the awards editions 2010-2011
the awards editions 2010-2011
the awards editions 2010-2011
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<strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong> <strong>editions</strong> <strong>2010</strong>-<strong>2011</strong><br />
premiere issue
“ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST FILMS.<br />
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S FILM IS A STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS,<br />
TECHNICALLY FLAWLESS SYMPHONY OF IMAGES AND IDEAS.”<br />
- CHRISTY LEMIRE, ASSOCIATED PRESS<br />
W A R N E R B R O S 2 0 1 0 . C O M
F O R YO U R C O N S I D E R AT I O N<br />
BEST PICTURE<br />
PRODUCED BY<br />
EMMA THOMAS<br />
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN<br />
BEST DIRECTOR<br />
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN<br />
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY<br />
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN<br />
BEST ACTOR<br />
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
— oscar overview —<br />
THe MosT wiDe–oPeN<br />
h<br />
By Pete Hammond<br />
ow rare that no movie has grabbed <strong>the</strong> mantle of first or even secondary frontrunner yet. High-profile contenders have been slowly emerging at this key early juncture.<br />
Which is why making an early, not-so-subtle bid for Academy attention pre-November can be a smart marketing strategy. It’s a way to be remembered if a movie was released<br />
before September (Inception, Shutter Island, Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, Alice In Wonderland, Get Low, The Kids Are All Right, Winter’s Bone), or to establish<br />
a new Fall film as a contender amid <strong>the</strong> endless glut of Oscar wannabes (The Town, The Social Network, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Hereafter, For Colored Girls, Fair<br />
Game, 127 Hours), or to prime <strong>the</strong> pump for <strong>the</strong> trickier proposition of forecasting <strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong> status of films that haven’t released into <strong>the</strong>aters yet (The King’s Speech, The<br />
Fighter, True Grit, Love And O<strong>the</strong>r Drugs, How Do You Know, Blue Valentine, Black Swan, Rabbit Hole, Made In Dagenham, Ano<strong>the</strong>r Year, The Way Back, Biutiful). With <strong>the</strong><br />
field of potential winners wide open this year, <strong>the</strong> Best Picture Oscar has way more heat than, say, Documentary or Animation or Foreign Language races which are chosen<br />
by committee, <strong>the</strong>ir fates not as dependent on <strong>the</strong> all-important buzz. Right now, <strong>the</strong> List of 10 is looking like a knock-down, drag-out brawl between <strong>the</strong> indies and <strong>the</strong> majors. “I feel <strong>the</strong><br />
majors are getting back into it. A number of <strong>the</strong>se studios have big pictures <strong>the</strong>y are putting out as contenders,” says Michael Barker, Co-President of Sony Pictures Classics. Barker’s longtime<br />
SPC partner and Co-President Tom Bernard adds: “But it is not simply that majors are coming back, it is who is motivated. On some of <strong>the</strong>se films, if you spend it will pay off, if you<br />
don’t it won’t.” And if a pic doesn’t have major campaign backing, says Roadside Attractions Co-President Howard Cohen, “voters still have a tradition of rewarding great work from smaller<br />
films. You go in as an underdog and you play that up.” But Fox Searchlight Co-President Nancy Utley reminds that <strong>awards</strong> season isn’t just ego feed for all concerned. “For <strong>the</strong> major studios,<br />
Oscars are a nice prize. But for us, it’s business.” The films listed by alphabetical order below are in contention for multiple Oscar marquee categories. (Not included are motion pictures like<br />
Secretariat, hopeful for technical <strong>awards</strong> like sound and cinematography, or Burlesque for song, or Letters To Juliet for a singular performance like Vanessa Redgrave’s.)<br />
127 HOURS (Fox Searchlight) — Danny<br />
Boyle’s first effort since Oscar-winner<br />
Slumdog Millionaire has a strong bet in<br />
Best Actor for James Franco. But is that<br />
“Farewell to Arm” scene too much for <strong>the</strong><br />
Academy for Best Picture? (People keep<br />
fainting at screenings.)<br />
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Walt Disney<br />
Pictures) — Tim Burton’s take on <strong>the</strong><br />
classic tale is one of <strong>the</strong> biggest box office stories<br />
of <strong>the</strong> year. A natural bet for <strong>the</strong> Golden<br />
Globes Comedy/Musical categories and lots<br />
of technical nods at <strong>the</strong> Academy, too.<br />
ANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures<br />
Classics) — This tough Australian crime<br />
drama joined Mo<strong>the</strong>r and Child as <strong>the</strong> first<br />
DVD screener sent this season to Academy<br />
voters who will see a classic supporting turn<br />
from Jacki Weaver. She deserves recognition.<br />
ANOTHER YEAR (Sony Pictures Classics)<br />
— Mike Leigh’s best film since Secrets &<br />
Lies didn’t win anything on fest circuit. But<br />
those who like it love it. Leigh films usually go<br />
2 deadline.com<br />
race iN Years<br />
over well with <strong>the</strong> Academy but surest thing<br />
is <strong>the</strong> performance of Lesley Manville.<br />
BARNEY’S VERSION (Sony Pictures<br />
Classics) — SPC’s Toronto pickup of<br />
this Venice hit was a smart move and<br />
could result in some nominations. With<br />
a decent campaign, Paul Giamatti can<br />
make a Best Actor play and Dustin<br />
Hoffman is possible in support.<br />
BIUTIFUL (Roadside Attractions) —<br />
Javier Bardem’s Cannes Festival-winning<br />
performance lost none of its power in<br />
Telluride or Toronto. Mexico’s Foreign<br />
Language Film submission. Dark horse<br />
in Best Picture if voters turn off because<br />
it’s too “depressing”.<br />
BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight) — It<br />
took Venice by storm. Lots of <strong>awards</strong><br />
talk followed Telluride and Toronto. Very<br />
much alive in key races, like actress categories<br />
for Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.<br />
Big question is how will older voters<br />
react to film’s kinkier aspects?<br />
BLUE VALENTINE (Weinstein Co) —<br />
Was on a marathon festival journey<br />
from Sundance to Cannes to Toronto.<br />
Its lead actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle<br />
Williams are still definite contenders.<br />
Their MPAA NC-17 ratings<br />
obstacle may generate sympathy.<br />
CASINO JACK (ATO) — Its on-again/<br />
off-again release is now on again thanks<br />
to an ATO pickup at Toronto. Twotime<br />
winner Kevin Spacey could snag<br />
top honors as disgraced lobbyist Jack<br />
Abramoff. Director George Hickenlooper’s<br />
untimely death a factor.<br />
COUNTRY STRONG (Sony/Screen<br />
Gems) — This dramatic country musical<br />
shows off <strong>the</strong> considerable singing skills of<br />
Gwyneth Paltrow, showing a different side<br />
of her talents here. But this year has an overcrowded<br />
Best Actress race.<br />
CITY ISLAND (Anchor Bay) — Andy<br />
Garcia’s finely-honed comic turn could<br />
— and should — be remembered at<br />
Golden Globe time. The tiny distributor<br />
has hired a PR firm to make sure it’s not<br />
forgotten for Oscar.<br />
DESPICABLE ME (Universal) — Call it<br />
<strong>the</strong> toon that saved Universal this year. It<br />
had strong reviews and great box office. In a<br />
field of five animated nominees, it’s a given.<br />
But stiff competition could mean chances<br />
are one in a minion.<br />
FAIR GAME (Summit) — The Valerie<br />
Plame/CIA leak story received cinematic<br />
treatment and played well to critics. Its<br />
two stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are<br />
strong. But are <strong>the</strong> lead actor and actress<br />
races too competitive this year?<br />
FOR COLORED GIRLS (Lionsgate) —<br />
Exceptional actress performances for Tyler<br />
Perry’s adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s 1975<br />
play. Last year, Lionsgate scored Oscars with<br />
Precious (which Perry supported by lending<br />
his name). Can lightning strike twice?<br />
GET LOW (Sony Pictures Classics) —
Indie hit has special appeal for older voters.<br />
Robert Duvall is a good bet in <strong>the</strong> Best Actor<br />
race and Sissy Spacek might squeak into<br />
Best Supporting Actress. Original Screenplay<br />
is possible. A long shot for Picture.<br />
HEREAFTER (Warner Bros) — Clint Eastwood’s<br />
latest will play better with older-skewing<br />
Academy members than critics because of<br />
its <strong>the</strong>mes of afterlife. Clint is still a force: you<br />
can never count him out at <strong>awards</strong> time.<br />
HOW DO YOU KNOW (Sony Pictures)<br />
— Writer/Director James Brooks delivers<br />
this relationship comedy with an all-star<br />
cast, but Paul Rudd is <strong>the</strong> standout here. Best<br />
chance for <strong>the</strong> movie is likely at <strong>the</strong> Globes<br />
for Best Comedy or Musical.<br />
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON<br />
(DreamWorks Animation) — An animated<br />
feature nod is a given. But DreamWorks is aggressively<br />
going for <strong>the</strong> gold with this one and<br />
dreaming of a Best Picture nod. Is <strong>the</strong>re room<br />
on that List of 10 for it and Toy Story 3?<br />
I AM LOVE (Magnolia Pictures) — A<br />
sumptuous showcase for Tilda Swinton who<br />
speaks Italian with a Russian accent. Italy<br />
killed its Foreign Language chance but Magnolia<br />
is putting it into Cinematography, Art<br />
Direction, Costumes, and Actress races.<br />
INCEPTION (Warner Bros/Legendary<br />
Pictures) — Christopher Nolan was<br />
snubbed for The Dark Knight so <strong>the</strong> Academy<br />
can make it up to him for this fever<br />
dream of a movie that has made big coin.<br />
Best Picture and loads of tech noms while<br />
iffier are <strong>the</strong> actor nods.<br />
LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (Twentieth<br />
Century Fox) — Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne<br />
Hathaway in career-best performances should<br />
be high on any list. And director Ed Zwick’s<br />
film is different enough to become possible in<br />
Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay.<br />
LOVELY, STILL (Monterey Media) — A<br />
little gem of a drama about two old people<br />
who find romance near <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong>ir lives<br />
features brilliant performances from Martin<br />
Landau and Ellen Burstyn. They both<br />
deserve <strong>awards</strong> consideration.<br />
MADE IN DAGENHAM (Sony Pictures<br />
Classics) — British period piece about female<br />
factory workers fighting for equal pay<br />
is Academy friendly fare. SPC’s best shot<br />
for Best Picture. Acting noms possible for<br />
Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson and<br />
Bob Hoskins.<br />
MOTHER AND CHILD (Sony Pictures<br />
Classics) — Rodrigo Garcia’s multi-character<br />
drama came and went in <strong>the</strong>atres, so wisely<br />
SPC made sure <strong>the</strong> screener was <strong>the</strong> very<br />
first one Academy voters got this season. Annette<br />
Bening suggested for Best Actress.<br />
NEVER LET ME GO (Fox Searchlight) —<br />
The fact it lingers in <strong>the</strong> mind improves its<br />
<strong>awards</strong> prospects. If it were a weaker year for<br />
<strong>the</strong>sps, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield<br />
would likely be recognized. Rachel Portman’s<br />
haunting score a shoo-in nominee.<br />
PLEASE GIVE (Sony Pictures Classics) —<br />
Writer/Director Nicole Holofcener’s quirky<br />
comedy was well received and sparked buzz<br />
of an Original Screenplay nomination. Ann<br />
Morgan Guilbert gives a nifty supporting<br />
turn as <strong>the</strong> tenant who won’t die.<br />
RABBIT HOLE (Lionsgate) — Glowing<br />
reviews, especially for its three main actors<br />
— Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne<br />
Wiest. Lionsgate did a quick pickup following<br />
its Toronto world premiere. Now it’s<br />
suddenly a player in <strong>the</strong> marquee categories.<br />
SHUTTER ISLAND (Paramount) — Paramount<br />
launched a high profile campaign<br />
for Leonardo DiCaprio with early screening<br />
notices to Guilds and Academy members and<br />
an American Cinema<strong>the</strong>que retrospective of<br />
Leo’s and Martin Scorsese’s collaborations.<br />
SOLITARY MAN (Anchor Bay) — Michael<br />
Douglas received some of <strong>the</strong> best reviews of<br />
his career in this highly unsympa<strong>the</strong>tic role.<br />
There is a lot of good will for <strong>the</strong> cancerstricken<br />
star. Anchor Bay is making sure <strong>the</strong><br />
DVD gets circulated to press and voters.<br />
SOMEWHERE (Focus Features) — Won<br />
<strong>the</strong> top prize in Venice despite mixed reviews.<br />
Jury president and Sofia Coppola<br />
intimate Quentin Tarantino denied play-<br />
ing favorites. Awards screenings close to<br />
its late December release. May be too soft<br />
to make a dent.<br />
STONE (Overture/Relativity) — Long<br />
shot even though Milla Jovovich is seductively<br />
appealing. But Robert De Niro turns<br />
in his best work in a while but probably has<br />
