Tagline: How one man betrayed the security of a nation.
Based on The Eleventh Hour by Adam Mazer and Bill Rotko and inspired by true events, Breach is a dramatic thriller set inside the halls of the FBI – the gatekeeper of the nation’s most sensitive and potentially volatile secrets. Inspired by true events, Breach is a dramatic thriller set inside the halls of the FBI-the gatekeeper of the nation’s most sensitive and potentially volatile secrets.
When young Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe) is promoted out of his low-level surveillance job and into the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent is on the verge of becoming reality. Even more impressive, O’Neill is hand picked to work for renowned operative Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) within “information assurance,” a new division created to protect all classified FBI Intelligence.
But O’Neill is quickly confronted with the true reason behind his hire: Hanssen is the sole subject of a long-term, top-secret investigation, a suspected mole made all the more dangerous by the sheer global import of the information he is charged with protecting. The Bureau asks O’Neill to use Hanssen’s growing trust and slowly draw the traitor out of deep cover. Engaged in a lethal game of spy-versus-spy without the benefit of a cover story or backup, O’Neill finds himself fighting to bring down Hanssen before the treacherous double-agent can destroy O’Neill, his family and the nation they are both sworn to serve.
Greenlighting Betrayal: Breach Begins
The story of Breach (as learned by the general public) began only months before September 11, 2001. On February 18 of that year—as the result of an ongoing investigation by a committed team of more than 500 men and women in the FBI—Special Agent Robert Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage.
Throughout his 25-year career with the Bureau, Hanssen spent the last 22 years of his service selling thousands of pages of valuable classified documents to Russia during the Cold War—and subsequently to the former Soviet Union. His betrayal included identification of KGB agents who were spying on behalf of America, as well as the United States template for relocation of the president in the event of a catastrophic attack.
A member of this team of federal agents was a young man named Eric O’Neill. O’Neill was a 26-year-old special surveillance operative who, only three months earlier, had been recruited by the team to work as an assistant to Hanssen. The operatives planted O’Neill in the hopes that he could gain Hanssen’s trust, further drawing the suspected mole out of cover. After the arrest, O’Neill was reassigned to his original position; shortly thereafter, he left the Bureau to concentrate on his law studies.
Once out of the Bureau, O’Neill recounted his experience of working with Hanssen—and the unique relationship that developed between them—to his brother, David, who convinced him that the story would make a fascinating film. O’Neill sought and was granted approval by the FBI to move forward with the idea.
Producers Bobby Newmyer and Scott Strauss of Outlaw Productions snapped up the rights to O’Neill’s story and, along with O’Neill, brought on screenwriting team Adam Mazer and William Rotko to craft the early versions of the script.
During screenplay development, Newmyer watched writer/director Billy Ray’s 2003 drama Shattered Glass. Newmyer felt the filmmaker’s treatment of the true story of journalist Stephen Glass’ rise and fall would offer just the sensibility Eric O’Neill and Robert Hanssen’s story needed. Ray joined the team not only to write, but also to direct the revamped Breach.
Along with Scott Kroopf of Intermedia Films, the filmmakers brought the project to Universal Pictures, who greenlit the film. “We agreed that this was a truly interesting story and a great concept for a movie, made all the more fascinating because it was based on a true story,” offers producer Kroopf. “We also believed that Billy was the ideal guy to do this job, that he had the vision needed to pull it all together.”
Of his decision to begin Breach, writer/director Billy Ray reflects, “I tend to be attracted to stories that are about deception. Or maybe I’m just attracted to characters that have that split down the middle—who are able to compartmentalize, to live one kind of life on the outside and a very different interior life. It makes for more interesting stories.
“Hanssen was a man of startling contradictions who did an unimaginable amount of damage to his country,” continues Ray. “He successfully spied on behalf of the Soviets and Russians for 22 years before being caught, so clearly he was an intelligent individual. But at the end of the day, he is an evil man and a traitor to his country.”
