Interview with Billy Bob Thornton
by Wade Dillon
Conducted on Tuesday, August 14th….
I almost couldn’t believe my brother, Joshua, when he told me over a month ago that Billy Bob Thornton was to perform at Freebird Live, which was located five minutes from where I live. I jumped at the announcement and knew immediately that not only did I want to get tickets for the show, but that I wanted to interview him as well.
Me and my father, Allen, bought tickets for the show weeks ahead of the scheduled performance, which was on Tuesday, August 14th. I was ecstatic! I couldn’t wait for the chance to see David Crockett in person! But, I knew I would. What I questioned was whether I’d land the interview or not. So, I began to make contacts.
I emailed a kind woman named Amélie, who runs a portion of Billy Bob Thornton’s official website. She kindly sent my interview request to the Academy Award winner’s assistant and publicist and I waited, remembering that patience is a virtue. I received no word from either of them for a few weeks, but Amélie continued to forward my request to them. When finally, Thornton’s publicist emailed me the day before the concert saying that “your request to interview Billy Bob Thornton could not be accomodated”. I was immediately upset, but understood that Billy Bob was a very busy guy. Still, being stubborn, I knew there had to be a way.
On Tuesday, August 14th, I arrived at Freebird Live around 5:30 p.m; the performance wouldn’t begin until a little bit after 8:00. I stood around with my Superman notebook in hand and my Alamo Sentry hat fitting firmly on my head. Billy Bob was already in the building; his tour bus having arrived shortly before I did. I walked around, searching for any signs of the actor, as did two other fanboys. We patrolled the building for quite a while, bumping into other fans and beach bums as we went along. Finally, Billy Bob was spotted through a hole in a fence towards the back of the Freebird Live building. One of the fans I was with held up his poster over the fence to be clearly seen by the actor and the folks he was talking to. Billy Bob turned, smiled, and said “Oh, well, hello”. While he walked towards us, I could see him through the entrance of the fence. I became too excited for words, something in my chest jumped, and I allowed the two other guys to go ahead of me to get his autograph. I collected myself, choosing my words carefully, and then it came my turn and I handed my Alamo Sentry hat over the fence to Billy Bob.
My mouth opened and I sputtered, “I really enjoyed your role as Davy Crockett in The Alamo”.
He replied, with a huge grin,”Yes, I had alot of fun with that role.”
I could see that he noticed the embroidery on my hat and I began to mention how I interviewed John Lee Hancock, Michael Corenblith, Cástulo Guerra, Daniel Orlandi, and Kevin Page for my website; naming those from the cast and crew that he’d recognize. His eyes grew wide and a grin muscled onto his face.
“Oh ya, Kevin, we called him Woodsie the Owl“.
I laughed while being handed back my hat and asked him for a short interview with me after the show. Billy Bob knodded and gave me the name of his assistant, Kristen, and told me several times to remember her name. And as he walked back towards the group of people he had been talking to, I immediately realized that he had just agreed to the interview. I felt like a five year old in Toys R Us. I nearly jumped, yelled. I even wrote down his assistant’s name in my notebook so that I wouldn’t forget! Now, I had to find this Kristen and set up the interview. And it wasn’t easy.
My father joined me soon after and we waited towards the front of the line to get in, which grew by the minute. I had my digital camera with me, hoping that with the video camera feature, that I could film my interview with Billy Bob Thornton. But as we were checked for our tickets at the door and patted down by security, they firmly told everyone that cameras were not allowed inside. And so, in order for me to get towards the very front of the stage, my father took the camera back to the car and in doing so, he had to go to the very back of the line. But I claimed the spot at the front of stage and to my relief, alot of the audience clammered up the steps to the second story to watch. And security was performing slowly. So, I took this opportunity to rush around and ask several folks for Kristen. A few said that they’d inform her and I anxiously waited at the front of the stage.
The place was getting packed when my father finally joined me and an attractive, blonde haired woman in a red dress approached. I turned and spotted her and she motioned me towards her with her index finger. And I obeyed.
“Hello, I’m Kristen. You wanted to interview Mr.Thornton, correct,” she asked.
“Yes, yes, for my website, Alamo Sentry. I just wanted to ask him a few questions about his portrayal of David Crockett in the Alamo film.” My dad stood over my shoulder, listening to the conversation, ready to speak on my behalf at any moment. I showed her my hat, which Billy Bob had signed earlier in the day.
“Okay,” she said and handed me a backstage pass for after the show. “Now, you’ll have five minutes with him. Five minutes.”
I happily agreed and waited with my dad at the front of the stage for the show to begin.
When Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters, walked on stage, the audience applauded, hooted, and whistled as the actor/singer casually stepped across towards his mike in a clean, white suit with matching cowboy boots. He held a lit cigarette in one hand and sipped at a Bud Light in the other. He had the swagger and an attitude all of his own. Billy Bob waved, said a few words to the crowd, and the show began in a glorious, country-rock uproar!
It was an exciting, entertaining performance that lasted well over two hours. Billy Bob joked about life experiences, at one point saying how “Angelina was the one wife who didn’t need the money.” And after a wardrobe change with his band towards the middle of the show, the women went crazy as Billy Bob strutted out casually. They began tossing their bras and panties on stage. He laughed and during a guitar solo, sat and slipped a pair of panties over his jeans to get the crowd going. And then, he attached the bras to his belt like trophies and began to sing again. Electricity was in the air and a good time was had by all.
