‘Warrior’: Nick Nolte on whether a felon could win an Oscar
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In ‘Warrior,’ Nick Nolte, 70, plays a gruff recovering alcoholic trying to find absolution from his two sons, a pair of mixed martial arts fighters (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton).
‘The old man’s real problem isn’t alcohol, because alcohol is just an after-effect,’ Nolte said of his character, who was written specifically for him by ‘Warrior’ writer-director Gavin O’Connor. ‘It’s to take care of the pain that’s already been created... He didn’t love properly. ...I suppose people can change and make it work, but change takes a long time. He’s trying. He’s made the change in himself and he’s now trying to get forgiveness for what he’s done.’
Nolte has his own checkered past, including a well-publicized arrest for driving under the influence in 2002 and a felony conviction for selling counterfeit documents when he was 24.
In this video from the Times’ Envelope Screening Series, Nolte discusses how his personal history influences his work, and his reception in Hollywood.
‘They might give an Academy Award to a felon,’ Nolte said. ‘They might not. You never know.’
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-- Rebecca Keegan