as much chance of a Best Actor nod for this<br />
as he does for Machete and Little Fockers.<br />
TANGLED (Walt Disney Pictures) — A<br />
throwback to Disney animated musicals of<br />
old but with a contemporary twist and new<br />
Alan Menken songs. Menken could go for a<br />
record–tying ninth Oscar with “I See The<br />
Light.” An animated feature nod is definitely<br />
possible.<br />
THE FIGHTER (Paramount) — This<br />
long-time passion project for Mark Wahlberg<br />
is a strong Best Picture prospect with<br />
both Wahlberg and Christian Bale prime<br />
prospects for lead and supporting actor.<br />
Melissa Leo and Amy Adams rising to <strong>the</strong><br />
top of supporting actress lists.<br />
THE GHOST WRITER (Summit) —<br />
Roman Polanski’s Hitchcock-style drama<br />
did well by indie film standards. Summit has<br />
special hopes for a Pierce Brosnan supporting<br />
bid as <strong>the</strong> former British prime minister<br />
“writing” his memoirs.<br />
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON<br />
TATTOO (Music Box) — The first in <strong>the</strong><br />
Swedish trilogy became <strong>the</strong> most successful<br />
foreign language release of <strong>the</strong> year and has<br />
created Best Actress buzz for star Noomi<br />
Rapace. She needs valuable face time in<br />
front of voters.<br />
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus<br />
Features) — It’s <strong>the</strong> focus for Focus, hoping<br />
it’s that rare comedy to crack Best Picture.<br />
Oscar nomination for screenplay seems doable<br />
while acting nods for Annette Bening,<br />
Mark Ruffalo, and Julianne Moore likely.<br />
THE KING’S SPEECH (Weinstein Co)<br />
— Strong outstanding period piece puts<br />
Harvey Weinstein back in <strong>the</strong> Oscar game<br />
big-time. Triumphed over all comers in Telluride<br />
and Toronto. A slam dunk for major<br />
nominations across <strong>the</strong> board.<br />
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony) — It<br />
stole <strong>the</strong> thunder from Toronto with targeted<br />
screenings for influencers. Packed<br />
screening for Academy members got<br />
great response for Best Picture. Aaron<br />
Sorkin’s well-written adapted screenplay<br />
a lock for writing nod.<br />
THE TOWN (Warner Bros) — Ben Affleck’s<br />
Boston crime thriller could follow<br />
a similar trajectory as its producer Graham<br />
King’s Oscar-winning The Departed.<br />
But may be too much in <strong>the</strong> violent action<br />
genre. Jeremy Renner <strong>the</strong> most likely<br />
possibility in supporting.<br />
THE WAY BACK (Newmarket/Wrekin<br />
Hill) — Newmarket picked up this adventure<br />
just as it hit Telluride. Fellow directors<br />
could go for overdue four-time nominee Peter<br />
Weir. And <strong>the</strong> cinematography is right<br />
up <strong>the</strong>re with anything released this year.<br />
TOY STORY 3 (Disney/Pixar) — A worldwide<br />
smash and, with 99% positive reviews<br />
on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s <strong>the</strong> second-highest<br />
rated movie of <strong>the</strong> year. A frontrunner<br />
for animated feature and a Best Picture<br />
nomination. Is three <strong>the</strong> charm?<br />
TRUE GRIT (Paramount) — Never underestimate<br />
<strong>the</strong> Coen bro<strong>the</strong>rs. This remake<br />
could be <strong>the</strong> rare Western to make Best Picture<br />
honor roll. A possible supporting for<br />
newcomer Hailee Steinfeld or vet Matt Damon<br />
and consideration Jeff Bridges again.<br />
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER<br />
SLEEPS (Twentieth Century Fox) — This<br />
23-years-later sequel isn’t generating much<br />
Best Picture buzz. But Michael Douglas’<br />
Gekko remains its best chance, particularly<br />
with goodwill for <strong>the</strong> actor running high<br />
due to his cancer.<br />
WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions)<br />
— A critical darling and indie hit,<br />
this could be <strong>the</strong> sleeper <strong>awards</strong> success<br />
of <strong>the</strong> season. Roadside needs to put it<br />
front and center with critics who could<br />
champion it. Newcomer Jennifer Lawrence<br />
could get nod.<br />
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Artwork © <strong>2010</strong> The Weinstein Company. All Rights Reserved.
This year Hollywood types everywhere were discussing <strong>the</strong> Swedish<br />
films made from Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy The Girl With<br />
The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who<br />
Kicked The Hornet’s Nest and wondering if breakout star Noomi Rapace<br />
was eligible for an Academy Award. She is. (In fact, she’s already<br />
won <strong>the</strong> Swedish equivalency for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander.)<br />
The most recent actress to appear in a small foreign film, get an<br />
out–of–<strong>the</strong>–blue nomination, win <strong>the</strong> Best Actress Oscar, <strong>the</strong>n land<br />
big roles in major studio tentpoles was Marion Cotillard. Noomi’s<br />
U.S. agents and managers have assured her: “You can have that same<br />
journey.” One thing making Rapace’s ride to <strong>the</strong> top noteworthy is that movie VIPs take<br />
meetings with her expecting <strong>the</strong> hard–ass on a Harley, but <strong>the</strong>n are shocked seeing a sexy<br />
fresh–faced beauty. As one insider explains, “They go in asking, ‘Do I have a villain?’ And<br />
<strong>the</strong>y leave saying, ‘Do I have a great female lead?’”<br />
DeaDline: What do you think of <strong>the</strong> American remake of <strong>the</strong>se movies that David Fincher is<br />
directing in Sweden?<br />
noomi Rapace: That’s weird. They’re doing it with a Swedish accent as well. That’s also<br />
pretty weird. But I’m quite okay with it. I really knew in my heart that I totally loaned myself<br />
to her and she took over most of my life. When it was released and <strong>the</strong>y started to talk about<br />
<strong>the</strong> remake, people asked me and I said. ‘No, I’m done with her.’ And <strong>the</strong>n everybody came<br />
back to me and said, ‘But it’s David Fincher.’ There can’t be any reason to do it again. I don’t<br />
want to repeat myself. Hopefully <strong>the</strong>y will do something far away from our films.<br />
DeaDline: Are you <strong>the</strong> kind of actor who can leave <strong>the</strong> set and forget about it?<br />
Rapace: No, never. That’s quite difficult for me. She stayed in me like non–stop for <strong>the</strong><br />
whole time. The last scene was quite strange. All <strong>the</strong> producers came in with champagne as<br />
<strong>the</strong>y wanted to celebrate, and I had to go to <strong>the</strong> bathroom because I started to throw up. I<br />
knew my whole body was just throwing Lisbeth away and cleaning itself from Lisbeth in a<br />
way. And <strong>the</strong> next day I remember standing at home looking at myself in <strong>the</strong> mirror with this<br />
Mohawk, and all those scars from <strong>the</strong> piercings, and I asked, ‘Who are you today?’, and I had<br />
no idea. It was actually one week and I was pretty lost and <strong>the</strong>n I started to rehearse Medea.<br />
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DeaDline: Was <strong>the</strong> role of Lisbeth Salander something you went after?<br />
Rapace: No, I’ve never actually called anyone to say, ‘I want to do this’ or ‘please consider<br />
me’. I’m not that kind of person.<br />
DeaDline: Did you think you were right for her?<br />
Rapace: I thought <strong>the</strong>y would judge me for being too girlie because of <strong>the</strong> way I look<br />
in my private life. I look much more feminine. Sometimes people can’t really see that<br />
you can transform into something that is pretty far from <strong>the</strong> way you look today. But I<br />
knew that. So I was quite surprised when <strong>the</strong>y called me and wanted me to come in for<br />
an interview. So I went and I said to myself, ‘don’t hope for anything, <strong>the</strong>y won’t call you<br />
back,’ so when <strong>the</strong>y did I borrowed clo<strong>the</strong>s from my husband and I met <strong>the</strong> director, and I<br />
told him, ‘If you want me to do it I would like to do all my stunts. I want to really change<br />
myself into her, change my body, and pierce myself, and take a license for motorcycle, and<br />
do everything as far as is possible, as I think I know something about her. So if you trust<br />
me, I will give her to you.’ And he did.<br />
DeaDline: Was it an advantage as an actor having books to draw on instead of just <strong>the</strong> script?<br />
Rapace: I used it a lot. It’s like you have <strong>the</strong> whole background, you can dig, and you can<br />
take things that are useful, and find some clues to who she is today and all that. Lisbeth is<br />
something between Noomi and something in <strong>the</strong> script.<br />
DeaDline: Are you surprised at <strong>the</strong> strong reaction in America to you and <strong>the</strong> movies?<br />
Rapace: I’m very self critical. I always expect people not to hate me but to not like me.<br />
When <strong>the</strong>y announced that I was <strong>the</strong> one who was going to play Lisbeth, it felt like a suicide<br />
mission because it’s not possible to satisfy everybody. And I thought <strong>the</strong>y will probably<br />
hate me. I had to close my eyes and my ears and just create some kind of protecting bubble<br />
around me to be able to listen to my own voice and find her in me.<br />
DeaDline: There’s been Oscar buzz which I would think must mean something to you?<br />
Rapace: I want people to believe in what I am doing, and I want people to be able to see a<br />
character that I’m playing, and to think that she’s a real person. So when people do that, that<br />
makes me so warm inside. I don’t dare think about <strong>the</strong> Oscars and all that. It’s too far away.<br />
Photo: Sophie Dreijer/NewBloodAgency.com
“ EXTRAORDINARY!<br />
‘Winter’s Bone’ is what we’ve been waiting for: a work of art that grabs hold and won’t let go.<br />
It’s a revelation. The acting and <strong>the</strong> milieu are so closely joined that when <strong>the</strong> final shot<br />
goes to black, and <strong>the</strong> spell is broken, <strong>the</strong> audience gasps.”<br />
- David Denby, THE NEW YORKER<br />
“A classic! Spectacular for its humanity, austere beauty and heart-stopping urgency.”<br />
- Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL<br />
Best Supporting actor<br />
John Hawkes<br />
www.roadsideattractions<strong>awards</strong>.com<br />
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION<br />
Best Picture<br />
Producers: Anne Rosellini,<br />
Alix Madigan-Yorkin<br />
Best Director<br />
Debra Granik<br />
Best actress<br />
Jennifer Lawrence<br />
Best adapted Screenplay<br />
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
hE’s A<br />
FIghtEr<br />
After A long production roAd,<br />
mArk wAhLbErg’s boxing fAmily<br />
sAgA finAlly enters <strong>the</strong> ring<br />
By mIke FLemInG<br />
i<br />
n this year’s stirring Oscar race, many of <strong>the</strong> contenders<br />
are films that traveled long and hard roads just<br />
to get made. By that measure, few put in more work<br />
than Mark Wahlberg did for The Fighter, <strong>the</strong> David<br />
O. Russell-directed drama in which he plays Irish<br />
Micky Ward, <strong>the</strong> welterweight who fought his way to<br />
an unlikely world championship. Christian Bale lost<br />
30 pounds to play half-bro<strong>the</strong>r crack addict Dicky<br />
Eklund, but Wahlberg’s commitment was even more<br />
dramatic. The moment he learned nearly five years ago that<br />
he’d be starring in <strong>the</strong> movie alongside Matt Damon for dir–<br />
ector Darren Aronofsky, Wahlberg built a boxing ring in his<br />
backyard, hired two trainers on his own dime, and worked<br />
hours each day to hone his boxing skills. Wahlberg never<br />
stopped, not when Damon dropped out and Brad Pitt came<br />
in, not when Aronofsky dropped out, Pitt left, and <strong>the</strong> project<br />
was nearly knocked out. Wahlberg joined David Hoberman<br />
and Todd Lieberman as producers so, when <strong>the</strong> project<br />
was on <strong>the</strong> ropes, Wahlberg helped rework <strong>the</strong> picture from<br />
a $50 million studio film into a scrappy $20 million indie.<br />
DeaDline: Micky and Dicky were <strong>the</strong> pride of Lowell, Massachusetts.<br />
You came out of Dorchester. How far away were you<br />
from <strong>the</strong>se guys and how aware were you of <strong>the</strong>ir story?<br />
8 deadline.com<br />
maRk WahlbeRg: Lowell was 30 minutes away from<br />
Dorchester. We were on different sides of Boston. Lowell<br />
is more like a suburb, but not a rich one. These guys<br />
were big time legends. Dicky is older than me, so I wasn’t<br />
as aware of him as I was of Micky, who was considered a superhero<br />
where I came from. I knew Dicky was supposed to<br />
be <strong>the</strong> great fighter but that he had his battles with drugs,<br />
and I’d seen <strong>the</strong> documentary High On Crack Street filmed<br />
in Lowell about him.<br />
DeaDline: How did you become involved?<br />
WahlbeRg: I wanted to make a boxing movie. I talked<br />
about a movie where I’d play Vinnie Curto and Bob De<br />
