with life anywhere near that kind of place. At all. Catfishing and being on a boat and all that stuff. But I learned it all. This awesome guy named Randall taught me about driving a boat, and how to catch fish, and how to cut bait… all that stuff. It was an incredible learning experience for a 12-year-old.
AVC: What lessons did you take away from working on the film that you’re still using today?
MP: Oh, so many of the ones I’ve mentioned. They’re all there. Never cut a scene short until you hear the director yell “Cut!” Just keep going. Know your shit really well. [Laughs.] Practice. Be committed. Be jovial. Be open. Have empathy for others. It’s a crazy thing, you know, when kids become actors. Very often, their parents or whoever aren’t interested in what their kids are learning while they’re doing it. They’re interested in what their kids are getting. You know, in terms of money or perks or fame or whatever. But my interest and my mother’s interest and the people I’ve always enjoyed working with the most, their interest is in doing this because we want to have fun, to learn, and to tell a story honestly. There’s a craft to it. You have to learn it. It’s not something you just do ’cause you’re cute or something. Cuteness doesn’t last. But the skill? That’s something you can keep on using for the rest of your life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088006/
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