Exclusive Interview: Aaron Eckhart Delves into ‘Chief of Station,’ Immersing Himself in Character, and More

Award-winning actor Aaron Eckhart needs no introduction. With an impressive repertoire boasting over fifty roles, this masterful storyteller is renowned for his remarkable capacity to inhabit diverse characters. He has notably captivated audiences with his nuanced and pioneering performances in acclaimed works such as Thank You for Smoking, The Dark Knight, Rabbit Hole, and In the Company of Men. Presently, he commands the screen in the adrenaline-fueled thriller, Chief of Station.

Former CIA European Station Chief Ben’s world comes crumbling down after his wife, a former operative, dies in a terrible accident. After receiving cryptic intel that his wife’s death might not have been an accident, Ben heads back into the shadowy underworld of Eastern Europe, teaming up with a former adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew about his wife, and the agency he worked at for more than twenty years.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron about Chief of Station, how he immersed himself in the character, working with co-star Alex Pettyfer, and more.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that the goal of acting is to make it personal. What was it about Ben and his journey throughout the film that resonated with you and allowed you to connect with his story?
Aaron: Well, I have never been to Budapest where we shot. But when I got there, it felt like those classic Cold War spy espionage movies. When I was thirteen, my family actually moved to London, England where I did high school from ’81 to ’85. I was there at the height of the Cold War. That was when they were moving missiles to England. There were protests, and it was a very dark time. That resonated with me because it was very personal to me. To do a film where all that is explored was fascinating for me.

In ’83, I went to Russia on vacation with my friends. We were followed by the KGB. Being a part of this film, I felt like I was in that era again of my childhood with the fear, expectations, and forces working against each other, especially as the movie opens and everything that happens in the Square. I felt like I was living in this fantasy being the spy chief.

Then there was also the physical aspect of the role that I love and the themes of losing somebody you love, having to recover from that while remaining professional, and learning how to process all of that with yourself and through your son.

Also, dealing with people who betray you. What’s more Shakespearean than betrayal? It’s the idea of giving somebody your trust, opening up to them, giving them responsibility, and having them betray you. There’s nothing worse that I can think of.

PC: You brought so much depth and nuance to Ben’s grief, which is really introspective, and you see that through these really quiet and subtle moments. As an actor, how do you create the space for yourself to tackle that emotion and vulnerability?
Aaron: You have to create it. You have to push all other things aside. It’s different for each actor. That emotion is more available to some and less available to others. But I found in my process that you have to remove yourself from the day-to-day logistics and live it in that day.

I remember Philip Seymour Hoffman said one time, “If I don’t say hi to you when I’m walking to set, it’s because my character’s wife just died.” You have to go to that place. That starts well beyond getting to set. It starts in the preparation.

For example, in the scene where Alex [Pettyfer] is interrogating me, on the day, I don’t think I said two words to anybody. I didn’t get out of the chair except for lunch. You have to immerse yourself in it. Then at the end of the day, you have to throw it off yourself.

PC: Like you were saying, there’s a lot of physicality in the role, and director Jesse V. Johnson has so much experience in action and stunts. How did the trust that the two of you built allow you to push those sequences further and tap into your character?
Aaron: It’s always good to know that your director is physical because he knows what you’re going through. He knows what to say to the stunt team and how far to push it, what to do, and how much to ask from your actors. There were things that I wasn’t supposed to do, but I got to do them. I always push for more. I’m always like, “Give me more. Let me do this. Let me do that.” Jesse is able to say yes.

Building that trust was key in those fight scenes. Those are one of the scariest things to do as an actor because you don’t know the qualifications and experience of everyone you’re working with in throwing and taking punches. So it can get dangerous, especially when you’re doing smaller films, and you don’t have the time. It can take weeks to choreograph each fight sequence. We were making these fights up that day. But Alex is a fighter. He knows how to fight. He knows how to throw and take a punch. He’s into it. I could look at him and go, “I can trust this guy, and he can trust me.” So we didn’t have any mistakes, and therefore, we could push it every time.

It was the same on the boat with Daniel, our stunt coordinator. He’s a wonderful guy. I knew that he wasn’t going to kill me. [laughs] They listen to me. There are some actors where you choreograph a scene, and everyone says that they have it, then we start to film, and the actor goes ballistic. Then everything goes wrong. Luckily, Jesse put together a team of people who knew what they were doing.

PC: Without giving any spoilers, there are so many different shades to the relationships that Ben has with each of the characters, particularly John. What was it like collaborating with Alex and exploring that dynamic that changes from where it starts to where it finishes?
Aaron: First, Alex is a great actor. I enjoyed working with him very much, both personally and professionally. In the film, my character is a mentor to him. He’s my protege in this dangerous world where everything is a lie. Being able to open up and trust somebody in that game either is the worst mistake you’ll ever make or the most rewarding.

Looking at my own life, being able to trust is difficult. You look at the betrayals in your life and in others, and it’s really hard to recover from that. The shell grows harder, especially as you get older. That never goes away. This is possibly one of those cases, and it was fantastic to explore that with Alex.

Chief of Station is in select theaters now.