Eric O’Neill - Breach
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The relationship between yourself and Hanssen sounds very complicated; tell us a bit about it? Many things he did annoyed you, apparently?
It was a difficult relationship and he was a tough boss. A lot of it had to do with Hanssen’s need to determine whether the FBI had offered him his dream job, finally recognizing his ability and usefulness after snubbing him for some time – or whether the FBI had coaxed him back to Headquarters months before he would retire in order to trap him in the act of espionage. Hanssen had a single point of attack to determine whether he was compromised – the other guy in the room with him. So he did many things to keep me off balance – always reacting to him, rather than acting to pursue my investigation. In particular he was a big fan of invading personal space – aggressively so.
How did you help Chris Cooper bring Hanssen to screen life?
Chris and I worked together for a number of days before film was ever loaded into the camera. I showed him how Hanssen walked, talked, scowled and looked down on everyone. I also gave Chris certain quirks of Hanssen that helped him develop the character uniquely, including Hanssen’s propensity to jiggle keys, talk lowly and click that pen. Chris’s ability to portray Hanssen in a way that made him seem as though he was staring right through you – peeling away all you secrets – was pure Chris Cooper and spot on Hanssen.
How do you handle the tension of a situation like the one you were in?
I had to be a very good actor. Essentially I had to place myself in the role of a tired, overworked subordinate to a demanding boss, and believe it. I could never let Hanssen see that my “real” job was investigating him. Stress and me are old friends. I have this ability to adapt to stress and make it work for me. The crash afterwards is fairly brutal, but in the moment I’m able to adapt and use the stress to my advantage.
Was there ever a moment when you thought you'd blown it?
The palm pilot scene. It want down almost exactly as portrayed in the movie, and Ryan’s acting is so subtly perfect that I break out into a sweat every time I watch that scene.
What does your wife think of her screen version?
Both Juliana and I love Caroline Dhavernas. Juliana was very happy with her portrayal, although we both wish we could have seen more of the Juliana/Eric moments. I think that if there was more time, we could have seen Juliana’s character more fleshed out. Juliana is a very dynamic (and beautiful) person, and Caroline is lovely enough and talented enough to portray her in a way that makes me smile.
What was it like watching Ryan Phillipe play you? Apparently his take on you is uncanny.
That’s what my friends and family all tell me. Ryan and I had a great deal of time to spend together, and he is an excellent observer of character. Ryan probably would have made a good ghost, he remembered a number of things that make me essentially me and used them to his advantage when portraying me. I’ve had quite a few laughs watching him walk on screen with my name. Its very humbling and still a little strange to hear Ryan called Eric.
Were you ever offended or taken aback by anything Ryan did in imitation of you?
Not at all. In fact, we’ve become friends through this process.
Why did Hansen do it?
He started as a new agent in Manhattan, which is a very expensive place. He was the sort of guy who has this humungous ego and believed that in society he had to move up. And he was working toward that. He married someone very beautiful, very wealthy, and in a special church. They're having kids really fast and he just couldn't make ends met. A normal person who needs to make ends meets looks for help somewhere, another job, something above board.
I think he decided that he was going to find a way to make it work and that was spying. He sold out. He volunteered himself. A couple of other things to go into this analysis. The FBI always kind of made him feel like a geek and he was. He was the computer guy in a society that up until recently was very resistant to computerization. It was still kind of gumshoe, hit the streets, knock on doors, rattle people, down to earth investigative work. And he was always pushing for computerization and being up on technology. He was right but no one was listening to him so he didn't feel a sense of belonging. That made it easier for him to sell out. Once he sold out, the Russians really made him feel like he belonged, like he was the greatest thing in the world to them. He was their superstar. And he was. He gave away everything. There's a line in the movie and it's right - everything we in the FBI were doing, he was undoing.
He felt sexy, he felt important and that was his rush. In the office, this was what he was thinking about, what made him happy. Other people think about going and playing some golf or about whatever the hell is on TV. This guy thought about when his next dead drop was going to be and it made him feel alive. It was like heroin - he got to the point where he just didn't want to stop spying.
Do you think this movie will strengthen the public's trust in such organisations as the secret services?
I hope so. I see the movie as a triumph of investigative responsiveness. Once the FBI learned that Hanssen might be a mole, they moved rapidly to investigate and arrest him.
Given that you were planted to gain the trust of Hanssen, how do you feel about such organisations now?
I’m a huge fan of the FBI. I still miss working there at least a few times a week.
You saw this story happen with your own eyes, so how does it feel watching the film relate the story?
Surreal.
Given that you were employed as a spy, can we believe anything you say?
Don’t believe any of it - I’m kidding. I’m actually a terrible liar in real life. I’m a very excellent liar when its my job to do so.
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