Dan Futterman has stepped out of the world of comedy. The actor, whom many know for his recurring role on the now-defunct NBC series “Will & Grace,” stars in the new film “A Mighty Heart,” playing slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
Futterman’s agent recommended that he read the script and the book by Pearl’s widow, Mariane. The actor was “moved” by both, and thought they were “terrific.” Family is deeply important to Futterman. He has two young daughters, Sylvie and Eve. “I think I’m so aware of the fact that, being a father, Danny [Pearl] never got to meet his son…. It certainly reinforces the gratitude that I have two… healthy children and I’m able to go home and open the door and pick ’em up and watch them grow up,” he said.
The actor is joined onscreen by family-oriented mega-star Angelina Jolie, who plays Mariane Pearl.
Futterman, who received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay of the film “Capote,” told The Shmooze that when he sat down with “A Mighty Heart” director Michael Winterbottom, he got the feeling that “he doesn’t meet with a ton of people. He’s done some kind of winnowing of whatever list he has for each part.”
A 40-year-old Los Angeles resident, Futterman co-wrote a script with his wife, Anya Epstein, for a romantic comedy called “Finn at the Blue Line,” which will star Sarah Jessica Parker. He is also adapting Jonathan Tropper’s novel “Everything Changes.”
Futterman said he feels better suited to writing than to acting, but “if something comes up that is like [‘A Mighty Heart’]… that I could care about as deeply… as an actor, I’d certainly be a part of it.”
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I have yet to see the movie "A Mighty Heart" and I will remedy that as soon as it is available. I read the article questioning the authenticity of the film visa vie Danny Pearle's wife and parents. It is inevitable that any theatrical depiction of a life will ring truer to some than to others. He captured my heart when he was originally reported missing. Before he was fleshed out by the media, even the scant information afforded us showed me that he was a remarkable person. I was emotionally caught up almost as if he was a friend or family member. My heart went out to his devoted wife and his parents and I prayed and prayed for his safe return. I was inconsolable when the bad news was released. Somehow I felt I knew him. So, does it make sense that his parents remember him as they do and his wife as she does and his colleagues as they do? Certainly. Does this diminish the importance and value of a film finally having been made to honor him? Certainly not. That mega stars helped bring some of this about is fitting and will draw more attention to what he represented. He may have been more self effacing and may not have ever wanted the prominence, however, if it shines a light on what he believed in, I say "Well Done." His zeal for life and his values deserve to be honored time and again. I hope there are many public reminders of that which he stood for; love of music, of life and of humanity. If we really do well, I imagine we can live our lives as well meaning, flawed humans, however, in death, we can represent ideas which transcend the individual.
I saw a" Mighty Heart" and it was not mighty. It was an ego trip film for Mianne, who used the death of Danny Pearl for her own advantage. Angelina Jolsen, who wore black face in the film is a disgrace. The movie in LA was celebrated by CAIR and MPAC and the Muslim Student Union of UC Irvine. That should tell you something about the film. A self loathing Jewish "rabbi" from a dot come site spoke about how wonderful live under sharia law is for Jews and how we prefer that to Christianity. He does not speak for me. I think the movie is a fluff piece, and feel that the true Daniel Pearl was not even given a moment to connect to the film.
dead Jews are more interesting than we the living .. one can say anything about the dead .. our history is repleat with misinformation The Mormons can convert dead Jews and for the last 2,000 years we've had to pay for lies about Jesus .. this movie is no different .. misinformation is easy and too often believed ..