Based on a wild, infuriating true story, The Devil Has a Name comes from director/star Edward James Olmos (Selena), and the auteur blends all kinds of tones, vibes, and incredible actors to tell the muckraking tale of a farmer (David Strathairn, Good Night and Good Luck) who makes a bad deal with a manipulative oil executive (Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns) and finds his almond farm's water supply getting poisoned. With the help of enterprising environmental lawyer Martin Sheen, (The West Wing), can a sense of justice be found? Or does the devil have his hands too entwined in our capitalistic world?

david-strathairn-the-devil-has-a-name-02-scaled
Image via Momentum Pictures

I was lucky enough to speak with Strathairn in a one-on-one Zoom interview as part of the film's press junket. We talked about the research needed to play real-life almond farmer Fred Stern, the spontaneous silliness that erupted during a wrestling match with his director/co-star Olmos, the wildness of shooting a golf club attack in one shot (in a bathrobe), and much more. Oh, also, I made him rank the beards of The Devil Has a Name because I am a weird person, and I was pleasantly surprised at the selflessness of his answer.

Check out our full interview with Strathairn on The Devil Has a Name below. The film comes to theaters, on demand and digital on October 16th. For more on Strathairn, here's our review of Nomadland.

-

the-devil-has-a-name-poster