Niro would play his trainer Angelo Dundee. I tried to make<br />
The Black Dahlia with Brian De Palma because <strong>the</strong>re was an<br />
element of boxing in it. I’d already built a ring in my backyard<br />
by <strong>the</strong>n. I first met Micky when I was 18 years old, and<br />
was a huge fan. I thought, this is <strong>the</strong> movie I should make.<br />
John Herzfeld and I went to Lowell to see Micky and Dicky<br />
and found <strong>the</strong>y’d already sold <strong>the</strong> rights ten times over and<br />
it had become such a cluster fuck that it seemed <strong>the</strong>re was<br />
no way we’d be able to sort it out. Then, five years ago, Brad<br />
Weston called me and said he had a script to send me about<br />
Irish Micky Ward <strong>the</strong> boxer and did I know him? I was<br />
blown away by <strong>the</strong> script, and thought, we’re getting this<br />
done. I started training <strong>the</strong> day I got back from vacation.<br />
That’s how this whole thing began.<br />
DeaDline: You grew up on <strong>the</strong> streets in a tough neighborhood<br />
like <strong>the</strong>y did. How did <strong>the</strong>ir story speak to your own experiences?<br />
WahlbeRg: There were so many comparisons to my life,<br />
my story, my upbringing. I am <strong>the</strong> youngest of nine kids.<br />
My bro<strong>the</strong>r was much more successful and was looked at as<br />
<strong>the</strong> chosen one, while I was <strong>the</strong> one in trouble. I had to play<br />
Micky. Dicky was a flashier role, but it wasn’t about that for<br />
me. It was about being believable as a guy who could win<br />
<strong>the</strong> welterweight title, and not look like an actor who could<br />
maybe box a little bit. Those four and a half years turned<br />
out to be <strong>the</strong> best thing for me. I never stopped training,<br />
even when I was making o<strong>the</strong>r movies.<br />
DeaDline: How helpful was having a genuine Boston guy as<br />
producer and star for gaining <strong>the</strong> trust of a family that obviously<br />
didn’t know what was coming when <strong>the</strong>y participated in that<br />
documentary High on Crack Street?<br />
WahlbeRg: I assured <strong>the</strong>m that <strong>the</strong>y would be portrayed<br />
in <strong>the</strong> light <strong>the</strong>y deserved, and that I cared about <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
That’s <strong>the</strong> only way I know how to do things. When I was
doing The Perfect Storm, portraying Bobby Shatford, I went<br />
to his family, and stayed with <strong>the</strong>m. I wanted <strong>the</strong>m to feel<br />
like we were going to protect him.<br />
DeaDline: It’s still a pretty raw portrayal of <strong>the</strong> family. What<br />
was <strong>the</strong> reaction of Micky and Dicky to <strong>the</strong> film?<br />
WahlbeRg: I showed it to <strong>the</strong>m twice. First time, it was<br />
me and David, Christian, and a couple o<strong>the</strong>r people at Paramount.<br />
I realized how difficult it must be to see your life<br />
up <strong>the</strong>re on <strong>the</strong> big screen, condensed to under two hours.<br />
So <strong>the</strong>n I said, come see it with an audience. We did that<br />
in New Jersey and that was an experience. This movie is so<br />
down and dirty and real, but it has a lot of humor and emotion,<br />
and an amazing payoff at <strong>the</strong> end. To see <strong>the</strong> crowd’s<br />
reaction, I really felt proud. Micky got it <strong>the</strong> first time he<br />
saw it. For Dicky, it was harder to swallow.<br />
DeaDline: It’s easy to see why Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n Christian Bale would spark to playing Dicky. By comparison,<br />
Micky is subtle and understated. Wasn’t <strong>the</strong>re a moment<br />
when you thought, ‘I should play Dicky’?<br />
WahlbeRg: No. There was always one role for me to play,<br />
and that was <strong>the</strong> champ. I wasn’t giving up <strong>the</strong> belt. And<br />
look, who else was going to play that part and be as believable?<br />
What I wanted to do was to create <strong>the</strong> most realistic<br />
boxing in <strong>the</strong> movie and look like I could win that title.<br />
DeaDline: Which fight performances inspired you?<br />
WahlbeRg: There are so many. Raging Bull is so different<br />
than Rocky. Daniel Day-Lewis was very good in a lot of ways<br />
in The Boxer. Body and Soul. Robert Ryan, Kirk Douglas.<br />
We wanted to make one that was our own, but <strong>the</strong>re was a<br />
little bit of <strong>the</strong> dark side of Raging Bull, and some Rocky. You<br />
see Micky Ward in any of his great fights, and <strong>the</strong>y play like<br />
Rocky because of his style of fighting. And let’s not forget<br />
Hilary Swank. She looked good in <strong>the</strong>re, starting out with<br />
no knowledge about a boxing ring. She’d never hit a speed<br />
bag, but she had heart and desire.<br />
DeaDline: When you first signed on, Darren Aronofsky was<br />
directing you and Matt Damon. Then Matt stepped out but<br />
no problem, you’ve got Brad Pitt negotiating. Then Aronofsky<br />
left to make The Wrestler, and Pitt left to make Inglourious<br />
Basterds. And you’re left behind. Did you fear that this movie<br />
wasn’t going to happen?<br />
WahlbeRg: I really couldn’t look at it like that. I’d already<br />
told Micky that we were going to get it done, and I<br />
was getting three or four phone calls a week from him. So,<br />
I had to figure it out. At Paramount, <strong>the</strong>y had a certain<br />
idea of how <strong>the</strong>y wanted <strong>the</strong> movie to be made, <strong>the</strong> filmmaker,<br />
<strong>the</strong> costar, and <strong>the</strong> budget. I went to <strong>the</strong> studio<br />
and said, I think I can figure out a way to get this movie<br />
done. Can you let me take it for a little while, and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
bring it back to you? I was able to get David O. Russell.<br />
After spending a lot of time with David, I just thought<br />
he could make a version of this movie we hadn’t been<br />
looking to make before. It would still be very real, but it<br />
would have more heart, humor and emotion.<br />
DeaDline: Thanks to <strong>the</strong> Internet, we all know how intense<br />
Russell can be, as well as Christian Bale. How was <strong>the</strong> intensity<br />
level and how did that affect your performance?<br />
WahlbeRg: People expected all kinds of fireworks, but you<br />
know what? That wasn’t going to go down. Christian felt<br />
like David had a really good take on <strong>the</strong> film and on his part,<br />
and we all felt that less was more when it came to <strong>the</strong> drugs<br />
and <strong>the</strong> addiction thing. I tried to set <strong>the</strong> tone early on and<br />
<strong>the</strong> vibe was good all <strong>the</strong> way through.<br />
DeaDline: I’ve heard you gambled most of your salary on<br />
<strong>the</strong> upside. When you work hard to establish a quote, what<br />
goes through your mind when you consider taking a big cut to<br />
get a picture made?<br />
WahlbeRg: This wasn’t hard at all. If you make those<br />
kinds of sacrifices for a good movie, all that o<strong>the</strong>r stuff<br />
will continue to be <strong>the</strong>re for you. I’m more nervous<br />
about taking a big salary on a big-budget movie where, if<br />
it doesn’t succeed, you’re in big trouble because you take<br />
all that weight for its failure.<br />
DeaDline: Was this <strong>the</strong> most adversity you’d experienced in<br />
getting a movie to happen?<br />
WahlbeRg: By far. I hope I never have to go through anything<br />
like this again, even though <strong>the</strong> results were extremely<br />
positive. It was nerve-racking, physically and mentally exhausting,<br />
right down to <strong>the</strong> final hours. But that’s symbolic<br />
of who Micky was, <strong>the</strong> guy who never gave up, who never<br />
quit. Playing him, I literally got into that head space. I’m<br />
like that anyway. I’m not one of those guys where <strong>the</strong>y just<br />
opened <strong>the</strong> gate and said, come in and do whatever you<br />
want.<br />
DeaDline: Amy Adams isn’t <strong>the</strong> first actress you think<br />
of to play a scrappy Lowell barmaid. When did you know<br />
she could nail this?<br />
WahlbeRg: I’d met her a long time ago on ano<strong>the</strong>r movie.<br />
I knew she looked <strong>the</strong> part, that Irish Catholic girl from<br />
Dorchester, Southie or Charlestown or any of those areas.<br />
It was more a matter of her wanting to do it, as opposed<br />
to any doubt she could. The role was actually very small,<br />
but David really wanted to beef that part up to make <strong>the</strong><br />
movie more appealing to women. We thought all along that<br />
guys would love this movie, but how were we going to get<br />
women? Boy, did we get lucky <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
DeaDline: You suggested Melissa Leo to play Alice Ward, <strong>the</strong><br />
mo<strong>the</strong>r of Micky and Dicky. And Micky’s actual trainer Mickey<br />
O’Keefe to play himself. And Sugar Ray Leonard to play himself.<br />
WahlbeRg: Whatever needed to be done. I’ve always<br />
thought of myself as someone with street smarts to make<br />
stuff happen. When it came to Mickey O’Keefe and Melissa<br />
Leo, <strong>the</strong>re were a lot of o<strong>the</strong>r big names being talked about<br />
who’d come in and think this is a chance to chew it up. But<br />
that would have taken away from <strong>the</strong> au<strong>the</strong>nticity of <strong>the</strong><br />
piece. With Mickey O’Keefe, I needed <strong>the</strong> real guy. Even if<br />
he wasn’t going to be good in <strong>the</strong> performance, he would be<br />
believable working in <strong>the</strong> ring with me during <strong>the</strong> training.<br />
He ended up being so good.<br />
DeaDline: Did using fight guys speed up <strong>the</strong> process?<br />
WahlbeRg: Some directors we talked to about doing <strong>the</strong><br />
movie said <strong>the</strong>re’s no way you can do this in 33 days. You’ll<br />
need 30 days just to shoot <strong>the</strong> fights. I’m like, what are we<br />
going to do for 30 days? Rub oil on each o<strong>the</strong>r, put <strong>the</strong> dolly<br />
in <strong>the</strong> ring, and all this craziness? We were using real fighters<br />
who weren’t messing around. I thought we could do those<br />
fights in a day or two but added a day to be safe. We got it<br />
done in those three days.<br />
DeaDline: What about The Fighter made you most proud?<br />
WahlbeRg: Just getting it made, in what I think is<br />
<strong>the</strong> best possible version of <strong>the</strong> movie. Getting David<br />
to direct, getting Christian on board. The first time I<br />
screened <strong>the</strong> movie, I was just looking but not really<br />
watching. I was just so shocked we’d actually gotten<br />
it done. I needed to see it again, right away, because I<br />
hadn’t paid attention to whe<strong>the</strong>r it was any good or not.<br />
I watched it and thought, wow, we’ve really got something<br />
here. Keeping my word with Mickey was great,<br />
and having Paramount say, you were right, we love <strong>the</strong><br />
way you did it. It’s as much <strong>the</strong>ir movie as mine. We all<br />
went down this road, along with David Hoberman and<br />
Todd Lieberman. And Relativity was willing to step up<br />
to <strong>the</strong> plate and believe in it and me. To go through all<br />
that and <strong>the</strong>n see people respond to <strong>the</strong> drama and <strong>the</strong><br />
fights, and feel that buzz build. This doesn’t happen<br />
that often and I’ve been on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side, where you<br />
had <strong>the</strong> best intentions going in and things just don’t<br />
work out <strong>the</strong> way you want.<br />
tHe SoCIaL netWoRk<br />
Mike De Luca, one of <strong>the</strong> producers with Scott<br />
Rudin and Dana Brunetti of The Social Network:<br />
“Dana had a relationship with author Ben<br />
Mezrich and got <strong>the</strong> proposal for The Accidental<br />
Billionaires, and it suggested a great story of how<br />
Facebook came toge<strong>the</strong>r and changed <strong>the</strong> lives of<br />
<strong>the</strong>se guys. Dana brought me in, we brought it<br />
to Sony, and <strong>the</strong>y went for it. At <strong>the</strong> same time,<br />
Scott was tracking it and had Aaron Sorkin, and<br />
Amy suggested we all team up.”<br />
“The film traffics in a human condition that<br />
could apply to any young person being told, ‘Stay<br />
in this box, do it our way.’ There’s an inclination<br />
to rebel. There are o<strong>the</strong>r underlying things powering<br />
<strong>the</strong> story, like <strong>the</strong> basic human need to belong,<br />
how painful it is to feel alienated, and <strong>the</strong><br />
jealousy that erupts among close friends when it<br />
looks like one is pulling away.”<br />
“I’ve never thought intelligence was age-related.<br />
Here, <strong>the</strong> issues of alienation and jealousy speak to<br />
a generation of Facebook-ing kids. There is cyberbullying,<br />
having your life play out online, and seeing<br />
instantly what people say and think of you. Social<br />
Network is a good story with human experience<br />
connective tissue that makes it ageless.”<br />
