The lighting is dim in the bar inside the Jefferson Hotel, and Baltimore native Thomas Jane is focused. It looks as if he just woke up and needs a shave, but the 35-year-old actor is days away from the debut of the biggest role of his life. Jane has spent the majority of his career in action films, playing a significant role in 1999's "Deep Blue Sea," while occasionally appearing in romantic comedies like 2002's "The Sweetest Thing." In "The Punisher," which opens tomorrow, Jane plays Frank Castle, whose entire family is murdered by a crime boss.
The Punisher is a familiar character to avid comic book readers and an unconventional superhero in his own right. Castle is no Peter Parker, and Jane knows it. He lights up a Marlboro Light, takes a long drag and squints into the distance. It is instantly clear by the manner in which he composes himself that Jane is a big Lee Marvin fan. He also digs comic books.
"I've read comics since I was a kid," Jane said. "I used to play hookie all of the time and hang out in the comic book store. I've always got a soft spot in my heart for those kinds of films. When ['The Punisher'] came along I was real interested because I could make a throwback film that didn't rely so heavily on special effects and was more character-driven and had something to do with real life."
After "Spider-Man" was a hit at the box office in 2002, Marvel comic book superheroes became red-hot commodities for feature film adaptations. "The Punisher" is the first to hit theaters since the disappointing "Hulk." However, there are plenty more superhero films in development in Hollywood. Are these superhero movies a passing fad, or something more? Jane mulls this over. He is picking his words very carefully, speaking softly, yet forcefully.
"They're stories that have been around ever since there's been people," Jane said. "It goes all the way back to the Greeks and the gods and this is our modern reinterpretation of the retelling of those stories. They exist within us in a primordial and instinctual level, and that's why they're so popular now, and they always will be in some form or another."
Along with comic books come the comic book fans. Notoriously as critical as they are devoted, the existing fans create a tough situation. These films have to not only please the masses, but the fans of the comic books as well. Jane knows that there are fans with preconceived notions of what a Punisher movie should be. He just doesn't care.
"Everybody has their favorite period or their favorite series of books that they'd like to see adapted to the screen," Jane said. "We took our favorite and we adapted it for the screen. That's going to make a lot of people happy and some people disappointed that their Frank Castle didn't make it to the screen, but when they do their 'Punisher' movie, they can do whatever they want."
Jane takes another drag on his cigarette and seems to ponder this for a moment.
"The response from the guys that have seen the film has been overwhelming," Jane added. "You never really know what you're gonna get from these guys because they're very particular, but for the most part it's been ... positive."
Jane was eager to do his own stunts and the shoot was physically demanding. For the film, Jane underwent Navy SEAL training, learned hand-to-hand combat, primary and secondary weapons training, edge-weapons training and one-man military incursion.
"That was definitely a challenge, to be able to get in the kind of shape that would get to allow me to do those kinds of stunts," Jane said. "The payoff is that the physicalization is the character."
Jane also studied "The Punisher" comics - mostly the "Born" series by Garth Ennis - to get into character. Jane seems encompassed by this gruff and gritty mentality as he speaks. Are we talking to Jane himself, or is he playing a role? Are we talking to the Punisher? If Jane and the character are one, then how does he get into character? There's another long pause.
"I haven't found an adequate way to describe how I get the job done," Jane said. "I just try to tell the story the best that I can ... It's what's important to me. Harrison Ford said he doesn't consider himself an actor, he considers himself a storyteller and I feel akin to that sensibility."
Virtually every studio is searching for a franchise movie. There's Columbia's "Spider-Man 2" this summer, then 20th Century Fox's "Daredevil" spin-off "Elektra" that begins shooting soon. If Lion's Gate's "The Punisher" is successful, there is a possibility for sequels, and Jane is interested.
And what if it was rated PG-13, instead of R?
"No. No, not at all," Jane said surprisingly quickly. "It's Marvel's only mature-rated comic book and it's part of the book that he's a violent, hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners, punk-rock action star. It's not a movie for kids."
This is where a character like the Punisher differs from most heroes. Frank Castle has no remorse for criminals, and he takes it upon himself to dispense punishment. Can Frank determine who deserves punishment, and are his murders justified? Jane is quick to assert that "The Punisher" doesn't take place in a fantasy world or alternate universe. "The Punisher" is dealing with real issues that most mainstream films tend to ignore.
"Everybody's the a-hole sometimes," Jane said. "Somebody out there at some point in your life is gonna think that you're the bad guy. And that's the way it is. Hollywood seems to simplify that. The truth is we're not always doing the right thing. We don't always strive to better the world or to better ourselves or to better others."
Where Jane was once methodical in his answers and choice of words, he is now talking at great lengths about morality, the loss of humanity and how "Mad Max" was an amazing film. The Punisher has more in common with Charles Bronson's vigilante in "Death Wish" than a character like Spider-Man. He is an anti-hero, and Jane understands this.
"Not only is he punishing those around him who he's killing, but he's also punishing himself by isolating himself and cutting himself off from other human relationships," Jane said. "It's interesting to see where he goes, but the struggle always has to be: Will he be able to fight his way back to a sense of humanity"
