Actor pursues first love, music
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CNN
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Billy Bob Thornton became an overnight celebrity in 1996 when he wrote and starred in the movie "Sling Blade." He was nominated for two Oscars and won for best adapted screenplay.
But, as with most "overnight" sensations, there were years of lean times before hitting the big time -- and Thornton's goal was to make it in the music industry, not the film business.
Born and raised in Arkansas, he formed his first band at the age of 9 and spent his teen years playing music. But a funny thing happened on the way to his goal: He became one of the best character actors in the industry. In performance after performance -- "A Simple Plan," "Bandits," "The Man Who Wasn't There," "Monster's Ball" -- he disappeared into his roles.
Now Thornton -- who, in a turnabout from his low-key roles, has had a much-publicized marriage to Angelina Jolie -- is returning to his first love, music. He's on a national tour promoting his debut CD, "Private Radio."
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CNN talked to him during his sound check at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles.
CNN: You were a musician long before you were anything else. Tell me about your musical background.
THORNTON: I was in my first band when I was in elementary school. Then I became an actor at the early part of the '80s and did a few TV shows. I had to sort of follow the way my life was going. I love acting, I love singing, I love writing songs. ... It's all one thing to me.
CNN: You can't prioritize them and say which one is your favorite?
THORNTON: No, it's all creating and it's all storytelling.
CNN: On the CD, it's almost like you're going into a character.
THORNTON: Yeah, when you're doing story songs especially, you kind of go into character. Usually they are based of personal experience and more immediate to you, the songs are. More than a screenplay because screenplays force you to write about your observations.
CNN: It's important for you as a musician to not be categorized as one of these actors that are going out and having a band just off on the side.
| Thornton sings (top) and plays drums. | |
THORNTON: People will find that out when they hear my fifth record, because I'm going to continue making records whether they like it or not. I love and respect music, always have -- I used to work in the music business as a roadie. I have truly paid my dues in so many ways that I can't describe it to you.
CNN: It's only been six years since I met you. Since then you've become a very popular actor. Does it feel like a different lifetime before you did "Sling Blade"?
THORNTON: I guess I feel that way. It's been different, but I don't feel that different inside. I still have my insecurities and problems just like anybody does. I'm not that much of a star in my own mind, I got to tell you. I haven't overcome that one yet.
CNN: How tough was it from '81 to '96? I heard that you didn't have much to go back to. You were either going to starve here or you were going to starve there, so you might as well starve here.
THORNTON: That's the way it was. A lot of people said to me, "Why didn't you turn tail and run?", but there was nothing really to go back to. When I came out to California I was shoveling asphalt for the Arkansas highway department. It's not like that was a great alternative to being a struggling actor.
CNN: How does [wife] Angelina [Jolie] like the record?
THORNTON: She loves it. She is one of my biggest supporters. When I played the song "Angelina" for her the first time she cried. She was never into music very much until we got married.
CNN: What about your kids?
THORNTON: My kids don't even see me as a movie actor or musician. They just see me as Dad. Actually my son came up to me and asked, "Dad, were you Billy Bob Thornton when you were a kid too?"
CNN: Did Angelina really change your life?
THORNTON: Yes, she did. She's been a really good friend to me. I'll never forget her for that. It's eye-opening to see that someone can be that good to you and be your friend that much. She's really pulled me up out of the gutter.
CNN: How do you and Angelina feel about the "wacko" image that seems to be perpetuated in the press about you?
THORNTON: We don't like it anymore. Especially since these days she's a mother. She deserves some respect there. I wish they would quit writing about the electric chair in the dungeon that we don't have and start focusing on something else.
CNN: Is fame what you thought it would be?
THORNTON: Some of it is. [But] it's not really fame. I think it's more being successful at what you want to do and reaching the people you want to reach and that's great. There are some creepy parts of it -- people in your business, and that kind of thing. As long as I can keep working and doing the things that I love I'm happy.
CNN: It kind of came to you late in life too. Are you glad it came to you now as opposed to when you were 20?
THORNTON: Yeah, I'm real glad it happened now. I wouldn't have been able to handle it. I couldn't handle anything when I was 20.
