2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Interview (Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain first gained notoriety for his role as a young intern in the popular 60s television series Dr. Kildare. He parlayed this success into several successful major roles in the 70s and early 80s including The Towering Inferno, The Three Musketeers, The Last Wave, and King Solomon's Mines. In the 80s he became known as "King of the Miniseries" with his performances in Shogun, The Count of Monte Cristo and (most notably) The Thornbirds. Chamberlain's latest film We are the Hartmans debuted at the Atlanta Film Festival Saturday Night, and I had the chance to catch up with him on the red carpet.

In We are the Hartmans, Chamberlain plays the hippie owner of a local night spot that is one of the last small businesses in a town that has become overrun by big chain stores. When he is hospitalized, his family comes to town and plan to sell the place, but the regulars band together to try and stop this sale, as Hartmans has become a symbol of the last place in town where they feel welcome.

Chamberlain mentioned that he was attracted to the role because he usually doesn't get to "play scruffy". The clean cut actor welcomed the change of pace and loved the idea of getting to play a "Willie Nelson-type" character. It was certainly quite a contrast to see the actor in person and see such a major transformation on screen.

I asked the actor about how the film seems to have relevance to greed and the current political climate. He was very excited about the idea of a film that stood up for the little guy, because in this world of big business corporate dominance, "it is so hard to be small". He mentioned how even in the film industry it is difficult to get people excited about working on small projects, because the first consideration is usually determining the profitability of the idea.

"On smaller films, people are more enthusiastic," Chamberlain said. He contrasted this with bigger budget films, where things are often chaotic and more about getting the job done. He mentioned that it's exciting to be on projects where people care more about the material. He also appears in the indie film The Perfect Family, which recently debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

However, Chamberlain isn't limiting his options. "Big, medium, small," Chamberlain said in response to what type of films he looks for these days. The 77 year old actor (who hasn't lost his matinee idol looks) still has an infectious enthusiasm for his craft and looks to be continuing his career for a long, long time. Maybe we'll even see him again in Atlanta in the coming years.