deadline.com 9
campaign<br />
promise<br />
halle berry returns to <strong>the</strong><br />
rAce with frAnkie & Alice<br />
S<br />
he hopes to duplicate what Jeff Bridges pulled off<br />
last year when he became a surprise last–minute<br />
entry into <strong>the</strong> Oscar race with Crazy Heart and won<br />
his first Academy Award. Halle Berry is trying for<br />
her second, launching a similar 11th–hour <strong>awards</strong><br />
season qualifying run for her indie effort Frankie<br />
& Alice. It opens December 17th in New York and<br />
Los Angeles before its regular <strong>the</strong>atrical release in<br />
<strong>the</strong> top 20 markets on February 4th, shortly after<br />
nominations are announced. Freestyle Releasing is<br />
handling distribution with P&A provided by funding<br />
raised by <strong>the</strong> producers (of which Berry is one).<br />
A true story, it’s a 1970s–set psychological drama in which Berry<br />
plays a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder. It’s exactly <strong>the</strong><br />
kind of Oscar bait that actors covet, but Berry’s motives are purer. “Her<br />
struggles with mental illness came at a time when <strong>the</strong> medical community<br />
and <strong>the</strong> public were still grappling with <strong>the</strong> veracity of multiple personality<br />
disorder, and I approached this role with feelings of humility, yet great<br />
responsibility,” Berry explains to me. “Bringing this story to <strong>the</strong> big screen<br />
has been a challenging, yet very satisfying, filmmaking experience.”<br />
The Oscar winner for Monster’s Ball (2001) has personally shepherded<br />
this “passion project” — hence <strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong> push which will include<br />
10,000 DVD screeners going out to <strong>the</strong> entire Academy, critics<br />
groups, SAG Nominating Committee members, and o<strong>the</strong>rs. But <strong>the</strong><br />
Best Actress race is already overcrowded this year with contenders all<br />
jockeying for attention, including Jennifer Lawrence, Annette Bening,<br />
Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, Diane Lane, Hilary Swank, Sally Hawkins,<br />
Noomi Rapace, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman,<br />
Lesley Manville, and Michelle Williams — to name a few. Whe<strong>the</strong>r it<br />
might have been wiser for Berry to wait until next year remains to be<br />
seen. (Her entry will be vying for attention with Kidman’s Rabbit Hole<br />
opening on <strong>the</strong> same day and also entering <strong>the</strong> fray late. Like Berry,<br />
Kidman is also a producer on her film.)<br />
Geoffrey Sax directed from a script by writing teams Cheryl<br />
Edwards and Marko King & Mary King & Jonathan Watters and Joe<br />
Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse (story by Edwards and Oscar Janiger<br />
and Phillip Goldberg). Producers also include Berry’s partner Vincent<br />
Cirrincione, Hassain Zaidi and Simon DeKaric. Tom Ortenberg’s One<br />
Way Out Media is consulting on marketing plans since he worked with<br />
Berry on <strong>the</strong> successful Monster’s Ball campaign when he was at Lionsgate.<br />
Frankie & Alice fur<strong>the</strong>r enhances Berry’s resumé of diverse films<br />
since winning an Academy Award — from <strong>the</strong> Bond entry Die Ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Day, to <strong>the</strong> X–Men films, to Catwoman, Perfect Stranger and Things We<br />
Lost In The Fire. For that, and because of her admirable lack of fear, she<br />
deserves yet ano<strong>the</strong>r shot at Oscar.<br />
10 deadline.com<br />
By Pete Hammond
For your consideration<br />
Best Animated Feature and Best Picture<br />
and In All Categories<br />
“When Hiccup fi rst climbs on Toothless’s back and<br />
urges <strong>the</strong> dragon to take wing, <strong>the</strong> hearts of <strong>the</strong> audience soar<br />
with a primitive and durable delight. The techniques that enabled<br />
this feeling may be dauntingly complicated, but <strong>the</strong> feeling<br />
could not be simpler.”<br />
A. O. Scott, The New York Times<br />
dwa<strong>awards</strong>.com
WItH HIS LateSt dIReCtoRIaL eFFoRt Ben aFFLeCk HaS BeCome<br />
an aCtoR and WRIteR WHo Can do It aLL<br />
oN thE towN<br />
By mIke FLemInG<br />
ben Affleck’s career trajectory rarely<br />
happens in Hollywood much less all<br />
by age 38: from unknown actor (Mallrats,<br />
Chasing Amy) to Oscar–winning<br />
co–writer (Good Will Hunting) to<br />
leading man (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor,<br />
Changing Lanes, The Sum of All<br />
Fears, Daredevil) to tabloid fixture<br />
(“Bennifer”) to washed–up star (after<br />
Gigli) to budding director (adapting Dennis Lehane’s novel<br />
Gone Baby Gone) to hot actor/helmer with <strong>the</strong> #1 opening<br />
movie September 17–19. For The Town, Affleck once again<br />
leaves rarefied Tinseltown and returns to his Boston roots<br />
and blue collar crime to adapt Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince<br />
Of Thieves for <strong>the</strong> big screen. The result: an adult–pleasing<br />
hit that has entered <strong>the</strong> Best Picture discussion.<br />
DeaDline: So you wrote yourself a second career as a director in<br />
Gone Baby Gone. Now you’ve written yourself <strong>the</strong> edgiest role of<br />
your acting career since Good Will Hunting. How much of this<br />
was about you wanting to reinvigorate your onscreen career?<br />
ben affleck: A huge part of this was wanting to play <strong>the</strong><br />
role. I hadn’t had <strong>the</strong> chance to play a character as interesting<br />
as <strong>the</strong> one Chuck wrote in <strong>the</strong> book in a long time. In that<br />
sense, it did feel like Good Will Hunting because I was trying<br />
to make <strong>the</strong> movie, in part, as a step in my acting career.<br />
DeaDline: These R–rated crime dramas with action sometimes<br />
get marginalized in Oscar season, but this one has stayed in <strong>the</strong><br />
conversation. Gone Baby Gone, though lauded, grossed only $35<br />
million worldwide. The Town so far has done more than $122<br />
million worldwide. What has most surprised you about <strong>the</strong> way it<br />
played and <strong>the</strong> reaction?<br />
affleck: Relative to my first movie, it didn’t have to do<br />
that well to be a step forward, so I was set up well. I think<br />
people caught up to that movie on DVD, but when you<br />
come out and do $20 million at <strong>the</strong> box office, nobody<br />
calls to congratulate you. In terms of pure commercial success,<br />
<strong>the</strong> thing that struck me was, our opening weekend<br />
on The Town was bigger than <strong>the</strong> whole number on Gone<br />
Baby Gone. This time, I had very modest expectations and<br />
I was really surprised <strong>the</strong> movie did as well as it did. It’s<br />
not a juggernaut, but my big goal was seeing it turn a profit<br />
for <strong>the</strong> studio. I use that as my metric for whe<strong>the</strong>r or not<br />
<strong>the</strong>y’ll let me direct ano<strong>the</strong>r movie. I remember calling up<br />
and saying, ‘So have you broken even yet? Are you going to<br />
make money on this? Are you happy?’ I’m a little embarrassed<br />
I’d done that, but it was what I set out to do. And it<br />
made me be sure I kept <strong>the</strong> costs down to under $40 million.<br />
This way I could make a movie that dealt with <strong>the</strong>mes<br />
that interested me, at a pace I like dramatically.<br />
12 deadline.com
DeaDline: What went through your mind as you were deciding<br />
whe<strong>the</strong>r or not to do this?<br />
affleck: My first thought was, I really wanted to play<br />
<strong>the</strong> role. But I was concerned that <strong>the</strong> overlap between<br />
this and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r movie I directed would be too much,<br />
and that I ran <strong>the</strong> risk of getting pigeonholed for making<br />
crime movies in Boston. When I really want to tell stories<br />
that take place all over. That made me pause. But <strong>the</strong>re<br />
were a couple things that ultimately persuaded me to take<br />
on directing it as well. There were a ton of great parts, and<br />
I thought <strong>the</strong> material gave me a shot to work with really<br />
good actors. And <strong>the</strong>re was a big challenge in trying to<br />
syn<strong>the</strong>size <strong>the</strong> two elements of <strong>the</strong> movie. There was <strong>the</strong><br />
traditional genre element — <strong>the</strong> robbery, heist, chase and<br />
all that stuff — which had to be done in an interesting and<br />
unique way in order to work. That needed to fuse with <strong>the</strong><br />
character drama on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side. I felt intimidated and<br />
daunted by that challenge, but felt, if I could execute it<br />
right, I’d put myself in a position to be able to make movies<br />
that I am really interested and attracted to. That is a rare<br />
thing in Hollywood. Mostly we’re just schmucks limited by<br />
our options.<br />
DeaDline: What did you do better this time?<br />
affleck: As director, this definitely had a broader scope<br />
than my first movie. On a basic level, movies are defined<br />
by performances and writing and it’s up to <strong>the</strong> director<br />
to bring those toge<strong>the</strong>r or screw it up. To some directors,<br />
this was a small film, but to me it was a big step forward<br />
in budget, scale and <strong>the</strong> attempt to cross–pollinate <strong>the</strong>se<br />
two kinds of movies.<br />
DeaDline: Ho w d i f f i c u l t wa s i t w h e n t h e d i re c t o r i s<br />
also <strong>the</strong> star?<br />
affleck: Because I was directing myself, I got to make<br />
my own determination about what was most interesting<br />
about my performance. That’s a double–edged sword.<br />
People know it is you making those decisions, so <strong>the</strong>y probably<br />
judge it more closely. And it calls into question your<br />
perspective on yourself. You put your taste on <strong>the</strong> line. If<br />
you can’t be good in a movie you direct and write, when is<br />
it going to happen for you? You can’t make <strong>the</strong> argument, I<br />
didn’t have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to succeed. The question became,<br />
was I sophisticated enough as a director and an actor<br />
to capitalize on those opportunities and to understand how<br />
to use <strong>the</strong>m? I shot a lot of film on myself, trying different<br />
things and basically directing myself in <strong>the</strong> editing room<br />
when I put <strong>the</strong> performance toge<strong>the</strong>r. I read somewhere<br />
that De Niro did <strong>the</strong> same thing on The Good Shepherd. I<br />
don’t know if it was true or not but <strong>the</strong> idea was reassuring.<br />
If I was going to fail, at least I would fail emulating De<br />
Niro. The approach proved to be, for me, really smart. You<br />
gain much more perspective on yourself in <strong>the</strong> cold dark of<br />
<strong>the</strong> editing room than you do on <strong>the</strong> set, trying to modulate<br />
your own performance along with everything else.<br />
DeaDline: You’ve hit <strong>the</strong> highs as an actor, been in gigantic<br />
blockbusters like Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, but you hit<br />
some low lows in your career, too. Instead of blaming your agent<br />
and getting a new one, or feeling sorry for yourself, you literally<br />
scripted a resurgence as a writer and director. What gave you <strong>the</strong><br />
courage to say, I can do this?<br />
affleck: I don’t know. Maybe it’s not being smart enough<br />
to know better and say to yourself, what do you think you’re<br />
doing? For me, <strong>the</strong>re was a lesson in Good Will Hunting, and<br />
even earlier in <strong>the</strong> things we were taught in <strong>the</strong> acting school<br />
we went to. Generating your own material is <strong>the</strong> only thing<br />
you can rely on. Opportunities come and go, things go well<br />
and dry up. But ultimately you have to be responsible for<br />
yourself, your life and your career. This wasn’t necessarily a<br />
question of nerve or drive, because a lot of people in Hollywood<br />
have that. It’s really a question, will you get <strong>the</strong> break?<br />
I’d felt for some time that I wanted to direct and I’d done<br />
some writing, and I wanted to continue down that road. I<br />
just didn’t know if I would get hold of <strong>the</strong> right material, or<br />
come up with <strong>the</strong> right idea, and, if I did, would people be<br />
receptive to it? The only reason Gone Baby Gone got made<br />
was that Dick Cook was willing to pick it up in turnaround.<br />
But I’d done a lap around <strong>the</strong> track at this point, seen <strong>the</strong><br />
highs and lows, and seen various versions of how things can<br />
turn out. If I’ve learned anything through that, it’s that a lot<br />
of what you get caught up in doesn’t mean anything. What<br />
you really have to be concerned about is your own work,<br />
and working hard. And that’s it. Here, I was grateful to have<br />
Jeff Robinov really believe in me, and Sue Kroll who I think<br />
is <strong>the</strong> reason why <strong>the</strong> movie was successful, and Alan Horn<br />
