How does approaching a character like John Dillinger differ from a character like Jack Sparrow?
JD: There’s a sense of responsibility to their legacy. With John Dillinger, there’s an enormous amount of information on the guy, but there’s a great gap with regards to who he was. There’s footage of him, and endless photographs, but there’s no audio. It’s just an attitude that you get, so that was the dig. How do I find this man? How do I find the way he speaks? What made it for me was when I made the connection that John Dillinger was born in Indiana, and raised in Mooresville, Indiana, about two hours from where I was born and raised. It was at that point that I thought, now I know him, I know what he sounds like. He was my grandfather who drove a bus in the day and ran moonshine at night. He was my stepfather who did time at Statesville Penitentiary. Of all the characters you’ve played, which is closest to the person you actually are – and which one is the furthest away? JD: The furthest away might be Willy Wonka. Let’s hope that’s the furthest! The closest to me will be really re
