Laid-back Woody Harrelson takes on ‘heavy’ role in ‘Rampart’

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Based on a James Ellroy story, “Rampart” stars Woody Harrelson as a cop in a corruption scandal. “This character,” the actor says, “is taken over by one emotion that I’m not particularly fond of, which is paranoia.”

Updated: March 13, 2012 8:09AM

At 50, Woody Harrelson is struggling with the numbers game.

“When I was younger, I felt like someone pushing the big rock up a hill,” one of the most laid-back guys in Hollywood says of the milestone he hit last summer. “Now, I’m just trying to hold onto the rock, so I don’t careen down the other side.

“I wake up in the morning and think, ‘Dude, don’t careen today!’”

One of Harrelson’s most interesting birthday presents hit him hard. “Someone gave me for my 50th every single thing I’ve ever done on film or tape including ‘Cheers,’ ” he marvels during a phone interview from Los Angeles. “This present included my episodes of ‘Will & Grace’ and every single movie. It was a big shopping bag of stuff.”

He showed the pile to daughter Makani, 5, and asked which film she’d like to see. “Of course, she pointed to ‘Kingpin,’ ” he said, referring to the bawdy 1996 bowling comedy. “I haven’t seen ‘Kingpin’ since it came out, and I watched it with her thinking, ‘That one turned out great. It’s a hell of a movie. Damn!”

He’s trying to make a few more great moves. In “Rampart” (opening Friday) he’s playing David Douglas Brown, an extremely dirty cop, in a story written by James Ellroy.

Brown gave up the rules many years ago and engages in his own brand of street justice. His family life isn’t much better. He has kids with two sisters, which leads to complications.

He’s also in the middle of a corruption scandal that rocks his existence.

It’s a lot of turmoil for any actor. So what is Mr. Easygoing doing playing such a hardcore cop?

“Frankly, I don’t know,” Harrelson says in his trademark slightly nasal voice. “It was just a phenomenal script and, with James Ellroy involved, I knew it would be a phenomenal part even if it did scare me just a little bit.”

“You can’t just say he’s bad. He’s an interesting guy.”

It was tough being in this guy’s skin for several months. “It definitely did take me over,” Harrelson says. “This character is taken over by one emotion that I’m not particularly fond of, which is paranoia. So that was kind of a heavy thing for me.

“In real life, I was getting into this weird state,” he says. “Some of my friends were like, ‘Woody, dude, I can’t wait for you to be done with this movie.’

“I just wasn’t my old self.”

Harrelson logged time with real L.A. police to get the street feeling in his gut. “Spending times with the cops helped me get into the mindset of being a cop,” he says. “It wasn’t a fun journey hanging seeing the bad stuff going on out there, but an intense one. I’m glad I went on it, but I was also glad to be over with it.”

Comparing good cops to “the guys who get into it for power and to be tough” reminded him of a tumultuous time in Chicago history.

“I’ve really started to appreciate that thing that happened in Chicago in 1968 now at the Democratic National Convention,” he says. “All of those people being beaten. Then I read this incredible article in Rolling Stone from the perspective of the cops many years later.

“It was just fascinating. I felt more empathy than I can imagine because, like my character in this film, nothing is black and white.”

One thing is black and white: Harrelson says he preferred the love scenes in the film to the violence. “Oh, it’s always easier doing love scenes. Honestly, I can’t tell you those are hard scenes because they’re not. I will say with Robin Wright Penn, who I’ve known forever, it was weird. We had to take a few shots of tequila first. It was bizarre.”

Harrelson, a native of Midland, Texas, has a busy 2012 including “The Hunger Games,” where he plays Haymitch Abernathy. He also will star in the “Seven Psychopaths” with Abbie Cornish and Colin Farrell.

His favorite role is as dad to his three daughters (Deni, 17, Zoe, 15, Makani, 5) whom he dubs “the goddess trilogy.”

“I’ve got my own style of parenting. It’s a laissez-faire style,” he says. “I basically just treat my kids with respect and love. I say, ‘Do your own thing. Don’t let anyone treat you badly.’

“But what do I know?” he says. “I’m heading to New Orleans now to make a movie, and the person raising the kids now is their mom [his wife Laura Louie]. That’s the No. 1 reason the kids have grown up so great. She’s doing the work. I come in and do a little frosting on the cake.”

He keeps in shape by “doing yoga and I play soccer. I’ll join a game of basketball. You can’t sit it out over 50. You have to keep moving. I’m the guy who will toss that Frisbee around on the beach. I will go surfing.

“I know you have to stay active or you’re on a slippery slope.”

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