green lighting it. Robinov said, ‘I want to hire you, I believe<br />
in you, you’re going to have this much money to do it, cast<br />
who you want’. I just kept thinking, has he mistaken me for<br />
some proven filmmaker? But I do believe in myself. Any artistic<br />
endeavor has got risk in it and <strong>the</strong>y’re not all going to<br />
fall <strong>the</strong> right way, no matter how hard you work. A big part<br />
of it for me was not getting discouraged, and believing that,<br />
if I just had <strong>the</strong> chance to keep taking swings, I could be successful<br />
at some point.<br />
DeaDline: Your films display an understanding of <strong>the</strong> underclass,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> working class and through that you’ve established<br />
your wheelhouse. Then <strong>the</strong>re were rumors you considered directing<br />
Superman, which went to Zack Snyder. What factors do you<br />
consider in where to go next? Do you need to do a mega–budget<br />
film as a director?<br />
affleck: The one benefit of having done all kinds of<br />
movies as an actor is, you learn <strong>the</strong> pros and cons of being<br />
tempted to do a really big movie because it costs a<br />
lot of money. With Superman, I think <strong>the</strong>y’re going to<br />
do a great version. Chris Nolan is brilliant and <strong>the</strong>y’ve<br />
got a great director for it. I’ve love to do something like<br />
Blade Runner, but a lesson I’ve learned is to not look<br />
at movies based on budget, how much <strong>the</strong>y’ll spend on<br />
effects, or where <strong>the</strong>y will shoot. Story is what’s important.<br />
Also, <strong>the</strong>re are a lot of guys ahead of me on <strong>the</strong> list<br />
to do epic effects movies.<br />
DeaDline: If <strong>the</strong>re is an Oscar nomination for The Town,<br />
how much does <strong>the</strong> film owe The Departed for making it okay<br />
to consider an R–rated crime drama? Should this genre get more<br />
respect during <strong>awards</strong> season?<br />
affleck: It’s easy to lump movies like <strong>the</strong>se toge<strong>the</strong>r. My<br />
movie owes a lot to The Departed, it owes a lot to Mystic River,<br />
and it owes a lot to Heat. Also The Friends of Eddie Coyle.<br />
All are R–rated movies in that same vein, and <strong>the</strong> movies I<br />
used as <strong>the</strong> gold standard of success here.<br />
DeaDline: You’ve been part of two films that had magical Oscar<br />
night results, in Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in<br />
Love. What are your best memories?<br />
affleck: The great memory of Good Will Hunting was<br />
going to <strong>the</strong> Oscars with Matt, and it all being really new.<br />
Then we sat down and we were mentioned in Billy Crystal’s<br />
opening monologue. That was <strong>the</strong> biggest deal to us, this<br />
iconic guy, in his iconic role as host of <strong>the</strong> Oscars, mentioning<br />
us. It felt like stepping through <strong>the</strong> looking glass, where<br />
you are sitting at home watching television and all of a sudden<br />
<strong>the</strong> television starts talking to you. And <strong>the</strong>n we won<br />
and that was a great highlight, something that was hard for<br />
us to even absorb at that age. I was 25.<br />
DeaDline: How about Shakespeare in Love?<br />
affleck: Wonderful, just being part of that large group,<br />
like a football team. I felt like <strong>the</strong> guy on <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong><br />
bench of a championship team. It was just fun to be included.<br />
The fact it won stunned me.<br />
DeaDline: Many still can’t believe it bested Saving<br />
Private Ryan.<br />
affleck: Saving Private Ryan is an astounding movie.<br />
That opening sequence really changed forever how people<br />
shot action sequences. It redefined <strong>the</strong> genre of intense,<br />
powerful filmmaking. That debate is emblematic of what<br />
I like about movies. It’s just a matter of what touches you,<br />
and that’s what makes movies so wonderful.<br />
deadline.com 13
fter Tilda Swinton won <strong>the</strong> 2007<br />
Best Supporting Actress award<br />
for Michael Clayton, she decided<br />
to give <strong>the</strong> Oscar to her Hollywood<br />
agent Brian Swardstrom in<br />
order to calm him down for every<br />
time “I am on <strong>the</strong> speakerphone<br />
telling him I am going to do ano<strong>the</strong>r art film in Europe.”<br />
Once again <strong>the</strong>re is Oscar buzz for Swinton for ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
art film in Europe, but <strong>the</strong> odds are longer this time for<br />
her small Italian melodrama I Am Love (Io Sono L’Amore)<br />
which opened in June. That’s because <strong>the</strong> film was snubbed<br />
for Oscar contention by Italy even though it was one of <strong>the</strong><br />
year’s higher profile foreign language films grossing nearly<br />
$5 million in <strong>the</strong> U.S. alone. Despite this setback, U.S. distributor<br />
Magnolia is aggressively campaigning I Am Love for<br />
Best Actress and even Best Picture as well as Art Direction,<br />
Cinematography, Costumes, and Music. The Best Actress<br />
campaign will remind voters of <strong>the</strong> challenges <strong>the</strong> Scottish<br />
Swinton, had making a film in Italian with a Russian accent.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r than Robert De Niro playing <strong>the</strong> Sicilian young<br />
Don Corleone in The Godfa<strong>the</strong>r Part II (1974), no one has<br />
grabbed <strong>the</strong> gold working in a language not <strong>the</strong>ir own.<br />
DeaDline: I was cruising <strong>the</strong> Internet and saw a post that<br />
says ‘ Will Oscar love Tilda Swinton?’ Is it important for<br />
you to get that kind of attention in order for people to see a<br />
movie like I Am Love?<br />
TilDa SWinTon: Yes, I was involved in a film once in my<br />
14 deadline.com<br />
life that went on a certain treadmill and ended up at a certain<br />
Governors Ball. But even <strong>the</strong>n I wasn’t really aware of<br />
what was going on because it was all Greek to me. All I can<br />
say is, having worked on this film for 11 years and made it in<br />
Italy with my best friend, I’ve been astonished that it got<br />
any distribution at all let alone widely in <strong>the</strong> States and very<br />
well reviewed in <strong>the</strong> States. It’s wonderful to us that people<br />
are even still talking about <strong>the</strong> film, let alone still seeing it.<br />
DeaDline: You produced <strong>the</strong> film. Is that becoming increasingly<br />
necessary to get <strong>the</strong>se movies made that offer such<br />
a great role like this?<br />
SWinTon: I’ve always been closely attached to filmmakers<br />
in getting films made. I mean Orlando which was re–<br />
released this year was something Sally Potter and I pushed<br />
up a hill for five years before we were able to shoot it. It’s<br />
really good news for women to see that, if <strong>the</strong>y really want<br />
to get films made, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y’re going to have to get toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
with <strong>the</strong>ir friends and make <strong>the</strong>m — and not sit around<br />
waiting to be asked.<br />
DeaDline: You have said <strong>the</strong> film took you 11 years to get made.<br />
You stuck with this. Why?<br />
SWinTon: We grew it from scratch. It’s like, why do you<br />
stick with your children? And actually, when I think about<br />
it, yes, this film took 11 years but I’ve been attached to a<br />
number of films and produced <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>y’ve taken that<br />
long. It’s pretty regular for a personal project. Most films in<br />
my experience take a decade at least. A film like this takes a<br />
long time to even get <strong>the</strong> nerve to dream about it, let alone<br />
to develop a script and to get a group toge<strong>the</strong>r to make it.<br />
And <strong>the</strong>n, of course, <strong>the</strong>re’s <strong>the</strong> question of raising <strong>the</strong> finance.<br />
It gets easier and easier if that decade you’re working<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r also involves some members of <strong>the</strong> team going out<br />
and making reputations for <strong>the</strong>mselves. Which means people<br />
are prepared to put money into <strong>the</strong> project. That helps.<br />
DeaDline: Did you think your film would become one of <strong>the</strong><br />
more indie success stories here?<br />
SWinTon: It’s strange because on <strong>the</strong> one hand “expect”<br />
is not really <strong>the</strong> word. I mean, we dreamed. We were always<br />
clear we were making an international film, even though it’s<br />
an Italian film made in Italian and Russian. One of <strong>the</strong> things<br />
that I’ve been really gratified to notice is that American and<br />
all Anglophile critics have not really been going on about<br />
<strong>the</strong> fact that it’s not in English. And I think that was <strong>the</strong><br />
real hurdle for us to get it out of <strong>the</strong> small field that meant<br />
it was only going to be a foreign language film. Getting <strong>the</strong><br />
film into Italy was hard enough. It’s a film that’s probably<br />
appreciated less in Italy than anywhere. It was barely shown<br />
in Italy. And if your film is not made with a production company<br />
title above it, <strong>the</strong>n it can be tricky to get into cinemas.<br />
DeaDline: The Italians did not choose this for <strong>the</strong>ir entry into<br />
<strong>the</strong> Foreign Language race.<br />
SWinTon: In a funny way, we <strong>the</strong> producers were not surprised.<br />
We were disappointed, but we were not surprised. I<br />
had no idea what <strong>the</strong> criteria were that <strong>the</strong> selection committee<br />
were going by. We thought <strong>the</strong> Oscars is an American<br />
affair, and it’s an American prize, and we thought that<br />
maybe it would be a good idea to choose a film that had gone<br />
well and at least been distributed in America, let alone been<br />
well received. Again, ano<strong>the</strong>r portion of Greek for me.<br />
DeaDline: Was it a challenge for you speaking Italian<br />
with <strong>the</strong> Russian accent?<br />
SWinTon: That she wasn’t going to speak my language was<br />
a relief in many ways. I quite like being outside my own language,<br />
particularly someone so silent. But beyond that, no.<br />
She just came from so many books we discussed, and she<br />
came from films we discussed, and she came from people<br />
that we knew, and she came from someone I hadn’t seen for<br />
a couple of years. She just felt very easy and that’s <strong>the</strong> way<br />
I like it: to feel you’re going towards something that feels<br />
actually very familiar and very comfortable.<br />
DeaDline: Did winning <strong>the</strong> Oscar for Michael Clayton open<br />
up new doors for you?<br />
SWinTon: It is possible that I Am Love would not have<br />
had <strong>the</strong> distribution it had, and would not have had <strong>the</strong><br />
welcome that it had, without <strong>the</strong> imprimatur of that. If<br />
it helped, I’m really grateful. It <strong>the</strong>n feels to me like a<br />
fantastic use of a prize.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION<br />
BEST PICTURE<br />
BEST DIRECTOR<br />
Alejandro González Iñárritu<br />
BEST ACTOR<br />
Javier Bardem<br />
BEST ORIGINAL<br />
SCREENPLAY<br />
Alejandro González Iñárritu,<br />
Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone<br />
www.roadsideattractions<strong>awards</strong>.com<br />
“A near<br />
perfect fi lm.”<br />
-Chris Jones, ESQUIRE<br />
WINNER<br />
BEST ACTOR<br />
JAVIER BARDEM<br />
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL<br />
BEST FOREIGN<br />
LANGUAGE FILM<br />
Offi cial Entry – Mexico<br />
“AN AMAZING MOVIE.<br />
Its beauty can’t be denied. Javier Bardem in one of his best performances yet.”<br />
- Sasha Stone, AWARDS DAILY<br />
“The best fi lm Iñárritu has ever made.”<br />
- Michael Giltz, THE HUFFINGTON POST
i<br />
n a career now spanning more than 20 years, Peter Morgan has become one of <strong>the</strong> film<br />
industry’s most reliable writers, best known for crafting screenplays based on real–life<br />
people and events. In 2006 his original screenplay for The Queen was Oscar nominated,<br />
winning numerous o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>awards</strong> including a Golden Globe. The same year he<br />
won a BAFTA award for The Last King Of Scotland. Then he won an Oscar nod for<br />
adapting Frost/Nixon (2008) based on his own play. This year, he is writer and executive<br />
producer of his latest film Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood. A complete<br />
departure from his previous scripts, it’s a mult–character study telling three distinct<br />
stories about people affected by death or near death. It’s also <strong>the</strong> most personal of all<br />
Morgan’s work and something he wrote on spec not knowing if it would ever be made.<br />
DeaDline: What was your reaction when you saw <strong>the</strong> movie?<br />
peTeR moRgan: I spent most of <strong>the</strong> time when I watched for <strong>the</strong> first time loathing my<br />
