Though mainly known for his action roles in films like Avatar and Clash of the Titans, Sam Worthington has been branching out into different genres with films like Last Night and Texas Killing Fields.
His next film, Man on a Ledge, follows this trend. A thriller set in Manhattan, Man on a Ledge features Worthington as a man threatening to jump off a building, but of course there is more to it. Worthington recognizes that the movie allowed him to do something a bit different from the typical action role, and he hopes that audiences appreciate the film for what it tries to accomplish.
Worthington admits that even though the film is full of action, it offered him some opportunities to act. He explains, “It’s got something that is different to other action movies…I get to stay still and act for a bit, not just go around yelling.”
Another aspect of the film that piqued Worthington’s interest was the aura of mystery around exactly why his character is on the ledge. He says, “It’s an interesting idea for a film. People would ask me, ‘What’s going on up there?’ And I think that’s exactly what they should be feeling. They shouldn’t know what’s going on up there, and formulate their own ideas about what’s going on with this man. So, that’s exactly what the crowd is, another character.”
True to the film’s title, much of Worthington’s role consists of his character standing on the ledge of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. When asked if there was anything he did to prepare for the role, Worthington says that it was impossible, pointing out, “I don’t think you can. I think you just have to get out the window and do it. If you get out of a window at a hotel they’re going to tell you to get back in… it’s like falling in love. Until you do it yourself, it’s too hard to imagine.”
Ultimately, Worthington hopes that audiences get the same enjoyment out of the film that he gets out of movies he sees. He says, “You hope to give the audience a great movie. That’s how I simply look at movies, is that people pay to go and see them, and they want to be transported into whatever time frame or environment, and feel that they’re there and feel that what’s at stake is compelling enough to sit in that seat and stay tuned.”
Man on a Ledge will be released in theaters on January 27.