Assembling the Players
With the project greenlit, the production team would turn its focus to casting the talent who would become the key players in one of this country’s biggest takedowns. “From the beginning, Billy Ray was taken with Chris Cooper,” recalls producer Kroopf. “He felt that Chris was the epitome of Robert Hanssen, that he could play the darkness of the character, but also find the humanity. The word ‘chameleon’ describes Chris to a T. This character is all about shades and layers and colors and contradictions.”
Cooper, who over the years has chosen work from his Academy Award-winning role of Colonel Frank Fitts in American Beauty to the conflicted jockey Tom Smith in Seabiscuit, cites the smartness of the material and the complexity of the character as informing his decision to play Hanssen. “Good material is hard to find,” offers the actor.
“This jumped out at me—a good script and an unusual character told very well. “Hanssen is probably the most contradictory character I’ve ever played,” continues Cooper. “There is a whole opposite world he’s living in, and it’s often a complete contradiction.” Of playing a traitor, he relates, “I really had to work on having something else to think about while playing a scene. When audiences see the film, I think that concept will become self-explanatory.”
“The character of Hanssen is alternately very punishing, then seducing,” explains Ray. “His intelligence becomes clear right off the bat, but so does his oddness, his quirkiness. When he looks at you, it’s like being looked at by an X-ray machine. He has the ability to shake your confidence in yourself. There aren’t a lot of actors who can pull that off without twisting themselves into a pretzel, but Chris just stands there and you feel it. He was born to play Hanssen.”
Special consultant Eric O’Neill was equally struck by Cooper’s performance. “Chris is channeling the guy so well that it’s almost nerve-wracking to sit and watch,” the former FBI man remarks. “He’s intent on making sure he really understands Hanssen— not only the way he speaks with a Chicago accent, but the way he moves, how he would get into your personal space, and all the nuances that made up the man.”
For Ryan Phillippe, tapped by the filmmakers to play the role of Eric O’Neill, the opportunity to work opposite Cooper was a huge bonus. Comments Phillippe, “Chris Cooper is, in my estimation, one of the best actors working today. The idea of getting to work opposite him doing this material and having the ability to learn from him just blew me away.”
Additionally, Phillippe acknowledges he was drawn to the project because it was inspired by a true story. “There is just so much knowledge to draw from if you’re doing something that actually happened,” says Phillippe. “There are books to read on the events and people you can interview who lived the story. It’s invaluable for an actor to have access to these kind of resources.”
Of his character, Phillippe notes, “Eric O’Neill is ambitious, smart and, at times, maybe a little too cocky for his own good. He takes his job seriously but keeps a sense of humor. Hanssen’s idiosyncrasies and annoying habits get on Eric’s nerves; I liked the idea of seeing Eric’s frustration, and how he lets the guy know he irritates him.”
Producer Scott Strauss was pleased that Phillippe was available for the role. “It’s rare that you have the benefit of a protagonist who serves as consultant on the set and can find an actor who favors him so much. Every time I saw Ryan and Eric near one another, I did a double take. Ryan nails Eric’s mannerisms and idiosyncrasies.”
Two-time Oscar nominee Laura Linney was brought on board to play Special Agent Kate Burroughs, O’Neill’s liaison in the takedown. The filmmakers admit that it was a challenge to find the right actress for the part of Kate. “We knew we needed someone very special to play the role,” says Ray. “Kate is integral to the script, but her role is not the starring one. It’s tricky to go to a major actress and say, ‘You won’t be the star of the film, but we really think you’re fantastic.’ We were thrilled when Laura agreed to take on Kate. She brings to the party the same thing Chris does: instant authenticity.”
Like Cooper and Phillippe, Linney counts Breach’s screenplay among her chief reasons for signing on to the project. “It was a terrific page-turner,” says Linney. “It was exciting to read; the characters were interesting, and there was a great sense of tension throughout.”
Linney also welcomed the opportunity to share the screen with Cooper and Phillippe. “Chris is one of the best actors we have right now,” she states. “I’m frustrated that my character doesn’t have any scenes with him, but I’m happy to even be in the same movie with him. And I have enormous respect for Ryan. I love watching him on set; he is so focused. This is an exciting time for him, between Clint’s movie [Flags of Our Fathers] and Breach. It’s always fun to be around someone who’s having a surge like this.”