work, wishing I had done more here or <strong>the</strong>re. And <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> second time, at <strong>the</strong> New York<br />
Film Festival, I really enjoyed it — not my work but <strong>the</strong> pace, of being allowed in. There are<br />
extremely honest things about it. I can assure<br />
you this is <strong>the</strong> most honest piece of writing I<br />
have ever done. I wrote it in a hut on a mountain<br />
for nobody because I wanted to. I don’t<br />
know, it just came to me.<br />
DeaDline: What drew you to this material?<br />
moRgan: The stuff that I have perhaps become<br />
known for that’s based on fact, and English<br />
statesmen shouting at each o<strong>the</strong>r all <strong>the</strong><br />
time, doesn’t entirely represent who I am. I am<br />
not a politics wonk. I like <strong>the</strong> idea of my writing<br />
reflecting more about who I am or o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
people. I wrote this not thinking for a minute<br />
that it would get made. I mean, <strong>the</strong> tsunami sequence<br />
— anyone in England would know if you<br />
write something like that, it’s just going to get<br />
taken out. You can’t afford anything like that. I<br />
wrote <strong>the</strong> first draft on my own in between assignments<br />
where I was being paid. I wasn’t paid<br />
to write this. I wrote it for myself and wrote it<br />
quite quickly and left it in a drawer.<br />
DeaDline: How did Clint Eastwood become<br />
involved in <strong>the</strong> film?<br />
moRgan: I sent it to my agent and he <strong>the</strong>n<br />
sent it to producer Kathleen Kennedy and she<br />
sent it to Steven Spielberg. He rang me up.<br />
Having a phone call from him was just a fantastic rite of passage. I loved it, and he was<br />
very focused, very likable, strictly business, and really sharp. The phone call lasted about<br />
three hours and I loved his ideas. I <strong>the</strong>n changed <strong>the</strong> script based on <strong>the</strong> notes he’d given<br />
me and was thrilled with it. I <strong>the</strong>n got a phone call saying, “Would you please come out<br />
to California as soon as possible.” So I jumped on a plane, went to <strong>the</strong> Universal lot for<br />
a meeting at 1 o’clock, went into <strong>the</strong> boardroom, an assistant came in and drew <strong>the</strong> curtains<br />
and said Mr. Spielberg has taken to having his meetings in <strong>the</strong> dark. She turned all<br />
<strong>the</strong> lights off, and <strong>the</strong>n she left and I thought, “Well, he’s really not here. It must be an<br />
imposter. But soon <strong>the</strong>re he was, and we had a really long lovely meeting in which he said<br />
<strong>the</strong> notes he had given me had harmed <strong>the</strong> script and I said, “No, it was good,” and he said,<br />
“No, no, it isn’t good and I damaged your work, and I don’t want to touch it again, and I<br />
want to go back to <strong>the</strong> original script that you sent me, and I want to give it to my friend<br />
16 deadline.com<br />
By Pete Hammond<br />
THE SURPRISING HEREAFTER<br />
PEtEr morgAN IS a maSteR oF manIPULatInG CHaRaCteRS,<br />
BUt not In tHIS SCReenPLay tHat manIPULated HIm<br />
Clint Eastwood.” Then I got this phone call saying Clint Eastwood wants to do it, and I<br />
said, “Wow, I can’t wait to start working.” But I not only didn’t have to do any rewrites, I<br />
wasn’t allowed to. I wondered why not since it was my material and I wanted to change it.<br />
But Clint said, “Don’t touch it. Don’t change it. I like it as it is. I want to make it as it is.”<br />
DeaDline: Was that reaction a surprise to you?<br />
moRgan: I’m not accustomed to that at all, I am accustomed to pain and self–destruction<br />
and draft after draft. On <strong>the</strong> one hand, you might think for a writer this was a<br />
dream come true. We finally came to this ra<strong>the</strong>r profound difference in our approaches.<br />
He likes <strong>the</strong> mess, <strong>the</strong> imperfection, <strong>the</strong> instinct. And it is full of bumpiness: it’s full of<br />
things that don’t quite add up or work that could be honed a bit more. But his view is<br />
<strong>the</strong> looseness and <strong>the</strong> imperfection allows an audience in. And it’s sort of <strong>the</strong> anti<strong>the</strong>sis<br />
of overworked controlled freakery that so much of <strong>the</strong> entertainment process is. There<br />
was something about <strong>the</strong> rawness of <strong>the</strong> first impulse that he wanted to preserve and<br />
protect. It’s a very different way of working than I’ve come across before.<br />
DeaDline: What kind of tone were you trying<br />
to achieve?<br />
moRgan: Writing this was in part an effort<br />
to help medicate <strong>the</strong> ever–present fear of death<br />
that you sort of live with. But it isn’t all about<br />
that. It feels to me like it’s a real correlation<br />
between grief and romance. And so somehow<br />
<strong>the</strong>re’s <strong>the</strong> blur between loneliness and grief in<br />
<strong>the</strong> story. The story needs to be harsh but it can<br />
be quite sweet or a sweet melancholy, and I think<br />
that was <strong>the</strong> tone I was after. I love how simple it<br />
is, and it’s not that emotionally manipulative.<br />
DeaDline: Do you feel <strong>the</strong> film was faithful<br />
to your script and were <strong>the</strong>re any scenes that<br />
weren’t shot?<br />
moRgan: No. I’ve never known anything like<br />
this before. For example, Clint told me <strong>the</strong> scenes<br />
with <strong>the</strong> Matt Damon character were shot in San<br />
Francisco. I originally wrote <strong>the</strong>m for Chicago.<br />
And Clint rang me up to say, “I hope you don’t<br />
mind, but we are going to actually change <strong>the</strong><br />
heading of <strong>the</strong> scene to say ‘San Francisco’ on <strong>the</strong><br />
script.” I said, “I think that’s very appropriate.”<br />
DeaDline: What is your motivation to write?<br />
moRgan: Sometimes you are lucky enough<br />
to get offered things and <strong>the</strong>re is no rhyme or reason. I am very lucky because I come from<br />
England and you have a whole range of things offered to you from television plays and shows<br />
and <strong>the</strong>atre so much more to explore, so it’s never really money. But it’s always what it is that<br />
interests you, although I’m not interested in Tony Blair so I don’t know why I keep writing<br />
about him. I am drawn to characters so full of internal contradictions. Idi Amin was one. I<br />
loved writing him.<br />
DeaDline: Do you want to direct?<br />
moRgan: The real beauty in my professional experience has been friendships and collaborations<br />
with filmmakers. I don’t want to direct. I have no directing ambition whatsoever. And<br />
as long as I meet filmmakers like Tom Hooper, Stephen Frears and o<strong>the</strong>rs who allow that collaboration,<br />
I can’t see why I would ever want to direct.
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N<br />
MATT BOMER<br />
Best Performance by an Actor<br />
In A Television Series - Drama<br />
“ Bomer gives White Collar <strong>the</strong> charm, wit<br />
WHITECOLLAR.USANETWORK.COM<br />
and sex appeal...”<br />
USA TODAY<br />
“ Terrific acting...” “Sparkling, snappy,<br />
bursting with energy...”<br />
LOS ANGELES TIMES<br />
“Slick and smart.” “...charming escapism.”<br />
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY<br />
“ Mr. Bomer makes it seem entirely plausible that someone<br />
who looks like a Brioni model could have<br />
an I.Q. as high as a physicist’s.”<br />
NEW YORK TIMES<br />
“...White Collar takes off in its own refreshing directions,<br />
with enough wit and sparkle to make <strong>the</strong> time fly by.”<br />
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL<br />
WHITE COLLAR<br />
Best Television Series -<br />
Drama
DOWN<br />
FROM THE<br />
MOUNTAIN<br />
Photo: Jeff Vespa/ContourPhotos.com
JJAMEs FRANcO ON THE pERFORMANcE OF HIs lIFE<br />
By mike ryan<br />
ames Franco describes his purpose on a movie<br />
set as “serving <strong>the</strong> director’s vision.” Considering<br />
his performance in Danny Boyle’s<br />
latest film, 127 Hours, <strong>the</strong> actor deserves a<br />
robust tip. Franco stars as Aron Ralston,<br />
<strong>the</strong> mountain climber who famously severed<br />
his right arm to escape a boulder that<br />
pinned him in a canyon for five days in 2003.<br />
But this is no standard biopic: It’s virtually<br />
a one–man show of survival, humor and surreal grace that<br />
has put both Franco and Boyle on this year’s Oscar shortlist.<br />
Movieline spoke with Franco about acting alone, <strong>the</strong> audience<br />
reaction to 127 Hours and why his personal life is not<br />
<strong>the</strong> performance art piece you might have heard.<br />
MOVIELINE: In 127 Hours <strong>the</strong>re’s a scene where Aron is recording<br />
a goodbye of sorts because he’s accepted that he’s going to die. He<br />
thinks he hears someone above and screams maniacally for help.<br />
Later, he watches himself scream back on <strong>the</strong> video and says to<br />
himself, “Don’t lose it.” When you’re filming that scene, did you<br />
mean ‘don’t lose your sanity’ or ‘don’t lose your will to live?’<br />
JaMEs FraNcO: I guess a bit of both. You know, you might<br />
say that <strong>the</strong>y kind of go hand in hand. I would imagine if I<br />
was in that situation <strong>the</strong>re is a real pull to just get desperate.<br />
There are moments when he’s first trapped and he tries<br />
to pull his hand out with brute strength — you would try<br />
and do that! And it leads to some foolish acts. He drinks too<br />
much water. Or even when he basically says, “Screw it,” and<br />
drinks <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> water. I can relate to moments like<br />
that. I was just — ugh, I don’t care, just do it. And <strong>the</strong>n you<br />
have to face <strong>the</strong> consequences. So I think in <strong>the</strong> moment<br />
where he says, “Don’t lose it, Aron,” he has ano<strong>the</strong>r side of<br />
himself that was an engineer [and] has been in dangerous<br />
situations. So I think he’s calling on that side of himself to<br />
help him think his way out.<br />
MOVIELINE: In 127 Hours <strong>the</strong>re are a lot of scenes that break<br />
<strong>the</strong> tension, like <strong>the</strong> talk show scene. You had fun during that<br />
scene, didn’t you?<br />
FraNcO: I like that scene. I like when that scene comes on<br />
[laughs]. And that was a late addition because Danny wrote<br />
<strong>the</strong> original script and <strong>the</strong>n he brought Simon [Beaufoy] on<br />
and I think that was Simon’s idea. Because I saw <strong>the</strong> original<br />
videos and Aron does not do that. Some of <strong>the</strong> videos in our<br />
film are verbatim, but that one is not. But Aron, you can also<br />
say, can be a very goofy guy and likes to have fun. Just <strong>the</strong><br />
humor in general, I knew and Danny knew, were essential to<br />
this movie. You needed that balance and you needed it early<br />
on. You know, you get a lot of it at <strong>the</strong> top because humor<br />
is so powerful and it really brings <strong>the</strong> audience toward <strong>the</strong><br />
character and it gets <strong>the</strong> audience on <strong>the</strong> character’s side.<br />
And you really need a little bit of that goofiness because<br />
it’s just disarming. But most people who come in to see this<br />
movie know what’s going to happen — right?<br />
MOVIELINE: I’d say that’s true.<br />
FraNcO: So as funny as you get, it’s also always tempered by<br />
this knowledge. So it’s great! We actually get our cake and<br />
eat it, too! You can be goofy, but it’s almost like, in inverse<br />
proportions, <strong>the</strong> goofier you are <strong>the</strong> weightier it gets. So in<br />
<strong>the</strong> false video, <strong>the</strong> faux talk show, <strong>the</strong> goofier that I am ...<br />
<strong>the</strong> more poignant it’s going to be. Because it’s a guy using<br />
humor to face himself and to also try and escape a situation<br />
but also face a situation.<br />
MOVIELINE: The arm–severing scene obviously gets quite a<br />
squirm from viewers, but somehow nothing like <strong>the</strong> scene of you<br />
removing, moistening and replacing your contact lens.<br />
FraNcO: Really? I did [<strong>the</strong> scene], but I don’t think it was<br />
in that shot. There was a different part where — and I<br />
don’t even know if it ended up in <strong>the</strong> movie, it might be<br />
<strong>the</strong>re for a second — where <strong>the</strong>y shot ano<strong>the</strong>r guy because<br />
I don’t have contacts. And I tried and I tried and you don’t<br />
want it to be ruined because somebody is saying, “Looks<br />
like somebody doesn’t really have contacts.” So I think he<br />
got an extreme close—<br />
up with somebody’s eye<br />
doing it — but I did it as<br />
well.<br />
MOVIELINE: Where did so<br />
much bizarre imagery come<br />
from? There’s Scooby–Doo,<br />
<strong>the</strong> beverage scene...<br />
FraNcO: [Laughs] That’s<br />
all right, because that’s<br />
part of Danny’s taste.<br />
I actually always laugh<br />
when it’s <strong>the</strong> Bill Wi<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
song playing and it cuts<br />
