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‘Eagle Eye’ overview of Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is one of those guys who you can tell with one glance has a history. Perhaps it’s his reputation as the former Mr. Angelina Jolie — complete with the perfectly gothic accessory, a vial of her blood around his neck and vice versa — or the memories of some of his film roles: a drunken and sloppy Santa Claus, a jackass school instructor, an astronaut and even a turn as the president of the United States in “Love Actually.”

His latest film, however, places Thornton in new territory as FBI agent Thomas Morgan in “Eagle Eye,” which opens in theaters on Friday. In a recent conference call, Thornton talked about what viewers should expect and — more importantly — what separates this flick from the rest.

“It’s different in the sense that I have to do a lot more running around with a gun,” Thornton said.

While his recent past involved several comedies, including “School for Scoundrels” and “Mr. Woodcock,” the action genre marks a new challenge for the veteran actor, who is accustomed to improvising in most of his films.

“Eagle Eye” tells the story of Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan, “Made of Honor”), whose lives intertwine when they are framed as terrorists in a plot to assassinate a political figure. Their survival hinges on following the cell phone instructions from a mysterious woman, no matter how impossible they may seem.

It is this reliance on technology within the film that has piqued the interest of many, and ironically means little to Thornton. “I only got a cell phone two years ago. I couldn’t tell you how to take a picture on it; I don’t know much about that, and I don’t really use a computer.”

Technological handicap aside, the most challenging obstacle for Thornton was finding a way into the part, as his character is essentially as opposite from his nature as Thornton could get. He couldn’t have put it better: “A lot of the time I’m the guy being chased by the FBI as opposed to being the FBI guy.”

While Thornton didn’t initially relate to his character, who boasts a vocabulary of technical terminology and complex motives, he explained how the smallest of similarities are key to making a part believable. There are elements of emotion, such as the feeling of being overwhelmed, or the idea of searching for the unknown that are resonant with Thornton. Inevitably, the tide of the conversation turned in the direction of Thornton’s co-stars, most notably LeBeouf, who headlines the film.

“Shia’s a great kid; I like him very much,” Thornton said. “When you work with a 21-year-old, you think they don’t quite have their chops yet, but he really does.”

While his words on his young co-star did have all of the bland, democratic politeness of an address at the United Nations, Thornton spoke slightly more genuinely of his director, DJ Caruso (“Disturbia”).

“He’s a terrific director,” Thornton said. “He’s focused, and he works harder than any other director I’ve ever worked with. He’s one of those ‘24 hours a day’ guys.”

When asked about what the future held, Thornton shed light on projects which he predicts won’t have the same box-office success as “Eagle Eye” due to their independent nature. He also plans a return to directing, which he hasn’t done since 2001 with “Daddy and Them,” a film he also wrote and starred in.

While Thornton is seen in the media eye as one of the bad guys of film, he was quick to dispel the belief that the bad guy persona emerges more often than good nature. Still, he admits there is an appeal to the bad guy: They’re usually more interesting than the hero.

Coming from the guy who once wore a vial of blood around his neck, I would believe him.