Vantage Point features an all-star cast, with each actor getting to be the star of the show for his or her segment. Dennis Quaid says that his character's challenges and problems helped to underscore the film's central tension -- that is, that events are determined by one's point of view. "Barnes is a guy who took a bullet for the president and this is his first day back on the job," he explains. "He has a lot of trepidations about being back and it's made him jumpy and quick to react-too quick, as it turns out, because sometimes his gut instinct is wrong. But ultimately, you're not paranoid if it turns out that you're right."
"Dennis Quaid has always been the all-American hero, ever since The Right Stuff and The Big Easy," says Travis. "That's what I've always loved about him -- he's quintessentially American, an old-fashioned movie star, a proper man's man. He's tough, yet vulnerable. That's what this part needed, a man who was torn inside. Everybody treats him as a hero, but the last thing he wants to be is a hero -- he's just doing his job. Dennis brought a real sensitivity to that part. And he has the kick-ass car chase, as well."
Matthew Fox plays Quaid's partner, Secret Service Agent Kent Taylor. As Agent Barnes' longtime confidant, Taylor is in a unique position. "Dennis and Matthew's story is really about brothers, in a way. These two men look out for each other. Taylor is sticking up for his mentor, who is having a tough time coming back after being shot. Everything changes when the president is shot -- that relationship is put under the microscope."
As a result, Travis sought an actor who could hold his own next to Quaid. "Like Dennis, he's the all-American hero," Travis says. "There's a wonderful authenticity to Matthew that I really like -- he has a wonderful energy about him and the ability to surprise you.
Fox was excited by the project's structure. "When the movie rewinds and you go back and watch what my character was doing, your whole perspective changes: `Oh my God! He was actually doing something different!'
"It's exciting for an actor," Fox continues. "Any time you get a chance to play with different aspects of your performance, playing up emotions or mannerisms, to give a scene different meanings -- it's incredibly gratifying. In this film, that's built in -- it's part of the story."
Fox was also glad for the chance to work especially closely with Dennis Quaid. "Dennis's character is more than just a mentor to mine -- he's like a brother," says Fox. "It's an intense bond that they have. Dennis is a great actor, and to be able to explore the relationship between these two guys with him was a real thrill."
Forest Whitaker, who plays an ordinary man named Howard Lewis, joined the cast early on after a meeting with Travis. "Omagh was so powerful, so strong, so honest," he says. "Working with him was one of the main reasons I wanted to join this film. He's got a good soul."
"Unlike the other characters, Howard Lewis is an ordinary man," says Travis. "Most of us will never be the president, or a Secret Service agent, or even a news producer. He's the everyman -- never been to Spain, never been that close to the president, excited to film it and take the pictures home to his kids -- and suddenly finds himself the little man at the center of this huge story. He's the guy who never got picked for the football team who desperately wants to be the hero and this is his chance."
Whitaker enjoyed his chance to be in an action movie. "Howard does a lot of running," he laughs. "During filming, not only would I run, but I'd run for blocks and blocks. We'd just keep going. It seemed like for two months, all I did was run. Everyone was making a lot of jokes about it."
William Hurt prepared for the role of playing the president of the United States by interviewing a man who knew about the job firsthand: President Clinton. "I know his time is valuable and didn't want to waste his time, so I was very direct," Hurt says. "President Clinton was extremely refreshing and honest. I asked him what it is like to have the knowledge that you represent something that a lot of people want dead. He said that if you weren't ready for that before you tried to get the job, then you shouldn't even take the next step.
"I also asked him about accepting the scope of responsibility that comes with the job," Hurt continues. "He said, `Well, it's easier if you live over the store.' And that's the case -- the president goes downstairs when he goes to work."
Keeping in mind the president's advice, Hurt relished the opportunity to change his performance when he is portraying the president as others see him, as opposed to the part of the film that depicts the president's point of view. "When others see him, it's interesting to see him walk through a mixed crowd of people, some of whom like him, some of whom dislike him, all sandwiched side-by-side," he says.
Travis admired the commitment that Hurt made to his character and portraying the role. "The way Vantage Point is structured, each actor is the star of the film for fifteen minutes," he says. "William Hurt showed up in Mexico, and for his first six weeks, he walked into a plaza, raised his arms, got shot, and fell backwards. That was it, over and over again, for six weeks. And he never complained once, because he knew that when we got to his story, he would be the star."
Travis was also impressed by the way Hurt plays the leader of the free world. "I'm not an American, but he's the kind of president that I would want to vote for," he says. "Not because of his politics -- I don't know what his politics are and I don't particularly care -- but he's a decent man, he's a smart man, he's a moral man, he wants to do things for the right reason. That's what I love about him -- our story pits that man with a huge moral dilemma. This is the defining moment of his presidency and his career and his future totally rest on this one decision. William portrayed that beautifully."
Travis was not alone in that regard. "Towards the end of filming, we were shooting a sequence with him and the crew -- who were all Mexican citizens -- were so overwhelmed by the emotion of the scene. One of them came up to me and said, `I never thought I would care about the American president that much.' William Hurt makes you care about him. It's not about politics, he's just a guy you care about."
For Sigourney Weaver, playing TV news producer Rex Brooks was a chance to play a character whose primary interest is transporting the audience into the news. "She is definitely a news junkie," says the Academy Award® nominee. "Rex is a driven and inspired news visionary. When she finds herself at the epicenter of this attack, she's like a kid in a candy store. She's getting the shots and painting the canvas; she's quite controlling about what goes over the airwaves."
To prepare for her role, Weaver spent time in a newsroom at a major network. While there, she witnessed the reporting of the story of the arrest of the British terror suspects who were accused of plotting to bring down airplanes with liquid explosives. "It was a big `breaking news' day and I got to see people in a crunch," says Weaver. "They were so focused, gobbling up every detail, making sure that what they sent out was appropriate and also truthful. For instance, they were very careful not to mention the elements that could be used to make a bomb."
Vantage Point is also distinguished by performances from several acclaimed international stars. Pete Travis says each brings something unique to the roles: "Eduardo Noriega is a huge star in Spain and I'm sure he'll become a star in America, because he's got great charisma. He's a man driven by passion and jealousy at the beginning of the film -- he thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him -- and he discovers that life can be even worse than that. Ayelet Zurer -- when I saw her in Munich, I found her to be wonderfully charismatic. I wanted somebody who could be a bit of everything -- she needed to be bad, but also vulnerable. Saïd Taghmaoui is a huge star in France. When I saw him in La Haine, which is his breakout movie, he has a ferocious intensity to him. Edgar Ramirez looks great with a gun -- he's a trained killer who wants to give up his job, but is forced by circumstances to do one more thing. You're never really sure with Edgar if he's good or bad, and that's really exciting for an actor.
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