The room is so small that a dozen chairs and a big table barely fit. The windows are grimy; the air conditioning doesn’t work and the adjacent bathroom looks like it belongs in a prison. The smell of sweat lingers as 12 about-to-be-angry men file in to decide the fate of a 13th.
Just off the set on a soundstage at Raleigh Studios, director William Friedkin watches on his monitor as Jack Lemmon begins dissecting part of the evidence. A witness reportedly heard the defendant scream at the victim, “I’m going to kill you.”
Twisting in his chair, Lemmon looks around the jury room and asks, “How many times have we used that phrase?” The other men look skeptical and George C. Scott begins to bluster.
It’s one of the scenes from Showtime’s new production of “12 Angry Men,” which airs at 8 p.m. Sunday. Playing the part Henry Fonda created in the original 1957 film, Lemmon is challenging the preconceptions of the 11 other jurors who start out absolutely convinced that the defendant is guilty. Yet, one by one, they yield to his quiet logic. Co-starring with Lemmon and Scott are Hume Cronyn, Tony Danza, Ossie Davis, Armin Mueller Stahl, Mykelti Williamson, Courtney B. Vance, Edward James Olmos, Dorian Harewood, William Petersen and James Gandolfini.
“I hope `12 Angry Men’ will make the public more aware of the phrase `beyond a reasonable doubt,’ ” Lemmon says when he comes out of the airless jury room. Speaking of the barely glimpsed defendant in the film, he says, “I have no idea if that boy is innocent, but I’m not sure he’s guilty `beyond a reasonable doubt.’ “
Friedkin chose Lemmon, a two-time Oscar winner, to lead the cast. “You need someone in that role who is an unspoken icon,” he says. “Jack sets the moral tone of the movie.”
Friedkin, who won an Oscar for “The French Connection,” initially wanted this version of “12 Angry Men” to be performed live. Then he toyed with adding women to the jury but decided, “It’s a testosterone piece. Men lose it in ways women wouldn’t. We’d have had to change almost everything if women were in there.” However, he did alter the ethnic composition, “adding black actors in four roles without changing a line.”
Now, in the middle of a tight two-week schedule, the set is a mixture of excitement and exhaustion. During a rare break, Scott and Vance resume their chess match. Williamson, who played Bubba in “Forrest Gump” and plays the bigot here, studies his lines. In the background, Frank Sinatra sings over the sound system.
” `12 Angry Men’ is an American classic, like `Death of a Salesman,’ `A Streetcar Named Desire’ and `Marty,”‘ Friedkin continues. “It’s worthy of reinterpretation. Every generation should have its version.”
Even though the actors are being paid minimally and are working at least 12 hours a day, they consider themselves lucky to be part of such an illustrious ensemble. “It’s a strong piece and a wonderful company,” says Scott (who won an Oscar for “Patton”). “There are some heavyweights in there, but I’ve got a pretty good part.
“My character is wounded because of the situation he had with his own son. He couldn’t get that out of his mind. I’m trying to moderate my performance and save the ranting and raving for the end. Otherwise, it will be one-note.”
In “12 Angry Men,” Danza’s character is almost as hot-headed as Scott’s but for a different reason. “He’s a coward, a big-mouth,” Danza says. “He forms opinions quickly. He says things like, `The boy deserves to die. Look at the time.’ He’s got two baseball tickets burning a hole in his pocket.”
While some characters shout, others are the soul of patience. `We all expose ourselves through our dialogue,” Edward James Olmos (Oscar nomination for “Stand and Deliver”) says. “My character speaks very little, but he’s very conscientious and proud to have the responsibility of being on a jury. He considers it the backbone of democracy to be notified by mail to come and judge guilt or innocence.”
Mueller Stahl (Oscar nomination for “Shine”) found the work “a challenge for all of us. I was a little bit nervous when I arrived but not intimidated–I made 100 films in Europe. It’s a little like boxing, but the wonderful thing is to work with good actors. I play a man who believes in logic. He believes that without emotion it’s better.”
The oldest juror, Cronyn (Oscar nomination for “The Seventh Cross”), 85, was also the most prepared, learning the entire script before filming started. “The man I play has considerable courage,” he says. “Jack Lemmon is the only person who stands out against the 11 other jurors. The one I play has not made his mind up, but he’s the first to change his vote. He insists on fair play.”
Vance (“The Preacher’s Wife”) welcomed the chance to step in at the last minute. “We do 10, 12, 15 pages a day,” he says in the same quiet voice he uses to soothe the jurors. “It’s a great opportunity to watch and learn. The story has a timeless quality. Sometimes it’s wonderful, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes it’s awful, always it’s interesting.”
“There’s a lot of emotional power in that room,” adds Petersen (“To Live and Die in L.A.”). “Sometimes it slips out of the movie and becomes personal. Sometimes you can see in their eyes they want to respond. My character just cringes. He’s got no willpower. He’s an adman. He’s afraid of being wrong, and he’s afraid of being right. He follows the majority pretty much.”
