Excl. Interview with Val Lauren, Protagonist of James Franco’s ‘SAL’

DesdeHollywood.com had the pleasure of interviewing Val Lauren, the protagonist of the two newest films directed by James Franco, “Sal” (in selected theaters and digital platforms) and “Interior. Leather Bar”. In this interview he shares his thoughts about Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause), collaborating with Franco and much more.

What was the most attractive thing about portraying this real life person?

What made Sal Mineo interesting to play that he’s an interesting individual both as a human being and as an artist. He was such a multifaceted and dynamic man who lead such an interesting life that there was so much there to learn about him, be inspired by and so much to look up to. That’s what made him really interesting to play so I had to find the best in myself to really pay tribute to who Sal was.

Did you and James Franco talked about Sal Mineo when you guys worked together in the James Dean biopic years ago?

James and I always had an interest in James Dean of course. I learned about Sal Mineo through a James Dean movie and we had conversations: “Wouldn’t it be cool to do a play where you play James Dean and I play Sal Mineo?” We kind of toyed with that for a while. Years ago we thought about doing something in theater and when this book came out by Michael Greg, this great biography about Sal, James read it, he auctioned the book and decided to tell Sal’s story and that’s how it came about.

Homosexuality is more accepted now than forty years ago. Do you think that movies about these artists help us move forward?

Yes, I think as a society we’ve made leaps and bounds and a lot of progression from that narrow-minded thinking about homosexuality and all these kind of labels. I think we’ve grown a lot since then. Just like anything else, I think there’s always pockets of people who are slow to adjust even though something can make so much sense and so many people can become awakened. I think we’re coming closer to an understanding that it’s about human beings and the choices we make. Sal Mineo was outcast because his sexuality was public knowledge and Sal wasn’t afraid to hide it. And nowadays there’s a lot more acceptance of people who live alternative lifestyles and they’re not getting punished the way they would get punished back then and I’m happy to see that.

People have this perception about James Franco, that he’s laid back and very relaxed. How is he when he is directing?

James is the most focus, hard working person that I have ever known and I’m willing to bet that I will ever know. He does have a relaxed aura about that’s his personality; he’s not an uptight frenzy person, but that relaxation comes from a place of focus and understanding of all the things that he’s doing and even though it may seem like he’s laid back, I guess he is, his work ethic and focus are unmatched in my eyes, absolutely unmatched. He’s got a razor sharp focus and a killer unstoppable work ethic.

How do you compare making this movie with “Interior. Leather Bar”, your other collaboration with Franco?

They were very different as mediums. “Interior. Leather Bar” as a film is a very different kind of a movie where you don’t know when you’re in reality or if you’re in reality or what’s fiction and what’s not and the very style of how that story is told it’s very different. But collaboratively speaking, as far as the relationship between James and I, between artist and director, is very much the same. It comes from an open, focused and genuine place. We both try to do the very best we can, whatever it is we’re working on. Hopefully that will never change.

How do you define success with a project like this? Is it the fact that it is out there, that you made the film you wanted to make? Awards?

“Did we accomplish what we set out to do in telling the story? Did we say, do and show the things that we wanted to show and did we express the point of view that we had?” If that’s a “Yes”, that’s a success in my eyes. Now for me, art in its final stage where art really lives is when it’s shared with the public. My hope is that when people watch this film and they’re able to get a close and intimate understanding of this great man Sal Mineo and this great spirit that he had, if people can relate to that and find themselves in him, to me that’s true success. Anything else is business. And, would it be great to win awards and for people all over the world to see the movie? That would be amazing. That would just mean the art is being shared with more people.

“James Franco’s Sal chronicles the final day in the life of actor Sal Mineo (Val Lauren), 1950s teen idol and an Academy Award® nominee for his roles in Rebel Without a Cause and Exodus. Almost two decades later, Mineo is no longer the marquee sensation he had once been — but he has become open about his homosexuality and is finding his way to becoming the actor and director he has always wanted to be. Featuring a magnetic performance by Lauren, Franco’s intimate portrait finds the human details in a larger-than-life Hollywood story.”