A young D.B. Sweeney circled a juicy role in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” based on the best-seller by Larry McMurtry.
Sweeney later demurred, opting for a somewhat smaller part. Why? Playing “Dish” Boggett meant sharing scenes with Robert Duvall. And that, he figured, would be priceless.
‘There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways.’
Good call.
Lessons from a master
“He was my hero,” Sweeney tells Align of the legendary actor, who passed away at 95 last month. “I learned more from film acting from him than anybody else.”
Sweeney marveled at Duvall’s meticulous approach to his craft, like hiring a real-life tracker at his own expense so that he could better capture that skill set for a single scene. Duvall also called in a “quick-draw specialist” to hone his skills with a firearm.
“He wasn’t just being thorough or method-y,” Sweeney says. “It was all very specific to what his character is going to do in the movie.”
And, Sweeney adds, Duvall had fun along the way. Always.
Those lessons hit home for the rising star, who landed key roles early in his career with films like “Gardens of Stone” (1987), “Eight Men Out” (1988), and “The Cutting Edge” (1992).
Troubling subject
He’s been working ever since, including a part in 2024’s “Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s return to filmmaking after a 13-year pause.
Now, he’s co-starring in “Protector,” an action yarn hitting theaters today in which a military veteran (Milla Jovovich) is forced to use her skills to save her daughter from human traffickers. Sweeney describes his role as like the corrupt cop Brian Dennehy played in 1982’s “First Blood.”
He says the new film has some of that Sylvester Stallone hit in its creative DNA, along with the 2008 smash “Taken.” The troubling subject matter hit home for Sweeney, from the unending Epstein files saga to his own experience around major cultural events.
“It’s a huge problem,” he says of sex trafficking.
“Protector” casts Jovovich as a heroine who uses her military background for good. It’s a far cry from how Hollywood depicted soldiers during the 2000s, a time when many films showed the darkest side of the U.S. military.
Think “Redacted” (2007), “Lions for Lambs” (2007), and “Green Zone” (2010).
Nailing the details
More recent films like “Thank You for Your Service” (2017) and “American Sniper” (2014) showed a more balanced side to the modern soldier. Sweeney credits part of that shift to studios leaning on military veterans as advisers. That not only helps nail the smaller details but influences storytelling in general.
That has impacted him, too.
He worked on the CBS series “Jericho,” a postapocalyptic thriller that relied on military veterans for military accuracy. Sweeney bonded with the veterans advising the show along the way.
At 64, Sweeney is still working in an industry that’s convulsing under the weight of new technologies and streaming wars. AI fears aren’t make-believe, he warns.
“I’m worried about actors being replaced with digital avatars. That’s a real thing,” he says. It helps that “Protector” relied on old-school stunt work over CGI trickery. He says that’s what could help his fellow artists: a reliance on authenticity over digital ones and zeroes.
“It’s one thing AI can’t master,” he says.
Mega moviemaking
His time on the set of “Megalopolis” reminded him how hard it can be to shoot a film, above and beyond the standard-issue struggles like budget constraints and evasive sunlight. The film endured brutal headlines tied to sexual harassment allegations against the 80-something Coppola.
Sweeney, who first worked with the legendary director on “Gardens of Stone,” has the auteur’s back.
“I was there almost every day. He’s a hugger,” he says of Coppola. “He doesn’t have a pervy bone in his body.”
Those salacious reports, plus talk of the film’s massive budget ($120 million), hurt the film’s box office tally.
“The movie got put into a box before anyone has seen it,” he says.
RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DB Sweeney on surviving Hollywood and moving to ‘Megalopolis’
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Staying in the light
Some actors who came of age alongside Sweeney saw Hollywood’s seedy side. Think Charlie Sheen, his co-star in “Eight Men Out.” Sheen is currently on a comeback of sorts after years of hard living and outlandish behavior.
Sweeney didn’t follow that path, but he saw it all the same.
“I was invited to all the biggest parties, a dark underbelly with drugs and sex. … I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew this is not for me,” he says. “I gravitated toward using my celebrity for sports tickets. That’s a much more wholesome world to me.”
Others weren’t so fortunate, and he understands why.
“There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways. You’ll do anything to get that fame,” he says. “People talk about selling their soul to Satan for fame. It’s figuratively true.”
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