During an interview on 'Live with Kelly and Ryan', the 'London Has Fallen' actor talks about how he properly got into the character of a grieving private investigator for April Mullen's thriller film.

• Dec 7, 2020

AceShowbiz - Actor Aaron Eckhart relished the chance to get "unhinged" for his new film - just like the guy he plays.

The "London Has Fallen" star plays a private investigator in "Wander", who starts to go a little crazy when he's assigned to a case he becomes convinced is connected to his own daughter's death.

And Aaron "really enjoyed" being given the opportunity to get properly into character - thanks to a "gift" from the movie's director.

"He's a grieving father that lost his daughter and the story that he was given (about her death) never felt right," he tells America's "Live with Kelly and Ryan" talk show. "So he goes on and investigates it and he opens this large conspiracy. Everyone thinks he's mad... He's isolated himself on his ranch out in the desert in New Mexico and the director, April (Mullen), did a great thing for me our first day at work."

"We got the whole crew in a big circle and we had a Native American chief and son come out and give us a prayer and sing us a song and we danced. And then April gave a speech and, unbeknownst to me, she looked at me and said, 'Nobody talks to him'."

"I didn't know (she was going to say that) and I thought it was the greatest gift she ever gave me, because it gave me the time and space to become unhinged (for the role) and I really enjoyed that experience."

Aaron also had a great time working with co-star Tommy Lee Jones, who plays his "one good buddy", and he knew "Wander" was going to be a success when the veteran actor perfected his own character's look.

"He had a choice between two pairs (of glasses) and I said, 'Look Tommy, you've got to wear those, those are beautiful'," he recalls.

"When Tommy put on those yellow glasses, that's when I knew everything was going to be OK."