Dear Mr. Tyree

The secondary storyline in Dear John but an incredibly affecting storyline is that of Johns relationship with his father, Mr. Tyree. Richard Jenkins plays Mr. Tyree, fresh from his Academy Awardâ-nominated performance in Thomas McCarthys The Visitor.

For his part, Jenkins sees his character as a man who raised John by himself and truly loves his child, but doesnt know how to express it. Hes a strange man, very quiet, not very communicative, not very social. And the relationship between father and son is strained to say the least.

When Savannah enters their lives, Jenkins continues, it becomes something like a triangle. She teaches John about his father. As sometimes happens when someone from the outside seems to understand a family member better than other family members, Savannah begins to open Johns eyes to the fact that his father is not doing anything on purpose, hes not being rude or dismissive. He just doesnt know how to communicate.

What I found fascinating, says Jenkins, is that father and son once shared a common interest in coins that developed when John was a young boy. But then, as all boys grow out of things and move on to girls and sports, the father remained lost in this world of coins and their relationship grew more strained. The character really started to come alive for me when I saw the coins. Thats when I really understood this guys obsession. Hes incredibly focused and with his coins he feels safe and in control. Thats why hes like a magpie when he starts to really open up after Savannah expresses interest in his coin collection.

In speaking about Mr. Tyree, Hallström says, I thought the character that was on the page was interesting, but with Richard, he became even more interesting. He surprised me completely. He has a wonderful eye for detail, for observing human behavior. With no exception, Richards always doing something interesting and especially real that makes the character come alive.

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