- First, tell us about the new film.

- “I believe in love” is released on March 19th. Its plot is based on the biography of the very famous and popular Christian singer Jeremy Camp. This is partly the story of his life. About twenty years old, while studying in college, he met a wonderful girl; they fell in love with each other - so the film has an amazing love line. I don’t want to give out too much ... but, one way or another, the film is based on the real story of their relationship.

- And who is your character?

“I play Jeremy’s father, Tom Camp.” And the role of his mother, my wife, went to Shania Twain.

- Did she do it? Did she manage the role?

- Still would! We enjoyed working together. It was awesome. Shania is a charming woman.

“Does she have any acting work on her account that we might not have heard of?”

- There are a couple. I think she would like to act more often. This role was offered to her by the filmmakers. And she agreed, which I am very happy.

- What about your work? Are you growing up as an actor? You have returned to work in this area. Have you been able to fully realize yourself after such a long journey?

- In terms of career, I was lucky. There is certainly nothing to complain about. Now I’m not shooting so often, because I pay a lot of attention to the support of veterans through my charitable foundation. I had a lot of successful projects, and I liked working on television ...

- But what about acting? There are those who have been engaged in this field for at least 10-15 years, but each time they manage to make another breakthrough and reach a new level of credibility. Do you think that over the years you get deeper and deeper into the essence of your craft?

“I think confidence is growing in me.” What has not happened over the years! And if in the past I was worried about any reason, fought like a fish on ice: “I want it, I want it!”, Then by now I have seen so much that I just know that everything will turn out. And I’m not particularly worried about this.

“The glory of the philanthropist is firmly entrenched in you.” Your word certainly does not diverge from the deed. How's the fund doing? When did you start it?

“They're doing great.” Our foundation opened its doors in 2011. Actually, I founded it in 2010, but officially the fund was presented to the public only in 2011. Then our site earned, and we began to accept donations. Over the next eight and a half years, the fund grew and developed. We have many programs aimed at helping a variety of people.

We have built more than 60 specially equipped houses for injured military personnel. This is extremely important. People who have lost their arms or legs or have suffered a brain injury, in a sense, lose their independence. But by providing them with houses specially adapted to their needs, we are in a sense restoring it. It helps families a lot. And that’s great.

  • © Shot from the film "The Green Mile" (1999)

- In your youth you were also an altruist? When were you interested in this activity and you plunged into it?

- A year ago I published a book. It is called "Grateful American." In it I tell how I came to the life that I am leading now.

After all, initially I was, if not an egoist, then a person who was primarily interested in an acting career and the creation of my own theater. Now all my time is spent in charity.

I managed to earn some money and manage it correctly. In the book I talk about all this. My life has not always been like this. At first I completely focused on my career, my acting work and the like. And then the September 11 attacks. Of course, some seeds were sown before that, but after September 11th everything changed completely. There is a chapter in my book called The Turning Point. The attacks prompted me to actively engage in assistance to veterans.

- Where were you on September 11?

“A friend from New York called me.” I was sleeping in Los Angeles at that moment.

“I was sleeping too.” The wife went into the room and said: "There is something unthinkable." It was after the first plane. In general, this tragedy also opened my eyes. I am surprised when someone says: "After the September 11 attacks, Miller has changed." Of course!

- And who isn’t? This tragedy has affected many. Personally, I could not return to my previous life and began to give all my strength to attempts to do something good, to help people.

“Gary, let's have a quick Rorschach Test” - short questions with short answers to understand what's what. If you quickly throw people questions, you can find out all their ins and outs. What inspires you?

- My children, wife, grandchildren - they all inspire me.

- Your secret hobby?

- Golf, I guess.

- What handicap are you playing with?

“I don’t even count.”

“What should we all pay more attention to?”

- I devote a lot of time to supporting those who defend our freedom. And I always encourage people to look for ways to support our emergency response staff, our veterans, their families. Still, these families have gone through a lot ... Go to the website of the Gary Siniza Foundation, see what we do.

“If you came to a deserted island with only three things, what would it be?”

- My wife, children and grandchildren. Perhaps so. Ah, there is no food for anyone there! Then - a huge box of food!

- What remains on your list of what you want to do in life, but not yet done? Maybe you would like to go somewhere? Or something else ...

- I want to visit the Vatican. I came to Italy, to Rome, but we were not in the Vatican. And I really want to see him.

- What series are you watching “hard drinking” right now? It is unlikely that the "New Pope"?

- Not. I do not "watch" anything. Sorry.

“Do you even watch them?”

- I look very little. There are so many cases that you can’t watch TV shows or something else excited.

“What luxury can you do without?”

- Without sleep.

“Do you need eight hours?” Or more?

“At least seven.”

- Yes, if you do not get enough sleep - all day in vain. What historical person would you like to have lunch with?

“Well ... I would like to ask Christ a few questions.”

- Lunch with Christ is good because you order water, and in the end you get wine. He will arrange everything.

- Exactly.

  • © Shot from the movie "Forrest Gump" (1994)

“Gary, that's what I wanted to ask.” Have you starred in famous films before Forrest Gump? Or did you notice exactly after this tape?

- Maybe ... I had a few roles. I starred in the film "On Mice and People" with Malkovich in the lead role. And further…

- You had a movie about space?

- Yes, “Mission to Mars”, but this is later. And before that, I played in the movie "Night Lights" - about the Second World War. There was another film - “Jack Bear”. Well, that's all. Before Forrest Gump, I had three or four movie roles, but many in the theater.

- How difficult was it to get a role in Gump? Did you have to go for samples to Zemeckis? Or has he already seen you?

- He saw the film “About Mice and Men,” and he was released a year before the selection of actors for the role in “Forrest Gump” began. Shortly after the release of “On Mice and People,” my agent called me and said: “Do you want to try for such a role?” I got the script, it was the role of a Vietnam war veteran. I worked with veterans of that war, helping them in the eighties. My relatives participated in it. So I really wanted to play such a role.

I came to the test once. Then they did not contact me for a long time, and I decided that I did not fit.

Well, I began to try other films. Almost got a role in a film called Little Buddha and almost went to Lawrence Kazdan’s film “Wyatt Earp,” starring Kevin Costner. But in the end it did not grow together. And then Forrest Gump reappeared. If I got those roles who know ...

- Let me see. Tom Hanks had already received his first Oscar for the film Philadelphia.

- Yes.

- You immediately got along with him on the set? It’s very easy to work with him, right?

- More than easy. We knew each other before Gump. The theater I played in was staging The Bunches of Wrath, and somehow Tom came to the play. He then looked to us backstage - and so we met. This was a couple of years before the mentioned samples. Of course, I already knew who he was. At that time, the picture “Their Own League” came out, where he was simply hilarious. In general, his career was developing quite well. It was a pleasure to deal with him; We immediately worked perfectly together and enjoyed the shooting a lot. After that, they starred together in two more films.

- The effects in Forrest Gump still look great. Computer graphics are improving, but, as for me, it only gets worse: seeing huge armies on the screen, I immediately understand where the present ends and the computer begins. But the scenes where you are without legs still look incredible.

- Without legs, yes.

“Is there a secret here that no one knows?”

- Not at all. Additional materials on the disk show how we shot everything. I had blue knee-high socks playing the role of a chromakey. I moved as if I had no legs, and then they were simply erased from the frame.

See RTD for the full interview with Gary Siniz.