Tobey Maguire is transformed in ‘Brothers’

Tobey Maguire is armed with a bemused smile and perhaps the tallest espresso ever. But it turns out that’s a ruse: It’s actually the usual amount of espresso in a very tall cup. The youthful-looking Maguire is back to the usual amount of himself too after dropping more than 20 pounds to play a Marine officer captured in Afghanistan, who then faces a difficult homecoming in Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers.” The remake of the Danish “Brødre” also stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman and Sam Shepard.

-- Michael Ordoña This is the first role you’ve played of this status -- in your 30s, father, authority figure. Are you aware of that transition?

I don’t think of that in a defining way. ‘I’m going to have an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old in the movie; is that plausible?’ And, obviously, it is because I am the age the guy is. People tell me I look youthful, and the roles I’ve played have been primarily younger than my relative age and experience; I get all that. I don’t know what it means, but I get it.

What was the swing in your weight?

I think I was around 158 when I started losing weight. For about 4 1/2 weeks during filming and over the break, I was dieting and training. Dropped to about 136 at my lowest point. I did it for ‘Seabiscuit,’ but had more time -- I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not fun. It’s probably not that healthy for you, although I talked to a nutritionist -- I wasn’t eating just two grapes a day; I was trying to stay conscious and sane and all that. But it was still unpleasant.

What about Jim Sheridan’s work made him a director you wanted to work with?

He can tell difficult stories, emotionally challenging stories, in an authentic way. Even with something like ‘The Field’ or ‘My Left Foot,’ which are overtly, intensely, emotional, it’s still authentic. I love ‘The Field.’ Richard Harris had a classic moment, as I remember, he ends up in the ocean, beating the waves back with his cane. It’s like that classic Man’s denial of God, in a sense. The illusion of control over the universe. He’s literally fighting Nature.

I’d imagine it wasn’t easy playing the scenes where you scare your children.

The kids were so amazing. They were so aware of the process and had such a great understanding of what we were doing. The older girl, Bailee [Madison], her emotions were so accessible. She could just fill up with all this fear and pain and then be giggling 10 seconds later. Of course, it’s hard to imagine really doing that, being like that to your children.

Audiences have so far stayed away from movies involving our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why do you think that is?

I don’t know. I’m sure some of it is specific to the movie and the marketing and all of that. I think people go to movies because the ads are appealing, basically. I’m not sure there’s some big psychological thing that’s blocking people from going. That’s generally pretty difficult subject matter -- a lot of times there’s going to be commentary on the choices our government’s making, and we’re right in the middle of it.

Ultimately, our government is an extension of us, in theory, so it’s actually the decisions we’re making. So we’re actually responsible. That’s what interested me about the topic in the first place: What is our awareness and our responsibility in regards to the folks we’re sending over there? Regardless of what I would choose to do in the first place, I’m part of it.

calendar@latimes.com