What attracted you to the role of Larry Gopnik in “A Serious Man”?
I would have done anything in the movie. I was just glad that they wanted to see me. But when I got a chance and actually got cast in the part, there were so many wonderful little quirky challenges about getting to play him. I think primarily trying to keep a vibrant emotional life going while sort of keeping a lid on because he doesn’t get many opportunities during the course of the story to let out what he’s going through. So, it was a wonderful challenge. And getting to work with them every day was a huge treat. So many people want to work with the Coen brothers. What about the filmmakers intrigued you? I think one of the things that makes what they do so special is how specific they are in putting their scenes and thoughts down on the page. They’re so meticulous about what they want and so specific about how they put it down, including the ellipses between words, and the “ums” and “ahs” and everything on the page, as written, and you’re asked to do what they’ve written. But they al