to <strong>the</strong>se old commercials<br />
of [laughing] people on<br />
<strong>the</strong> beach with <strong>the</strong> waves<br />
hitting <strong>the</strong>m. It’s Aron’s<br />
thirst, but that’s Danny’s style bringing in that kind of<br />
thing. I think one of <strong>the</strong> things that Danny wants to do<br />
is challenge himself. He wants to use stories and material<br />
that hasn’t been tackled or use old genres — let’s just say 28<br />
Days Later, <strong>the</strong> old zombie genre — and make it fresh and<br />
he wants to entertain. He’d challenge himself by saying,<br />
“Here’s something that maybe can’t be done: A guy alone,<br />
but how do I make that entertaining?” He wants to challenge<br />
audience but he also wants to entertain audiences.<br />
MOVIELINE: Do you feel that <strong>the</strong> media is fair to you? I mean,<br />
between <strong>the</strong> coverage of General Hospital and <strong>the</strong> pictures of<br />
you online sleeping at a lecture, is that fair?<br />
FraNcO: I think a lot of things about this. I got to a point<br />
with my career — we’re talking five or six years ago now —<br />
where I was doing projects that I didn’t want to be doing,<br />
and I didn’t have faith in myself that I could do stuff that<br />
I’m interested in: Work with people that I admire. I take<br />
full responsibility, but I looked for advice from people and<br />
I listened to advice too much instead of listening to my own<br />
taste and looking for things that just interested me. So now<br />
that’s what I do. And a big part of that is understanding ...<br />
I’m sorry, this is such a big answer. As an actor, I now understand<br />
my part, my role, in a movie is to serve a director’s<br />
vision. That’s what I believe.<br />
So, I think it’s my job to serve a director’s vision. I<br />
didn’t understand that before, as an actor. I was, in a way,<br />
trying to direct movies from an actor’s standpoint — and<br />
that’s just craziness. It can’t be done and it makes <strong>the</strong> process<br />
really unpleasant and it doesn’t lead to <strong>the</strong> best work.<br />
Because I have that understanding now, I only want to work<br />
with people who I look up to or whose work I respect. Or!<br />
Or if it’s a situation that interests me for some reason or<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r. Seth Rogen taught me, “Don’t do any movie that<br />
you wouldn’t go and watch if you weren’t in it.” That’s what<br />
he believes. That’s really good advice — I follow that to an<br />
extent. But <strong>the</strong>re will be some movies that I’ll do where I<br />
may get something else out of it. Like Eat Pray Love. You<br />
know what? If I get to work with Julia Roberts in a romantic<br />
kind of movie that’s based on a book that a bunch of women<br />
readers have just loved — that’s kind of like <strong>the</strong> pinnacle<br />
of that kind of thing. I just want to experience that and if I<br />
only have to work a week on it. Why not? You know? Why<br />
not? Just go and do that. But, also, because I’ve come to <strong>the</strong><br />
understanding that my role as an actor is to serve somebody<br />
else’s vision, I want to have o<strong>the</strong>r outlets. I want to have<br />
situations where it can be my vision. It’s just ano<strong>the</strong>r way<br />
of being involved in films or writing or whatever, it’s just a<br />
different kind of orientations. I’m collaborative. I love collaborating.<br />
It’s just taking a different position in <strong>the</strong> collaboration.<br />
I can’t even remember what your question was.<br />
MOVIELINE: Do you feel that <strong>the</strong> media is fair to you?<br />
FraNcO: Things like a picture of me sleeping in class?<br />
What am I going to do? It actually wasn’t class; William<br />
Kentridge was giving a talk that I didn’t need to be at.<br />
It’s kind of OK with me because I think it’s very hard<br />
for people. People don’t want <strong>the</strong> guy from Pineapple<br />
Express to be going to Yale and getting a PH.D. They<br />
don’t like it. I think people just want to ... If <strong>the</strong>y can’t<br />
get pictures of me drunk coming out of a club, <strong>the</strong> worst<br />
<strong>the</strong>y can get of me is sleeping in a lecture. OK. If <strong>the</strong>y<br />
want to paint <strong>the</strong> picture of <strong>the</strong> stoner going to school,<br />
it’s kind of okay with me because it actually takes a lot<br />
of pressure off. If that’s <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong>y want to depict me,<br />
it’s fine because my schoolwork isn’t a performance. I’m<br />
going <strong>the</strong>re because I’m getting so much out of it and<br />
I’m getting to work with all of my favorite writers or<br />
professors. So, if that’s how <strong>the</strong>y want to depict it, it’s<br />
not taking away from why I’m <strong>the</strong>re. You kind of have<br />
to roll with it.<br />
movieline.com 19
<strong>the</strong> low CoUNtRY<br />
Low’s FeLix Bush is one oF those once—in—a—LiFetime roLes<br />
Get<br />
to hear Robert Duvall tell it, he almost missed<br />
out on <strong>the</strong> part for “o<strong>the</strong>r stuff ” — an unspecified<br />
bit of work that could just as easily turned<br />
out to be ano<strong>the</strong>r one of his genius exercises extending<br />
out from his big–screen breakthrough<br />
in To Kill a Mockingbird through The Godfa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
I & II, Network, Apocalypse Now, his Oscar–winning Tender<br />
Mercies, Lonesome Dove, The Apostle… and now Get Low.<br />
MOVIELINE: Get Low was in development for what feels like forever;<br />
When did it come to you?<br />
rOBErT DUVaLL: Oh, it was in <strong>the</strong> early stages — four, five,<br />
six years ago, I think. It’s <strong>the</strong> same old thing we’re doing for<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r projects right now, which is just to find <strong>the</strong> money. It’s<br />
extremely difficult. I figure if <strong>the</strong> Zanuck dynasty can’t get<br />
money, who can, right? They came to my farm in Virginia,<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>re was a time when nothing was happening.<br />
There was a rewrite that wasn’t very good. And <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y<br />
brought this guy in from Alabama — Charlie Mitchell —<br />
who rewrote it beautifully, and <strong>the</strong>y came to my farm again<br />
with him, and that really sold me on it. But <strong>the</strong>y still couldn’t<br />
get <strong>the</strong> money. Then I saw [co–producer] Dean Zanuck and<br />
his fa<strong>the</strong>r — I wasn’t even thinking about it, and all of a sudden,<br />
a year ago last December, <strong>the</strong>y said, “We got <strong>the</strong> money!<br />
We’ve got to go!” I said, “Well, I’m not ready. I can’t.” I<br />
thought I had o<strong>the</strong>r stuff. But <strong>the</strong>n I thought, “Maybe I’d<br />
better go do this. It’s such a good project.” The o<strong>the</strong>r things<br />
didn’t materialize anyway.<br />
MOVIELINE: What do you think your character, Felix, was doing<br />
out in <strong>the</strong> woods — in seclusion — for 40 years?<br />
rOBErT DUVaLL: For 40 years! I know. I’ve often thought<br />
of that. He must have had a lot of filler time. I guess <strong>the</strong>y<br />
couldn’t put in <strong>the</strong> movie how he learned to love <strong>the</strong> land,<br />
where he lived, and learned with solitude. The hermits I’ve<br />
come in contact with sometimes, all <strong>the</strong>y want to do is talk.<br />
All <strong>the</strong>y want to do is socialize. It’s not that <strong>the</strong>y’re like this<br />
when <strong>the</strong>y come out.<br />
MOVIELINE: I get <strong>the</strong> impression that despite his regrets and guilt,<br />
he really does appreciate that <strong>the</strong>re’s a mythology around him.<br />
rOBErT DUVaLL: He gets a kick out of it. “You boys come and<br />
throw rocks at my window for 25 years?” It kind of reminds<br />
me of some of my uncles in Virginia — my dad’s people from<br />
way back. They’d tell little stories about <strong>the</strong> past and what’s<br />
going on. But once again, I wouldn’t be sitting with you today<br />
if it hadn’t have been for Mitchell — <strong>the</strong> guy who came<br />
in to rewrite. Just had beautiful touches. Beautiful touches.<br />
MOVIELINE: Like what?<br />
rOBErT DUVaLL: Well, like <strong>the</strong> girl at <strong>the</strong> end — with <strong>the</strong><br />
white. Finding <strong>the</strong> thing to give to Sissy [Spacek] in <strong>the</strong><br />
graveyard, with <strong>the</strong> dogs. The names. The little touches<br />
20 movieline.com<br />
that aLL actors crave. even roBert DuvaLL<br />
By S.T. vanairSdale<br />
about how [she] played piano in <strong>the</strong> past. He put <strong>the</strong>se<br />
things in <strong>the</strong>re that just made it live. Because he’s a wonderful<br />
writer from Alabama — and it’s a Sou<strong>the</strong>rn tale, so to<br />
speak. I mean, it could happen in… Vermont. I remember<br />
when I was in <strong>the</strong> Army, I bunked over a guy from Virginia.<br />
Then two weeks later I switched to ano<strong>the</strong>r place, and I<br />
bunked with a potato farmer from Maine. And he was more<br />
country than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r guy! So <strong>the</strong>re’s a kinship from South<br />
to North, probably an Anglican thing that runs through<br />
from England on down.<br />
MOVIELINE: I recognized certain traits of Felix’s from The Apostle.<br />
How did those characters interrelate to you, if at all?<br />
DUVaLL: I never really thought about it that much, really.<br />
They just had something to atone for. Actually... Get Low<br />
reminds me of a Horton Foote project, and I always wish<br />
he’d lived to see it. The day I came to deliver <strong>the</strong> speech to<br />
<strong>the</strong> people — I only did it once — <strong>the</strong> mule’s coming with<br />
<strong>the</strong> casket I built for myself for when I really die, and <strong>the</strong>y<br />
said “Action.” And my wife’s off–camera, and she gets a phone<br />
call from <strong>the</strong> son–in–law saying Horton Foote had just died.<br />
It was like full–circle from To Kill a Mockingbird — it was like<br />
one of his pieces. I always told Horton, “If I ever do this movie,<br />
I want you to see it.” And <strong>the</strong>n he passed away.<br />
MOVIELINE: People always talk about <strong>the</strong> ‘valedictory role’ — that<br />
one big role that an actor takes on before retiring. And some actors<br />
don’t even recognize <strong>the</strong> concept. Have you thought about that?<br />
DUVaLL: Lonesome Dove. I said, “Now I can retire. Let <strong>the</strong> English<br />
have Hamlet and King Lear; I’ll play Augustus McCray.” A<br />
great, great character. And we had time to develop it.<br />
MOVIELINE: Did you contemplate retiring?<br />
DUVaLL: No. No, I just made that statement to myself; I felt<br />
I’d done something that made me<br />
feel complete — that you don’t<br />
feel very often.<br />
MOVIELINE: Some of your most<br />
memorable film roles have come out<br />
of working with younger directors<br />
— going all <strong>the</strong> way back to Robert<br />
Mulligan, who was 35 when he directed<br />
To Kill a Mockingbird.<br />
DUVaLL: Was Mulligan younger?<br />
Wow. Well, he had done television.<br />
Yeah, well… It’s so hard to<br />
raise money. The same guy who<br />
wrote <strong>the</strong> adaptation of Lonesome<br />
Dove had written a part 25<br />
years ago of a character who is<br />
very much like <strong>the</strong> guy in Lonesome<br />
Dove. It’s a great, great part.<br />
And now this top young French director [Xavier Giannoli]<br />
is obsessed with it.<br />
MOVIELINE: What is it about <strong>the</strong>se guys — from Lucas and Coppola<br />
to Get Low director Aaron Schneider and Crazy Heart<br />
director Scott Cooper — that drives you?<br />
DUVaLL: Well, I mean, if <strong>the</strong>y’re young and talented, why not<br />
get a break, you know? Or — better a talented guy from<br />
Paris, France, than a hack from Dallas. You know? Because<br />
you get a different perspective. But young people — and I<br />
hate to use <strong>the</strong> word ‘passion’ — but if <strong>the</strong>y have passion or<br />
feeling for something <strong>the</strong>y’re connected with or that <strong>the</strong>y’ve<br />
written, why not? Why not? Maybe a young director isn’t<br />
jaded as much. They’re fresher.<br />
MOVIELINE: Do you want to direct again?<br />
DUVaLL: Yeah... I would like to. They say to direct is<br />
tough, to [act and direct] is tougher. When I did both,<br />
it was easier <strong>the</strong>n if I was acting. You just do it; it’s fun. I<br />
know it’s good; I see it on <strong>the</strong> day, you don’t have to keep<br />
poring over it until <strong>the</strong> time comes to edit. I did it twice,<br />
and I loved it.<br />
MOVIELINE: The Apostle wouldn’t even work had you not<br />
directed it.<br />
DUVaLL: I agree. I made a joke that I wanted to put up<br />
a full–length mirror so I could yell at <strong>the</strong> director anytime<br />
I wanted to.<br />
MOVIELINE: The scenes just go on. You never cut!<br />
DUVaLL: You know, you work with a director and say, “OK,<br />
that was good. What do you think?” And he says, “That’s<br />
good, OK.” I don’t need <strong>the</strong> guy <strong>the</strong>re to check with to<br />
know that it’s time to move on.
