"The American dream ... we're going to steal it!"
British actor Eddie Izzard arrives for the Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California USA 07 January 2008. The Broadcast Film Critics' Association created the Critics' Choice Awards to recognize excellence in cinematic achievement. EPA/PAUL BUCK
"The Riches" is a noir-dramedy on FX network which has built steady ratings while enjoying heaps of critical praise.
Actors Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver inhabit the roles of Wayne/Doug and Dahlia/Cherien in a twist on dysfunctional family life, created by Dmitry Lipkin, a Russian immigrant who came to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when he was 10 years old.
Drawing on his outsider's perspective as the creator of "The Riches," Lipkin has fashioned an international cast brought together to play the wily Travellers: Homegrown outsiders, (not to be confused with Romany gypsies), who live among us.
British comic/actor Eddie Izzard is the patriarch of the Malloy/Riches, Wayne. Izzard and Lipkin’s creative paths crossed at a fateful meeting at Maverick production offices in Beverly Hills.
“This is a bit of a funny story, I was meeting at Maverick, not at all with their television department, yet at about 45 minutes into the meeting, Michael (Rosenberg) says ‘we’ve got this idea, a story about Travellers and he went on to describe the premise, so I said, ’oh that sounds good, yes, let’s do it.’
We wound up pitching it together at three studios, HBO, Showtime and FX, and ultimately chose FX. I just helped developed the pilot; the writing was left to Dmitry.”
Did Izzard write any future episodes for season two?
“No, I am concentrating on just nailing Wayne, and leave the writing to the writers.”
Izzard's pairing with co-star Minnie Driver, Dahlia Malloy, was a coup for the production. Driver shines as his feral wife who is grifter royalty, as she fights drug addiction demons dulling the sting of two years lost inside a prison.
Eddie explained how they came to work together.
“Thanks to (FX) John Landgraf, he was the one who suggested Minnie. We were worried at first, you know two British people to play these lead characters on American TV, but essentially ‘The Riches’ IS about outsiders trying to be insiders.
Even Arden who plays my youngest son Sam is from Ireland, and Noel who plays my oldest son Cael is Canadian. So really in the end it is all about acting, and I guess it doesn’t matter where any of us are from.”
The series centers on Wayne and Dahlia Malloy (Izzard and Driver) and their three kids. They're a family of American Irish Travellers, similar to their Irish Piker cousins, who live in caravans (RV’s) outside the societal grid.
Getting by on grifting regular folks (buffers), the Malloy family works in tandem. They live by their pathological wits until a fateful accident ends the real Riches lives, affording the Malloys to opportunistically step into new, well-to-do identities.
A multi-faceted talent, Izzard plays his character with an effortless malleability. No crazy, improbable or insurmountable situation can keep him from succeeding in his efforts to wrench Dahlia (Driver) and his kids from the long, incestuous embrace of the Traveller clans.
Izzard shared what he thought his common ground was with his character, Wayne.
“The relentless bastard trait, just so unmotivated yet when the dream falls into his lap he goes for it, I mean that - I am like that. I’m a transvestite with a career for god’s sake. I won’t ever give up.”
Each episode feels like a death-defying scare, as the past and present sandwich daily threats poised to expose their enormous sham. The Malloys' past never dies, and the Riches’ future is a constant worry of unforeseen encounters. The series follows the Malloy/Rich family as they settle in and adjust to a top-tier lifestyle in suburbia.
“Relentless bastard” Wayne's seventh grade education and natural intelligence serve him well. A born prose-slinger, he “sells” himself as a lawyer, and lands a great career with a simpatico corporate reptilian mogul, Hugh Panetta (Gregg Henry). Panetta is deliciously vile as a self-made man with the depth of a wading pool and a player’s eye for Dahlia. He smells a kindred spirit in Wayne.
It is the elusive American Dream that propels the Riches into layer after layer of dangerous skating on thin ice. Now, the kale (cash) comes easier, but personal satisfaction and happiness in their lives - not so much.