Finally, when the concert ended and the audience crowded out of the exits, me and my father waited for Kristen to take us backstage. She approached us and we followed her all the way outside to where I had seen Billy Bob talking earlier beyond the fence. And there he was, leaning against a few boxes, crowded by people, and still wearing his trophies of the evening. Kristen spoke in his ear and motioned me and my father forward. Billy Bob took a step forward and shook both of our hands. To quote Stephen Harrigan from Gates of the Alamo, his handshake was charged and lingering. Immediately, the three of us began talking ALAMO.
“We went by the diaries, the accounts,” Billy Bob said about the 2004 film as he folded his hands.
“Yes, the De la Pena diary,” I interrupted.
“Exactly,” he replied with a smile. “We wanted to do something that was different from the previous films.”
We continued talking with him; my father speaking about our involvement in the Alamo Society and I with Alamo Sentry. He knodded, mentioning that he hadn’t seen my website, but wanted the link, and also said how he was the 1st and only choice by Ron Howard to play Crockett. Then, as other fans butted in for autographs as I attempted to interview him; I could see Kristen with her eyes glued on me and I began to hesitate and panic as the minutes began to go by.
“Here, let’s step over here,” Billy Bob said, stepping into the light and motioning his official photographer, Myriam, over. She snapped a few shots of us and pointed to Billy Bob that he was still sporting the ladies’ undergarments.
“Oh, dear lord, I didn’t know I was still wearin’ these,” he said with a grin and I imagined he was slightly embarrassed. “We gotta take these right, especially if the Alamo Society is going to see them.” And he took them off and tossed them away.
I smiled for another shot. My father then asked Myriam if she could watch the entrance for him as he’d like to grab the digital camera to take some photos with as well. She agreed and as the former cross country star sprinted two blocks to the car, I continued to interview Billy Bob. I did so quickly as time grew hectic and fans continued to clammer around.
“Earlier, you told me your nickname for Kevin Page was Woodsie the Owl? Why’s that,” I asked flipping through my notebook and placing my pen between my fingers.
“Because of his big ol’, bright eyes,” he laughed.
“Oh ya, I remember the scene with you two where you both look over the palisade and say good morning to one another. His eyes were big!”
We shared a laugh. Then, I turned and saw my dad coming towards me with the camera, breathing heavy, and rushing to turn it on. I continued.
“What prior knowledge did you have about the Alamo before production?”
His eyebrows curved inward; searching for the words to say.
“Everything from my school books to the movies. I even owned a coonskin cap and Davy Crockett outfit as a kid and would fight my brother over who would be Davy,”he explained and we both laughed together for a moment.”But my knowledge grew while doing the film.
My dad began to take photos as a larger crowd gathered. Kristen constantly looked at her watch; five minutes had already passed. She approached.
“Wade, two more questions,” she said and then a fan approached Billy Bob, offering him to fly with the Blue Angels. This took up several minutes and I waited and skimmed the fifteen questions that I prepared and chose the most significant.
Billy Bob turned back towards me and we continued the interview.
“What was your favorite scene from the film?”
“I’d have to say the fiddle scene, because it was so emotional and it was to the heart,” he explained.”You know, I had to learn how to play the fiddle for those scenes.”
“It was my favorite scene, too. It was alot of folk’s favorite,” I said knodding in agreement. Billy Bob smiled again and glanced at my father who was taking photos.
“During Crockett’s last stand in the church, it looks like you in the midst of fighting. Did you do your own stunts?”
“Yes, I did all of my stunts. Even that cannon blast infront of the church, I did that.”
“How about when you swung the rifle, how’d that go?”
“Oh, well, the stunt guy I was working with, when I swung that rifle, I broke the end of it and broke his collar bone!”
I cringed, smiled, and continued along.
“What is it about the story of the Alamo that you think attracts so many people to it?”
“Um, because it’s a story about so few against so many. These guys were heroes.”
Kristen motions to Billy Bob that he needs to wrap things up. He knods and turns back to me.
“I also wanted to say that I think you did a great job playing David Crockett.”
“Thank you,” he grinned.
“I enjoyed how you gave us something differently from Fess Parker, Arthur Hunnicutt, and John Wayne.” At this point, I’m rushing to get out what I need, what I want to say.
“Ya know, Arthur Hunnicutt’s from my hometown,” Billy Bob grinned and winked. And from there, there is some small talk between him and some other folks.
”I just wanted to thank you for doing such a great job of portraying David Crockett. He is my hero,” I said looking up at him.
“He’s mine too,” he stared back and grinned.
Then, Kristen got between us and security guards began moving everyone out.
Billy Bob spoke a few encouraging words to me about the Alamo and then to my father, telling him that he has a “wonderful son”. I listened and didn’t know what to say. I was shocked. Then, I simply approached him, firmly shook his hand, and thanked him again.
“It was nice meeting you,” he said as more people crowded around him.
The interview was over and me and my father left. Finally, I hollared and let the energy out. I had just met the man who played my hero, David Crockett. Billy Bob Thornton was the people person and crowd pleaser that I had imagined him to be. It couldn’t have been any better than that. And it’s something I will remember for as long as I live and I wrote it out like this so yall, for a moment, could be in my shoes. I hoped I’ve shared my experience with you as best as I could have.
CLICK HERE to see photos of the fans before the concert!
CLICK HERE to see photos from the concert! (Look for the tan hat towards the front of the stage….that’s me!)
To see better quality photos, click here!