In the latest installment of Off the Cuff, Peter Travers sits down with J.K. Simmons to talk about the actors spellbinding film festival-favorite Whiplash. In the film, which screened at the New York Film Festival before opening nationwide in early October, Simmons plays a no-nonsense drum teacher named Terence Fletcher who wreaks havoc on a talented pupil played by Miles Teller. As Simmons tells Travers over tea at New Yorks Shun Lee West restaurant, the role was cathartic for him. I wish we shot longer than 19 days, I wouldve got more of that bullshit out, Simmons says.
Whiplash shows both the physical and mental abuse Fletcher unleasheson his music-conservatory student as both characters strive for perfection and genius. [Teller] was reluctant to be slapped really hard dozen of times, and I couldnt understand why he wouldnt enjoy that, that level of acting and commitment, Simmons jokes. As the actor tells Travers, Whiplash did cause a rift between him and his daughter, since she like every teenage girl in America has a crush on the up-and-coming Teller, thanks to roles in The Spectacular Now and Divergent.
Travers has praised Simmons performance in the film as Oscar-worthy, but our resident film critic cant coax the actor to give us sneak peek at his possible Academy Award acceptance speech. In this Off the Cuff, Simmons also shares about why hes billed as J.K.: When he joined the Screen Actors Guild, there was already a member named Jonathan Simmons, so the actor was forced to appear using his initials, Jonathan Kimble.