When it came time to prepare for his role in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Ryan Phillippe looked to the headlines for inspiration, specifically Joran Van der Sloot, the man arrested twice in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
Access Hollywood caught up with the actor at the junket for his latest film, co-starring Matthew McConaughey, where he plays a man accused of attempted murder and rape.
“This guy’s evil. It’s definitely the darkest character I’ve ever played,” Ryan said of his role as Louis Roulet, a Beverly Hills playboy being defended by Matthew’s title character.
“He’s a guy who has a sense of entitlement and the sense directly that he can get away with anything including murder, and there’s a definite psychosis there to this guy,” the 36-year-old actor explained.
The actor told Access that Van der Sloot, a Dutch national also accused of first-degree murder and robbery in the case of Stephany Flores, helped him prepare for the dark role.
“I [spent] some time researching cases that I thought were somewhat similar. There was something to me about the Joran Van der Sloot case, the Natalee Holloway case,” Ryan said. “The way that guy… what was behind his eyes, the arrogance, the belief that he could get away with his crime. Those things sort of related to Roulet.”
“The Lincoln Lawyer” hits theaters on March 18.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.