LOS ANGELES ? ?I just got back from the Philippines, where I worked for the fifth time with my good friend, John Sayles,? Chris Cooper announced before a group of journalists in a New York hotel. Chris hasn?t shaved the beard he grew for the American colonel he plays in John?s historical war drama, ?Amigo.?

While the press con was for Chris? movie with Robert Pattinson, ?Remember Me,? the reporters were curious about ?Amigo,? John?s adaptation of ?Some Time in the Sun,? his unpublished fiction novel set in the Philippine-American War.

?John has written a piece about the American occupation in the Philippines at the turn of the century,? explained the Academy and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor winner for ?Adaptation.? ?John always slips some history in his films. We?ve got a bunch of young, new actors and a large cast of good Philippine actors. They were still working on the film when I left.?

Credits

The 57-year-old actor, whose credits include the 2000 Oscar Best Picture winner, ?American Beauty,? ?The Bourne? movies, ?A Time to Kill? and ?Syriana,? said, ?My role is Colonel Hardacre, who was a slash-and-burn officer. That?s what he was good at. He had little empathy for the Philippines. In a nutshell, he said: ?I?ll do my job and let the bleeding hearts take care of the rest after I?m gone.?? The character is reportedly based on an actual Colonel named ?Hellroarin?? Jacob Smith.

Of his experience filming in Bohol, the actor, who first collaborated with John in ?Matewan? in 1987 remarked, ?It was great! It was such a beautiful place. I love Bohol. The people are so friendly. But, I was also very sad, because I saw all the poverty and how hard life is for them.?

The Filipino actors in the cast include Joel Torre, Raul Morit, Bembol Roco, Pen Medina, Ronnie Lazaro, Rio Locsin, John Arcilla, Spanky Manikan, Irma Adlawan, Ermie Concepcion, Joe Gruta, Miguel Faustman and Raul Manikan.

Plot device

The talk shifted from the lush wilds of Bohol to the urban jungles of New York. In ?Remember Me,? a romantic drama set in the Big Apple, Chris plays the father of Emilie de Ravin (?Lost?), a girl Robert falls for. Robert?s dad is portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. 9/11 is used as a plot device ? Chris was quoted as saying that he agreed to do the movie once the filmmakers assured him that the 9/11 aspect of the film would be treated properly.

Chris witnessed how rabid Robert?s fans are. He narrated, ?In exterior scenes such as Central Park and the New York University campus, instant messaging got the word around quickly. At NYU, about 500 people showed up. The police put up a barrier of some 90 feet so they could shoot the scene. People didn?t seem to care. They broke the barrier until people were within 30 feet of the scene between Emilie and Robert. The paparazzi wouldn?t stop taking pictures.?

Of the ?Twilight? star, Chris said, ?Robert is dealing with something at his age that I?m quite clear I couldn?t have handled. He?s relatively new to the business. He?s learning the ropes, and he?s handling some of the more difficult issues other than acting ?and he?s handling them very well.?

With steady work coming his way and a solid reputation as an actor, Chris is happy with his career. ?What was always important for me was to stay under the radar,? he shared. ?I do primarily supporting roles. On occasion, I?ll do a lead role. I just like doing my work, and I hope people appreciate it. But, you get into this conflict of being a public person ? do you deserve the privacy? We?ve had this argument back and forth between actors and journalists and photographers.?

?I?m lucky that I get to maintain a normal life in a small town in Massachusetts,? added Chris, who has been married to Marianne Leone Cooper since 1983. ?People are surprised about where I live. It?s very healthy. It?s three and a half hours by train from New York. My dream has come true in every way. I?m able to do some good film work with people I respect. And, I?m able to maintain the privacy that many people aren?t able to have.?

The character actor tag suits him fine. ?It doesn?t matter to me at all,? he stressed. ?I?m very picky about what I do. In ?The Town,? I play Ben Affleck?s father who?s doing five life sentences in a prison. It?s a wonderful script based on Chuck Hogan?s novel, ?Prince of Thieves.? I do one scene where Ben comes to visit me at Walpole Prison. The size of a role is of no concern. Even if it?s a great one-scene role, I?d be very happy to play it.?

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