Oct. 3--WHEN YOU look over Ed Harris' extensive filmography, it's surprising how few Westerns he's made. He seems ideally suited for the genre -- rugged, serious, don't talk much -- and his new film, "Appaloosa," which he also co-wrote and directed, gives him a great chance to act tough, ride horses and chase bad guys.

Based on the novel by the prolific Robert B. Parker (author of the Spenser private eye series), "Appaloosa" re-teams Harris with Viggo Mortensen (his co-star in "A History of Violence") as two lawmen-for-hire whose friendship is tested by a woman (Renee Zellweger) and a corrupt businessman (Jeremy Irons).

The Daily News spoke with Harris at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

Q: What was your impression of Robert B. Parker?

A:

I didn't have one. I'd read a lot of his books but I'd never met Bob. He thought it was interesting that I wanted to make a film out of his book, which, I think, he appreciated. And he knew my work a bit. And when I was doing "Gone, Baby, Gone" we had dinner in Boston, which is where he's based, and he said, "Hey, man, go for it." We didn't pay any option money or anything. He said, "If you guys want to write a script, we'll work out the deal later." So, that was pretty cool of him.

Q: Between Spenser and his other novels he writes close to three books a year . . .

A:

He's written two sequels to this story. One was published called "Resolution," and the third one's called "Brimstone," and it hasn't come out yet. The guy's amazing.

Q: Parker tells a lot of story through his dialogue. That's not as true in a Western . . .

A:

I guess not, but there's quite a bit of dialogue here. . . . It's not expository but they do talk a bit.

Q: Unlike in many Westerns, the men in "Appaloosa" actually have feelings. They just have a hard time expressing them. Was that a choice or a reflection of the time period?

A:

I don't think they really feel the need to articulate their feelings, but I don't think they're afraid to let their partner know that they have them. It's not like they're afraid of their feelings. One thing that I like about these characters is that it's not psychoanalysis time. They don't spend a lot of time upstairs. If they've got a problem, they do something about it. They're not losing sleep over stuff because they can't get it out of their head.

Q: Would you say that without the protections of modern society, these men didn't have the luxury to think too much?

A:

In a way, yeah.