Had a very pleasant chat today with Lars & The Real Girl director Craig Gillespie and his star, Ryan Gosling. The whole conversation, along with another chat with co-stars Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson, will be online in a week or two. But for the moment, here is a snippet with Ryan in glorious QuickTime.
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
“Ryan; 42 minutes of your movie is AWESOME!”
“Only 42 minutes?”
“Yeah, I, um, well…”
“Do you plan on seeing the rest of the film?”
“Yeah… soon… REAL SOON!”
“Okay… what’s your first question?”
END OF SCENE.
Why is it so hard for these guys to shave? I can understand a few days growth, but honestly. They’re moviestars, not homeless people.
Maybe he’s growing it for another role? It’s like when we saw Tom Hanks with that crazy beard, and then a year later understood when we saw Cast Away.
How’s Emily Mortimer in this movie? She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite stars to look at.
Would you begrudge him the beard if he was in a band, or perhaps a novelist? Who gives a shit? Some guys like to grow beards. I didn’t know the homeless had a monopoly on growing out your facial hair.
If you go to any of the hipster bars Gosling hangs out at in Los Angeles, believe me you will see plenty of guys sporting the same thing.
Oh, can I ask a favour of people? If you guys are going to be watching Heroes please please please don’t just throw around plot details without spoiler warnings. I think we’re getting the second season in a few weeks, which is better than the usual wait until February, but nevertheless…
Me, I’m not a fan of homeless looking musicians either if they’re being photographed constantly.
Stop hating on the man-beards. Especially Adrian Pasdar’s man beard… COMING THIS WEEK TO HEROES! Dont cross a brother with a beard Camel :).
Gosling is growing a beard for his next picture, Peter Jackson’s THE LOVELY BONES. His character is the father of a murdered girl and is so distraught that for a time he doesn’t bother shaving. For an obvious reason, scenes in which a character has a beard are the first to be filmed.
Ian, good to know, but what’s up with Camel’s beard hatred? Seriously? Why does Camel hate beards? Beards? Bennett? Noah Bennett relocates to some place sunny with palm trees… THIS MONDAY ON HEROES!
And what’s a man beard? Is there another kind?
Why are you obsessed with creating a false mythology on this, IO? I saw the movie from first frame to last three days after the screening I had to leave.
Have you never been to a film festival… or kept a schedule at a film festival? You might have the luxury of doing what you like without any conflicting commitments at Toronto, but I don’t.
Factual note… I didn’t write about the film, except in the context of what the buzz was at the festival, until I saw the whole thing.
And this is not me being thin skinned or not taking a joke… this is me feeling that you are spreading a lie about me because you have some minor (and 10 minute inaccurate) piece of information that unfairly impugns my integrity because it seems to amuse you. But you
Me, Emily’s performance is one of her best here. Very understated, but like so much of the film, loaded with a subtle and unrelenting amount of heart. She’s not dressed as eye candy, but she’s working with a pretty strong foundation in that regard anyway.
Heat; what the fuck are you going on about? I am being silly. If you think I am attacking you, then you are sadly mistaken. Now take a step back, enjoy a fifth, and dance the dance of joy. Seriously… the attacking… utter and pointless bullshit and Jeff… get a bit of business for once in your life.
Huh?
Okay, IO… I will take that.
But I have no sense of humor about being publicly accused of writing opinions about movies that I have not viewed.
Like Hostel 2?
Sorry to raise that one again…but as far as I remember, you did not watch the whole movie. Correct me if I’m wrong.
J-Mc, you remain an utterly predictable jackass.
Okay, but how about answering my question?
A. Your question wasn’t really a question.
B. The question was answered two months ago, in depth, when it happened.
C. Did I ever actually review the film? Answer: No.
You have become the guy who goes to the wake at the dead guy’s house, throws his feet up on the dining room table and tells stories about what a fool the dead guy was.
Responding to you, parsing semantics as you whine about not understanding, makes me a jerk too.
Once out of every ten comments, you actually add something. Raise the bar, Jeff.
A: There wasn’t a question mark, but I did say ‘correct me if I’m wrong’ which was meant without any sarcasm or irony, and which you have not done.
B: I thought it would be easier to just ask you, than to have to trudge through two month old blog postings. Guess I was wrong.
C: This is untrue.
So I just checked back over what you wrote back in June and it appears that you must have watched the whole movie, because you talk about details from its conclusion, so that’s that. My apologies for the mistaken belief that you had reviewed it after only watching the first half.
But since it’s a detailed critical appraisal of the film and your opinion of its place in modern culture, I don’t see how you can call what you wrote anything other than a review, speaking of parsing semantics.
Also… I was totally kidding Heat. Much like Boam was kidding a few threads back. So that was me being silly and not taking a shot at your credibility. My own misconstruded sillines aside; Jeff actually apologized. HUZZAH!
Apologies also for taking the thread off-subject…although I think that happened before me.
Uh no.
Uh yes. I didn’t bring up Heroes or the whole not-watching-the-full-movie controversy in the first place.
To get things back on topic here, I wonder how Craig Gillespie went from Mr. Woodcock to this film. I haven’t seen Lars and the Real Girl, but it seems to be a much more accomplished film, one that actually has a point of view. Which one is the real Craig Gillespie?
Lars is a much better script.
Craig talks about it in the conversation we’ll be running. Basically, he sees Woodcock as joke-joke-joke and Lars as a very different effort.
And he has over a decade of shooting commericals, in terms of how he shoots. He was with the script for Lars for four years before it got funded.
Yeah, I think I also read somewhere that David Dobkin did a bunch of reshoots on Woodcock, so who knows how much of that film is actually Gillespie’s anymore. Looking forward to seeing the interview with him and Gosling.
I saw this film at the TIFF screening as well. The best film I’ve seen from the festival (and this year to date). I would love to see such an unpretentious piece of work to get some recognition comes awards time. I was especially impressed by the actors.
I am worried though that people won’t bother to see the movie when it comes out due to its quirky premises and a rather lackluster trailer. It is under the radar on most of the awards sites ever after all the enthusiastic responses from Toronto. This film is backed by Sidney Kimmel, can it be championed through the awards season?
Jeff; you can never handle the ball. You are the Sammy Smith of this blog. Shameful. Someone go and get this man some stick’em.
nice snippet – looking forward to seeing the rest. also looking forward to the movie – hope word of mouth will make up for what i haven’t seen in marketing yet, considering it opens in a few weeks.
Sammy Smith!!! Wow! Now that is a Miami/Denver only reference!
I’m from Denver, and yet (as usual) I don’t know what IOIOI is talking about. Okay, I know who Sammy Smith is, but I don’t know the specifics.
Sorry Jason, eventually I won’t care anymore, but for now I still keep my hopes up.
Jeff; you come across as one of the most pained individuals on earth, whenever I use a reference. Seriously, if a reference frustrates you to the point that you respond to me like an unabashed jackass, then you might want to get a stress ball or possibly a slinky. All you had to do is type “Sammy Smith” into google, and you get this… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammie_Smith . Come on Jeffy… just come on.