O’Neill’s handler during the operation, Agent Burroughs served as the point person in charge of briefing and debriefing him. She collected the information O’Neill was gathering about Hanssen and filtered that intelligence to the people who were analyzing all data and building the profile of Hanssen. Over the course of the case, she became O’Neill’s confidante. Recalls O’ Neill, “Kate became a big sister, someone I could lean on when things became really hard with Hanssen. She kept my spirits up and gave me the tools I needed to survive.”
Oscar nominee Kathleen Quinlan was tapped to play Bonnie Hanssen, Robert’s devoted and devoutly religious wife. “Bonnie is extraordinarily pretty. She is very smart and very strong…but she has a softness to her,” explains Ray. “We felt Kathleen was perfect for the part.”
Though she has not met Bonnie, Quinlan perceives, “She’s a woman who’s very devoted to her family and very much in love with and excited by her husband. She’s a devout Catholic, and everything she does is in service to her god and to her family.”
“But,” the actor adds, “Despite Bonnie’s softness and kindness, this is a woman with some backbone. She was Hanssen’s anchor, his touchstone. And if she didn’t like something he was doing, she wasn’t afraid to say so. She was steely enough to lead Robert around. He was a so-so Lutheran when they met. She brought him to Opus Dei, where he became an ardent spokesman for the Church.”
Telling the story of the target of Hanssen’s most intimate betrayal would prove quite a challenge for the filmmakers. “Bonnie is an integral part of Robert Hanssen’s story,” offers Ray. “We’re not going to do anything that is going to humiliate her or embarrass her, and we’re not going to shine any more light on her than is absolutely necessary. But she is part of the story, and we’re trying to tell the totality of this man’s life. The fact that he was a family man is a big part of it.”
Newcomer Caroline Dhavernas was cast to play O’Neill’s wife, Juliana. Explains Ray, “We screen-tested four actresses opposite Ryan, but there was something about Caroline that popped. Partially, it was the chemistry she has with Ryan.”
One of the most difficult aspects of FBI life for O’Neill was keeping this very dark secret of his mission from his wife. “The more I got to know Juliana O’Neill,” says Ray, “the more I realized she is a very dynamic component in the story. She’s enormously perceptive. She has great insight; she senses that something’s going on with her husband. She doesn’t totally understand, but knows it has something to do with Robert Hanssen. The second she meets Robert, she realizes something’s off.”
“Juliana is a very loving and caring wife,” explains Dhavernas. “But she’s also very strong and independent. As time goes on, she sees her husband change drastically; he’s no longer the man she married.”
Rounding out the principal cast for the film are veteran actors Dennis Haysbert and Gary Cole, both portraying Bureau agents in the film. Explains Haysbert of his character, “Special Agent Plesac has to figure out what makes Eric tick. He has to prod him along, watch his back and make sure Eric does what he says he can do.”
Cole portrays Rich Garces, the special agent who helped to supervise the sting operation that lured Hanssen into the FBI’s trap. In the film, Garces proves a particular thorn in Hanssen’s side: the bureaucrat who has achieved the success at which Hanssen scoffs. “Hanssen was ready to retire,” explains Cole, “but the FBI started to suspect that he was the great spy they had been looking for. They gave him his dream job of revamping the Bureau’s computer system and Garces is one of the supervisors who keeps a keen eye on him.”
Breach (2007)
Directed by: Billy Ray
Starring: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney, Dennis Haysbert, Kathleen Quinlan, Caroline Dhavernas, Mary Jo Deschanel, Dennis Haysbert, Catherine Burdon, David Huband
Screenplay by: Billy Ray
Production Design by: Wynn Thomas
Cinematography by: Tak Fujimoto
Film Editing by: Jeffrey Ford
Costume Design by: Luis Sequeira
Set Decoration by: Gordon Sim
Art Direction by: Andrew M. Stearn
Music by: Mychael Danna
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: February 16, 2007
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