Yemen born and raised in Northern Ireland - then Wales and England - world citizen Izzard is an outspoken supporter of a complete European Union “melting pot” and refers to himself as a British-European. I asked him what core idea represented the “American dream” for him.
“Lots of Americans come from Europe. There are no borders really, we’re just humans out there, the human dream is what is inspirational, a human dream for a level playing field, and democracy and the freedom to practice the dream anywhere.
You know, if you ask Asians, 'do you want a house, and a car and nice education for your family?' They will want this too, and this a world dream. That’s what all humans want, to practice (or not) their religion, make money, self-determination and to see what you can do in your life.”
The character of Sam, the youngest son, played by Aidan Mitchell, was written as a transvestite before Izzard was on board to develop the series with Lipkin. Over the course of the season however, subtle elements of Eddie’s personality have seeped into the child who prefers barrettes to Baseball.
“The French language thing was accidental, yet Sam’s art and visual storytelling had nothing to do with me. Essentially the transvestite bits I helped fine-tune, telling the writers what was correct, and being a straight transvestite, you know, I fancy girls, and Sam is also like that. And telling the writers what I would have done if I had the chance to when I was growing up, ‘this is what I would have wanted to wear.’
As we were shooting the season, they had him early on in flat shoes, which was all wrong. I told the writers to get him in some heels, there’s no point really to having him in flats, get him in some kitten heels…when little girls go play dress-up in their mother’s closet they aren’t slipping on her flats, they’re wearing her heels.
It was just trying to get this over to the writers that he’s a straight transvestite boy so it seemed right.”
Izzard has wrapped voice-over work for the upcoming animated feature, “Igor,” as well as completing several films. I was curious to know which part of his career was the most satisfying for him.
“Doing film, drama is really good. I suppose though I have the most fun doing comedy, and Improv. Just laughing so much with the people you are working with.
On a pride level, I would still have to say being in a good drama. It’s a surreal thing straddling these two worlds, doing stand-up and ‘The Riches’, but I like to keep laughing. In comedy you can say anything; I just bloody love it.”
Language and accents come naturally to the gifted Izzard, who can do his stand-up in French and does a decent turn in German. He can nail just about any English-language speaking accent in the world.
For the "Riches", he puts on a generically American accent that at times has some Southern tinge. I wanted to know which U.S. accent was most difficult for him.
“I think the hardest is probably North Dakota, that Fargo accent, and then there's Massachusetts, that whole Kennedy sound, that’s a curious one.
But if you go anywhere and just tune in and tap into the local accent, like when I was living in Northern Ireland {speaks in Irish accent } and it was just a lovely thing, spoke it with my family and lived there till I was about seven or eight. Then you go to on to Yorkshire, and {speaks in Yorkshire accent } that you know is a great accent to listen to, you can pick it up fast.
The most pleasing American accent to me? That Walter Cronkite-ish base-toned accent, something with real resonance.”
Izzard works constantly, and I wanted to know where his favorite place in the world was for an escape.
“Up the Alps, in the mountains, snow stuff, just love it. It reminds me of Narnia, you the snow in Narnia represented evil - the White Witch used it to keep it always dead with no Christmas, but I just love the Fir trees and the cold. Going skiing, snowboarding and drinking hot mulled wine. The mountain is a big equalizer, and it really recharges me just being there.”
Fans of Izzard know his website here lists his thingie-things. I wanted to know what his latest favorite thingie was.
“The iPhone, I love it, you know its 85% love and then 15% annoys me a bit, but it’s great, you can watch television on a plane. Yeah, that is my latest thingie.”
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"The Riches" (Fox Home Entertainment) premiered on the FX cable network last March, with the second season premiering March 10, 2008. The first season of “The Riches” is now out on DVD.
20th Century Fox's DVD set delivers all 13 episodes on four discs. The image is sharp, as is the Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 audio. Extras are the pilot and finale episodes' commentaries with creator Dmitry Lipkin and Eddie Izzard (both of whom are also executive producers). Also included are Fox Movie Channel featurettes on the casting session and the world premiere, a gag reel, and seven Webisodes.
USA
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