Benjamin Bratt - something of a 'Maverick'

I can honestly say I’ve ridden in an elevator with Jim Carrey and that I’ve walked up the stairs with Benjamin Bratt. The elevator ride was years ago when I was a student reporter for the Daily Trojan at USC. The stairs were just a few weeks ago at the California Theater for the Cinequest Film Festival’s Maverick Spirit Award. Bratt was conducting interviews with the press in the lobby of the downtown San Jose theater. Crowds were gathered around him, trying to get snapshots with their cell phones. I just happened to be walking up to the balcony seats with my parents when Ben departed the throng and headed up the stairs and behind the scenes.

It’s rare for me to see an interview with a celebrity on TV, in a magazine, or once in a while in person, and think, “Gee, that’s someone I might actually want to hang out with in real life.” But that is actually what I thought after sitting through the presentation of the Maverick Spirit Award for Benjamin Bratt at the Cinequest Film Festival March 4. And I’m not just saying that because he is so dreamy.

Bratt won me over with a few of his comments, but perhaps the thing that got me most was a jab at a recent vice presidential candidate.

“As a Maverick, I can tell you what I’m not going to do next and that is hang out of a low flying helicopter and shoot at wolves,” he joked.

But then on a serious note, he added, “The truth is I am really honored for what the award is – not a lifetime achievement, but kind like a mid-life achievement…Looking back eight years, it’s no chock to see my work got better after I met my family. They define who I am.”

Each year at Cinequest, a filmmaker or actor is honored as a maverick. I’ve been to a few of the award presentations, which often include a screening of a film and a Q&A with the honoree. I’ve seen William H. Macy, Edward James Olmos, Michael Keaton and Lili Taylor.

The event with Bratt featured a screening of his latest film “La Mission,” which opens in select theaters in the Bay Area April 16. A review of the movie, will appear in the April 16 edition of the Pinnacle (http://www.pinnaclenews.com/.) It also featured a short Q&A with writer/director Peter Bratt, Benjamin’s brother, who worked on the film, as well as the presentation of Bratt’s award.

Bratt then sat down with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom and an actress/filmmaker, for a question and answer session. Bratt talked about how he got into acting, growing up in San Francisco, and more, all with an air of humor.

“I was born in the early ’60s, though I don’t look like it,” he said. “And not a lot of people looked like me on TV.”

He told a story of working with Michael Caine on the comedy “Miss Congeniality.”

They were both in Texas, near San Antonio, and the pair went shopping in a local mall. No one recognized Caine, but Bratt was surrounded by fans.

“Michael said, ‘Your like the Alamo. Every time I turn around you’re surrounded by Mexicans,’” Bratt said. “He is a wonderful, witty man.

Born in the U.S., Bratt’s mother was Peruvian and his father was German. His mother was active in native American causes, and Bratt narrated the PBS series, “We Shall Remain.” The four-part series followed Native American trials through history.It was Bratt’s father who first suggested he try out acting.

“I was a bit of a ham and he asked if I thought about trying out for a play,” Bratt said. “I said no.”

But then he realized he would have a chance to hang out with all the girls who also tried out for plays so he got involved in theater. He studied acting at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the American Conservatory Theater, in San Francisco.

“If all fialed, I’d have a degree to be a teacher,” he said.

He almost didn’t take his first break, when he was offered a tryout for an ABC pilot, “Juarez,” because he didn’t have the money to get to Los Angeles to audition.

“The casting director – I was driving super shuttles and working in a print shop – grabbed me by the lapels and said what are you studying for if not to have an opportunity.”

Bratt flew to L.A., was cast in the lead with a six-episode contract.

“We only made two episodes, but I paid off all my student loans,” he said.

Since then, Bratt has appeared in 43 movies, TV shows or miniseries, including two projects with which he worked with his brother Peter.

He said it is great to work with someone “who is so in line with you socially, spiritually, familially – is that even a word?”

Bratt added that Peter had always been the storyteller.

“There is no experience quite like working my brother,” he said, adding that it helps his performance to work with a director who is also the writer of the material, as his brother was with “La Mission.”


“I find that my brother creates roles that have weight to them, but in circumstances, sometimes like real life, you need a good laugh,” Bratt said. “He know how to tap into it.”


He added that at the end of the day, what he wants to achieve is “to make you feel something, whether it is a comedy, drama or Greek tragedy. There is a reason this craft is centuries old.”


Peter chose the Mission District for his film because it is the family’s favorite San Francisco neighborhood. The film shows footage of the homes, the murals, Aztec dancers on the street corners.


“The best thing about the Mission District, the one thing that makes it unique is it’s in a constant state of evolution,” Bratt said. “The lifeblood is very strong. There is a strong Latino presence…Yes, there is gang violence, but there is a vibrancy of culture, in the murals…”


The movie deals with some of that gang violence, as well as the Latino machismo ideal and homosexuality.


“It’s about a young man deciding to stand by who he is at the risk of losing his father and extended family, Bratt said.


Bratt is continuing to promote “La Mission,” which opens at the Camera 12, in San Jose, the AMC Mercado, in Santa Clara, and some other select theaters April 16. For more on the movie, see their facebook page by searching for “La Mission” or visit the movie’s homepage http://www.lamissionthemovie.com/.


As for his next project, he said he has a few things in the work.


“Maybe a comedy,” he said. “It’s a long process. I used to go to the new Mission Theater and see Bruce Lee movies – double billings. I gotta do a martial arts movie. I need to kick something.”

Cinequest is coming

For anyone in the Bay Area who is a big movie fan Cinequest is a must. The annual film festival runs Feb. 23 to March 7 this year and all the venues are in downtown San Jose, making it easy to hit a few movies in one day.

I've been to Cinequest quite a few times (and even wrote about it for the paper) usually taking in a shorts program and feature film. I've also attended quite a few of the Maverick Spirit Award events, where a filmmaker is honored for pretty much being super cool. The Maverick Spirit events I've attended have honored Lili Taylor, William H. Macy and Edward James Olmos. I am totally psyched about this year's honoree, Benjamin Bratt, and will be buying tickets as soon as I figure out who wants to go with me.

One of my favorite things about the film festival is that I get a chance to see some short films, which are hard to come by most of time (although I guess maybe YouTube has kind of made them more accessible.) The Cinequest staff organize the shorts into like categories so there is usually a comedy shorts viewing, among others. A couple year's ago one of the films was by Ed Helms and he played a Zombie-American fighting against discrimination. It was pretty funny and there is a hint of his turn in "The Hangover" in that performance.

One year I saw a shorts program that was entitled "Mind Benders." It was basically short films with unexpected endings. This year some of the shorts programs included "Through the Eyes of a Child" and "More Than You Bargained For."

The festival also has a variety of feature films and even has workshops for aspiring filmmakers. The worst thing about the festival is trying to decide which events to go and in the past some of the events have been a bit disorganized - it is run largely by volunteers after all and movie fans can get a bit rabid when they are fitting for front row seats to see someone like Edward James Olmos or William H. Macy.

I will probably stick to a few events this year, but I haven't looked over the program well enough to know which ones I will select. Check back in February for an update.