Verne Troyer (right) with the late Heath Ledger (left) in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Short attention spanning
By John Esther
As one of the shortest men in the world, Verne Troyer has had a lot of attention thrust upon him throughout his life. While a lot of this attention has been unwanted, sometimes annoying, the stunt double-turned-actor has used his height to his advantage, forging a sturdy career in film and television.
Born and raised in Centreville, Michigan, after his high school graduation in 1987, Troyer moved to Frisco, Texas, where he got his first break as a stunt double for a nine-month-old in the 1994 film, Baby's Day Out. Picking up more stunt work, then acting, along the way in both TV and film, the two-foot, eight-inch Troyer got his big break with the role of Mini-Me in Jay Roach and Mike Myers' movies Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
Among the many roles before and after Mini-Me, the lifelong bachelor had a brief appearance in Terry Gilliam's excellent 1998 film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Apparently this encounter with Troyer made an impression on the former member of Monty Python (the only American member) because Gilliam wrote the role of Percy in his latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, just for Troyer.
A fantastic world where imaginations are allowed to run wild through the magical mind of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), the cynically inclined Percy and his mates move from town to town enticing people to break free of their prisons via the Imaginarium. But there will be cost for all involved.
Like many of Gilliam's previous films, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, hit a big obstacle during the making of the film. On January 22, 2008, the film's protagonist, Heath Ledger, accidentally died of from a lethal combination of prescription drugs at the age of 28. Undeterred and motivated by Ledger's untimely death, filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus continued when Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell agreed to perform in scenes never filmed with Ledger.
When we spoke to Troyer in November, it was obvious the experience of making The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was very bittersweet experience, with much being left unsaid.
JEsther Entertainment: Why did you want to be in this film?
Verne Troyer: Because Terry wanted me in it [Laughs]. That's all it took.
JE: What do you think you have in common with your character?
VT: Terry actually wrote it with me in mind. That's an honor by itself. He knew a lot about me. A lot of me went into this character -- from the sarcasm to me being sadistic. If you really get to know me I'm a bit like that.
JE: What were some of the things you discovered about yourself doing the role or having someone like Terry write a role for you?
VT: I discovered that -- as nervous and challenging as I thought it was going to be -- it was actually fun. I really enjoyed more than I thought I would so it's something I want to pursue a little more of.
JE: You mention how fun it was making the film, but obviously there was a great tragedy during production. How did the passing of Heath alter the atmosphere of the project?
VT: It altered the whole gamma of shooting. The strong group of people we had were dedicated; we just came together as a family to finish the film. We wanted to finish this film, not only for ourselves, but also for Heath. We all just helped each other in a very difficult moment. We all knew what we wanted to do.
JE: What is it like working with Terry Gilliam as opposed to different film directors?
VT: I enjoy Terry. It's not like I don't enjoy other directors. I love working with [Austin Powers' director] Jay Roach, too. But Terry is crazy cool. He knows what he wants. He knows what he's going for. You see these weird angles where he's putting the camera and you say, "What's he trying to get with that?" Then you go look at the screen and it's like "Wow, how's he getting all
this light? It's all coming together and it's really amazing."
JE: In the film there is the psychological aspect of people going into his or her imaginarium. What do you think your imaginarium would look like?
VT: I imagine I'm Hugh Hefner [Laughs].
JE: Mini-me became a cultural icon. How did that change your perception of acting?
VT: It changed my life dramatically. It came from me doing stunt work and people not knowing who I was to being known all around the world. People know my name. That surprises me. It's a big thing. Sometimes I don't like to think about it, but I have to [Laughs]. I'm very honored to be given this opportunity.
JE: For many reasons you have drawn attention throughout your life.
VT: Yes. When I was younger I always got attention because of my height. People would just stare. Now they notice me as an actor, and not necessarily because of my height. The whole process of how my life has changed, I'm enjoying it as long as I can because I don't know when it's going to end. Unfortunately, these days everyone has a camera phone or something like that. The paparazzi right now is ridiculous. You just got to be careful what you do in public.
JE: What is the one question you are tired of being asked?
VT: I'm tired of being asked, "How was it working with Heath?" Everyone asks it in every interview.
JE: Phew!
VT: Yeah, you didn't. That's good. [Laughs.]
JE: Lastly, what do you think about these interviews where you talk about your work and yourself? Does it serve the work? Should the work speak for itself?
VT: They both compliment each other. It's good to stay in touch with people who actually go out and watch your films. Actors and entertainment writers need each other in order for us both to continue working.
