I think at first, Sean Bean just didn't understand the word “spoiler.”
That's funny to me since Bean has become a spoiler. When he showed up in “Fellowship Of The Ring,” I believe that was the moment he officially became “The Guy Who Shows Up To Die Early.” And if that wasn't the moment he became an institution, then it was definitely when he starred as Ned Stark in season one of “Game Of Thrones.” That may be the very pinnacle of Guys Who Die Early. It was the part he was born to die to play.
When we spoke about “Jupiter Ascending,” I started by asking him about how it feels to be a human spoiler, and what directors are smart enough to cast him against that expectation. What I enjoyed about the chat is that Bean seems to be a very warm-humored and easy-going guy in life. And why not? He's got pretty much the perfect life these days. He works constantly. He's able to work in all kinds of things, and he seems to have become more and more bankable the older he's gotten.
This is one of those interviews that was over the moment we began talking, and it's a shame. I think he was just starting to warm up, and I get the feeling Bean's the kind of guy who is at his best once you've been able to chat for a few hours, once he's relaxed and gotten some sense of who you are.
It'd be great to go through all of his deaths with him some time, and to talk to him about the way his craft has changed over the years. The guy from “Patriot Games” is not the guy I sat down to talk to, and that evolution is part of what makes him so interesting now.
“Jupiter Ascending” is in theaters tomorrow.