The 'Hateful Eight' actor explains he was attracted to the script for new movie 'Punch' because one of the characters goes through similar struggles as his own father.
- Mar 13, 2023
AceShowbiz - Tim Roth was touched by the script for "Punch". The 61-year-old actor took on the part of Stan in the drama film that centres on a teenage boxer who is training under the watchful eye of his demanding and alcoholic father and admitted he was moved by the script - which was written by director Welby Ings - because his own dad suffered from substance abuse issues.
"My father was an alcoholic, and he had incredible PTSD from the Second World War, from fighting in that war when he was a child, when he was 17 through for five years. His journey into adulthood was under incredible stress. He saw things that he could never talk to us about. He self-medicated. Which was something I saw in my character," he told Under the Radar magazine.
The script also dealt with homophobia incredibly well. He said, "That was something Welby knew of personally. Something I recognized from growing up as well. My gay friends, the ones who felt they could speak to me, suffered greatly. The ones who were more open suffered physically. It was a very difficult time."
"My father would tell me, 'Remember who was in the death camps alongside the Jews. Homosexuals. The Romani community. And anyone that was 'the other.' Always remember that. And that there's a chance it could come back.' And that's still rampant. So I felt the script was very moving. "
The "Pulp Fiction" star went on to add that his character "buries his feelings" but enjoyed that the "simple" drama film actually has a "complicated" undertone.
He added, "My character buries his feelings, and has a complex relationship with his son. But he sees a way for his son to get out of the world they're in and do something. Then, what's central to the film, the buried sexuality of this boy, and how that emerges."
"There's also a crossover into New Zealand's Maori community. You have so many layers going on. As simple as it is - and I like that it's simple - it is very, very complicated. So this script one of the ones you do for love, as opposed to keep the roof on. Immediately it was that."
