What i've learnt: WOODY HARRELSON

04 March 2012 - 02:15 By Marianne Gray
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The wild actor on hanging out with the LAPD, having an intense relationship with nature, and the dangers of sugar

HAPPY HIPPY: Woody Harrelson has been entertaining moviegoers since his debut in the TV sitcom, 'Cheers' Pictures: GALLO/GETTY IMAGES
HAPPY HIPPY: Woody Harrelson has been entertaining moviegoers since his debut in the TV sitcom, 'Cheers' Pictures: GALLO/GETTY IMAGES
WILD MEN: Harrelson opposite Jessie Eisenberg in 'Zombieland'
WILD MEN: Harrelson opposite Jessie Eisenberg in 'Zombieland'
HAPPY HIPPY: Woody Harrelson has been entertaining moviegoers since his debut in the TV sitcom, 'Cheers' Pictures: GALLO/GETTY IMAGES
HAPPY HIPPY: Woody Harrelson has been entertaining moviegoers since his debut in the TV sitcom, 'Cheers' Pictures: GALLO/GETTY IMAGES
WILD MEN: Harrelson opposite Jessie Eisenberg in 'Zombieland'
WILD MEN: Harrelson opposite Jessie Eisenberg in 'Zombieland'

IT'S been 25 years or so since Woody (Woodrow) Harrelson charmed everybody as the naïve bartender in the television show, Cheers. Since then he has carved out a diverse career in film roles that are rarely safe or predictable, from playing a porn king in The People v Larry Flint, for which he was Oscar nominated, to a gigolo, a zombie executioner and an army man in The Messenger, for which he was also nominated for an Oscar.

A rugged man with a Texan drawl, Harrelson, 50, came from a troubled background. He was diagnosed as dyslexic and psychologically disturbed. At age seven, he learnt from the radio that his absent father had been jailed for a contract killing of a judge - that became "the crime of the century". Harrelson has been arrested three times on "authority issue" charges.

Originally intending to study theology to become a church minister, he instead found his outlet on the stage at school.

In Rampart, a new film of James Elroy's novel, Harrelson plays a corrupt police officer who prowls the 1999 Los Angeles hinterland.

I cannot remotely see myself as a cop. I'm a happy hippy from Hawaii and this was the best part I've ever been offered. The script had teeth. I was sure that this would be a challenge. I can't look at any of my characters as a villain. I have to see the humanity in the character, otherwise I can't play him.

The greatest part of this job is to explore other professions. I marched against the LAPD in the 1970s, but I hooked up with some cool, interesting LAPD policemen researching this role.

I'm happier not being all showbiz. When I want to celebrate, I just do a happy dance. Every bone in my body goes in a different direction at the same time. It's not like I have any methodology. But that's the beauty of it.

It is important to savour memories. My favourite moment of 2009 was going to see the film, Zombieland, which I was in, for the first time at this huge theatre, and the response was amazing. It was like being at a rock concert.

You can get tired of making movies, because it is hard work. I like to get away to where it's primitive. I love the rainforest, the great outdoors. I often feel I could just go and live on a hill somewhere in Central America.

In my 20s, I thought I couldn't be happier than if I was rich - and having lots of sex with a lot of women. Violence was almost an aphrodisiac for me. I would smile when I was about to go into a fight. I had thought that once I was rich, I wouldn't have any problems. Now I know it has nothing to do with money.

Acting cleared me out emotionally. It cleared the emotional blockages. You connect to something higher and you begin to experience things in a deeper way.

Sugar is the most pervasive drug in the world, followed by caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs. That's why I am a vegan and a raw-foodist. I don't want to live a typical American lifestyle while destroying the environment.

The environment is my passion. I've lived in a tent in Africa to work on my karma, an ashram in the Himalayas, done a "sweat" in Peru, laid on a pile of hot rocks in India and sat on mountain tops in search of a vision. I don't like being inside too long. When I was in the seventh grade, I did a report about the environment and the loss of species. It was supposed to be only a few pages, but ended up being nearly 50. I've always had an intense relationship with nature, something which I think all of us have somewhere inside.

- ©Marianne Gray

Rampart is on circuit.

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