James Reston Jr.
James Reston Jr.’s most recent fame stems from his portrayal in the movie “Frost/Nixon” as Frost’s laser-focused adviser intent on convicting the former president. The 68-year-old Chevy Chase resident has written 13 books and three plays, from novels to crusader histories to a memoir about his mentally handicapped daughter. Reston will speak Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose bookstore about his most recent book, “Defenders of the Faith: Charles V. Suleyman the Magnificent, and the Battle for Europe, 1520-1536.” He spoke with The Examiner about the values and ambitions that have shaped his life.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I was raised an Episcopalian. My wife is Catholic. Our children were raised Catholics, and my daughter is about to have an Episcopalian wedding. I’m still moved by the Protestant ritual, and I deeply admire the passion of Catholicism. Religion obviously moves me greatly as an historian, because it has such power to shape historical events, both for better and for worse. But as long as I continue to write about religion as a force in history, I think it’s important to avoid an attachment to any dogma. That would clearly restrict and pervert my attempt to remain free and objective.
You’re portrayed as somewhat of a zealot in “Frost/Nixon,” as the brains behind David Frost’s 1977 interviews of Richard Nixon. Is that an accurate assessment?
It was immensely flattering to be portrayed as the passion behind that episode, and as the moral center of the story, and I think that’s accurate. If you want to use the word “zealot,” the zealotry came from the fact that the historical stakes were immense, and this gadfly from Kent had the extraordinary duty to compel the conviction of Richard Nixon. It was a must-win situation — Nixon had to be defeated and the nation’s decision to drive him from office had to be validated in that interview. Frost was an empty vessel into which all of the research had to be poured, as well as a strategy for interrogating a very clever and intimidating subject. It required someone with tremendous determination behind the scenes — you can call that zealotry, and I guess it is.
Where do we need more zealotry in American life today?
The whole Iraq adventure since 2001 has been so disappointing. The younger generation of America was so disappointing to me — that they didn’t step forward like we did to protest, to be in the streets. I have a certain contempt for the silence and inactivity of the younger generation, in relation to Iraq.
What qualities have most contributed to your ability to be such a prolific writer?
In all due humility, I’m an extremely disciplined writer. I think great work comes out of discipline more than inspiration — I think the notion of muses is kind of silly, really. I wanted to live a life in which I practice the writing craft day in and day out. In order to do that, if you’re independent like me, you have to have a routine that works for you, and you have to stick to that routine. There’s a shelf full of books here because I wake up in the morning and work, and then I know when to quit.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe in the power of history. In our leaders a deep sense of history can prevent a terrible tragedy like the war in Iraq. When George W. Bush proclaimed a crusade only six days after 9/11, he invoked centuries of resentment in the Arab world against the West, and handed al Qaeda a great gift. That one gaffe changed the dynamic from a case of monstrous mass murder to the age-old conflict between Christian crusade and Islamic jihad. We are still trying to get out of that box. And with Obama, we have a sense of historic completion, a sense of historical justice, and this has opened up a vast range of positive possibilities. Because his election is so historic, he rides a wave of tremendous good will that transcends all normal politics. People of all beliefs simply want him to succeed. The implications of failure are too grave to imagine.