BAFFLING BAFTA<br />
Extravagant film producer Alexander Korda first<br />
broached <strong>the</strong> idea of establishing a British equivalent<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Academy of Motion Picture Arts and<br />
Sciences over a suitably lavish dinner he was hosting<br />
for his fellow film swells at swank Claridge’s Hotel on<br />
May 13, 1947. Those sitting round <strong>the</strong> table included<br />
directors David Lean and Carol Reed and Ealing<br />
Comedies creator Michael Balcon. Having worked<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir way through sole with Liebfraumilch followed<br />
by steak and kidney pie, Korda compared <strong>the</strong>ir dessert<br />
of hot whipped meringue concealing a frozen ice<br />
cream heart to Russian women of his acquaintance.<br />
That’s when <strong>the</strong> conversation abruptly turned to<br />
why didn’t Britain have its own film academy giving<br />
<strong>awards</strong>? There had never been a British equivalent of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Oscars, so Lean was appointed <strong>the</strong> first chairman<br />
and donated his royalties. At <strong>the</strong> inaugural <strong>awards</strong> on<br />
May 29, 1949, Laurence Olivier presented just four<br />
categories. Now <strong>the</strong> British Academy Of Film & Television<br />
Arts presents 22 at its televised film–only <strong>awards</strong> show.<br />
If you think <strong>the</strong> Oscars are overly complicated,<br />
<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> BAFTAs will positively baffle. That’s because<br />
<strong>the</strong> current push is for <strong>the</strong>ir increasing democratization.<br />
Only <strong>the</strong> 6,350 film members are allowed to vote<br />
for <strong>the</strong> motion picture <strong>awards</strong>. They used to wade<br />
“ROBERT DUVALL HAS GONE NEARLY 50 YEARS<br />
IN MOVIES VIRTUALLY WITHOUT A FALSE NOTE<br />
AND ‘GET LOW’ GIVES HIM TIME AND ROOM TO<br />
EXPLORE THE CREVICES OF A WILY, WOUNDED SOUL.”<br />
-A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES<br />
“THIS FILM RELAYS AN INTRIGUING STORY<br />
BROUGHT TO LIFE BY SOME BEAUTIFUL ACTORS.<br />
A PITCH PERFECT PORTRAYAL FROM SISSY SPACEK.<br />
BILL MURRAY’S SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE<br />
SHOULD BE REMEMBERED COME<br />
AWARDS TIME- AS SHOULD DUVALL’S.”<br />
-Michael Phillips, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE<br />
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.GETLOWTHEFILM.COM<br />
Tim Adler in london<br />
explAins The BriTish oscArs<br />
through every film released in Britain but that changed<br />
in 2005 when it became <strong>the</strong> responsibility of each pic’s<br />
producer and distributor to decide submissions which<br />
close on November 18 for <strong>the</strong> <strong>2011</strong> BAFTAs. The longlist<br />
will be published on December 3.<br />
BAFTA’s management has long debated whe<strong>the</strong>r to<br />
have just two voting rounds like <strong>the</strong> Academy Awards.<br />
But, fearful that worthy films would be overlooked, <strong>the</strong><br />
leadership believes <strong>the</strong> first round establishes <strong>the</strong> broad<br />
universe of films from which nominees and winners can be<br />
selected. Second round voting opens on December 8 and<br />
closes on January 5. The actual BAFTA nominations will<br />
ALL CATEGORIES<br />
including<br />
BEST PICTURE<br />
BEST ACTOR<br />
Robert Duvall<br />
BEST SUPPORTING<br />
ACTOR<br />
Bill Murray<br />
BEST SUPPORTING<br />
ACTRESS<br />
Sissy Spacek<br />
WINNER<br />
BEST ACTOR<br />
Hollywood Film Festival<br />
GOTHAM AWARDS<br />
CAREER TRIBUTE<br />
BEST ACTRESS<br />
Sally Hawkins<br />
be announced on January 18. Final voting for <strong>the</strong> February<br />
13 award winners begins later that same day. For this third<br />
and final round, BAFTA members only vote for Best Film,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> four performance categories, and Film Not In <strong>the</strong><br />
English Language (which can include UK films made in<br />
Welsh, Scots Gaelic, even Cornish, as well as French,<br />
Italian, and so on).<br />
All <strong>the</strong> technical categories are voted by specialized<br />
chapters each made up of at least 80 film<br />
craft members. Some categories are <strong>the</strong>n thrown out<br />
again for all BAFTA members, with a few decided<br />
by juries. Then <strong>the</strong>re is <strong>the</strong> “Super Jury” made up<br />
of non–conflicted committee members, filmmakers,<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>r industry types who decide <strong>the</strong> winner<br />
of Outstanding British Film. By contrast, <strong>the</strong> most<br />
democratic process is for <strong>the</strong> Orange Rising Star<br />
Award. This year a jury will pick a longlist of eight<br />
before mobile phone customers who buy a midweek<br />
cinema ticket cut it to five. That shortlist <strong>the</strong>n goes out to<br />
<strong>the</strong> general public again.<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong>ir different procedures, how amusing that<br />
BAFTA and AMPAS have picked <strong>the</strong> same best motion<br />
picture winner five times in <strong>the</strong> past 11 years: Hurt Locker,<br />
Slumdog Millionaire, The Lord of <strong>the</strong> Rings: The Return of <strong>the</strong><br />
King, Gladiator, and American Beauty.<br />
“A FUNNY, TOUCHING AND VITAL SALUTE TO WOMEN.”<br />
-Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE<br />
“SALLY HAWKINS IS IS SUPERB.<br />
MIRANDA RICHARDSON ELECTRIFIES.”<br />
-Liz Smith<br />
BEST PICTURE<br />
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS<br />
Miranda Richardson Rosamund Pike<br />
MADE IN DAGENHAM<br />
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.MADEINDAGENHAMMOVIE.COM<br />
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR<br />
Bob Hoskins
T<br />
By Pete hammond<br />
IN THE TRENCHES WITH OSCAR<br />
four Past show Producers reflect on how to recaPture viewers<br />
he Oscars are such a big show that no matter what<br />
you do <strong>the</strong>re are going to be people who like it, and<br />
people who don’t,” muses Gil Cates, producer of a<br />
record 14 Oscar telecasts. The Academy’s Board of<br />
Governors has been discussing how to improve <strong>the</strong>ir telecast,<br />
even suggesting a January date change to make it <strong>the</strong><br />
first major <strong>awards</strong> shows (that idea is now on hold), on<br />
top of expanding <strong>the</strong> list of Best Picture nominees from<br />
five to ten to make room for popcorn films among <strong>the</strong><br />
elitist indies (that idea was implemented). Here, I pick<br />
<strong>the</strong> brains of four past Oscar show producers:<br />
GIL CATES<br />
Produced 14 telecasts sPanning 1990 to 2008<br />
“Now you see stars everywhere, so <strong>the</strong> show has to aspire<br />
to something bigger and better than simply seeing<br />
stars. It’s an important element. But <strong>the</strong> most important<br />
thing is to do a show you like. There’s no way to get<br />
out totally alive, so do a show that’s unique and fun and<br />
special. That’s a victory. I hope <strong>the</strong> Academy considers<br />
perhaps alternating some of <strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong>. I hope <strong>the</strong>y<br />
can come up with a way to streamline because that’s in<br />
<strong>the</strong> best interest of <strong>the</strong> show. There are always going to<br />
be branches upset by that, and it’s a big political issue<br />
for <strong>the</strong> AMPAS President and Board to tackle. But as<br />
long as <strong>the</strong>y keep <strong>the</strong>ir eyes open to <strong>the</strong> possibilities of<br />
change, <strong>the</strong>y are in great shape. One year I gave many<br />
of <strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong> from where <strong>the</strong> audience was sitting. I<br />
thought it was novel. A lot of folks thought it was too<br />
“Astonishing. Mike Leigh has long been a great director,<br />
but now he is surely at <strong>the</strong> top of his form.”<br />
-Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES<br />
“Lesley Manville achieves greatness.”<br />
-Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY<br />
all categories<br />
including<br />
best picture<br />
best director<br />
mike leigh<br />
best original screenplay<br />
mike leigh<br />
best actress<br />
lesley manville<br />
best supporting actress<br />
ruth sheen<br />
best supporting actor<br />
jim broadbent<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r year<br />
WWW.ANOTHERYEARMOVIE.COM<br />
novel. I didn’t do it <strong>the</strong> next year. You have to respect<br />
<strong>the</strong> Academy and respect <strong>the</strong> purpose of <strong>the</strong> <strong>awards</strong> and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n do something that has your own unique feel to it. I<br />
always love producing <strong>the</strong> show. I’d love to do it ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
five or six times. How can anyone get tired producing<br />
<strong>the</strong> Academy Awards?”<br />
RICHARD ZANUCK<br />
Produced with wife lili fini Zanuck <strong>the</strong><br />
72nd <strong>awards</strong> in 2000<br />
“I think it’s about revising <strong>the</strong> show, not <strong>the</strong> date. They<br />
always say <strong>the</strong> problem is all <strong>the</strong>se o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>awards</strong> shows,<br />
but that’s because you’re thinking of <strong>the</strong> show as it’s always<br />
been. Let’s put on a different kind of show. Let’s<br />
compact <strong>the</strong> show within 90 minutes and have a whole<br />
different concept. Of course that would unfortunately<br />
mean eliminating certain technical categories. So you<br />
would have to fight those battles with <strong>the</strong> various guilds<br />
and have ano<strong>the</strong>r event like <strong>the</strong> Academy has done with<br />
<strong>the</strong> Governors Awards. Ultimately, <strong>the</strong> answer is doing a<br />
better and more ingenious show.”<br />
JOE ROTH<br />
Produced <strong>the</strong> 76th <strong>awards</strong> in 2004<br />
“I wanted to move <strong>the</strong> date earlier. When I produced <strong>the</strong><br />
show six years ago. I felt <strong>the</strong> Academy had ceded its specialness<br />
to all <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r award shows by going so late, and<br />
I felt <strong>the</strong>re were only two ways to get it back. One way<br />
was to say to performers, ‘if you’re on any o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>awards</strong><br />
show, you can’t do <strong>the</strong> Oscars’. I think that would have<br />
worked 15 years ago, but not now. The second way is you<br />
keep pushing <strong>the</strong> date earlier and just make it impossible<br />
for o<strong>the</strong>rs to compete with it. I think <strong>the</strong> Academy may<br />
have spent too long thinking <strong>the</strong>y were <strong>the</strong> only game in<br />
town only to watch some of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>awards</strong> shows steal<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir thunder. The earlier <strong>the</strong>y go, <strong>the</strong> better off <strong>the</strong>y are.<br />
It may be too little too late, but it’s <strong>the</strong> right idea.”<br />
LAURENCE MARK<br />
Produced with Bill condon <strong>the</strong> 81st<br />
<strong>awards</strong> in 2009<br />
“One of <strong>the</strong> biggest challenges is that this is a television<br />
show, a <strong>the</strong>ater piece, and a celebration of filmmaking all<br />
in one. So in a sense you are serving three masters. It’s<br />
also a show for <strong>the</strong> TV audience, and <strong>the</strong> audience in <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ater, so you need to pay attention to both. If <strong>the</strong> audience<br />
in <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ater is not enjoying <strong>the</strong>mselves, chances<br />
are <strong>the</strong> TV audience won’t be having a good time, ei<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> things you learn is that <strong>the</strong> host does indeed<br />
set <strong>the</strong> tone for <strong>the</strong> show. And that <strong>the</strong>re are certain givens.<br />
If you try to cut categories out, <strong>the</strong>n all you’re doing<br />
is a TV show and not celebrating <strong>the</strong> motion picture<br />
arts and sciences <strong>the</strong> way in which <strong>the</strong> Academy would<br />
like. We chose to group categories. At <strong>the</strong> same time, we<br />
were not afraid to take risks and shake things up while<br />
also paying tribute to Oscar history.”<br />
“After watching Charles Ferguson’s powerhouse documentary about <strong>the</strong> global<br />
economic crisis, you will more than understand what went down — you will<br />
be thunderstruck and boiling with rage. This smart and confident film,<br />
thick with useful information conveyed with cinematic verve, lays out in<br />
comprehensive but always understandable detail <strong>the</strong> argument that<br />
<strong>the</strong> meltdown of 2008 was no unfortunate accident.”<br />
-Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES<br />
BEST PICTURE<br />
BEST DOCUMENTARY<br />
FEATURE<br />
A FILM BY CHARLES FERGUSON<br />
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.INSIDEJOBFILM.COM<br />
BEST FILM EDITING<br />
Chad Beck & Adam Bolt
tHe GoLden GLoBeS’<br />
tv CateGoRIeS need FReSH meat<br />
What’s NeW?<br />
By Ray RICHmond<br />
When it comes to <strong>the</strong> Golden Globes, people tune in to<br />
see Hollywood press <strong>the</strong> flesh, TV stars mingle with<br />
movie stars, and a much–hyped award show from <strong>the</strong><br />
insular Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But<br />
studios and networks see <strong>the</strong> 68th annual Golden<br />
Globe Awards as a night–long marketing opportunity<br />
and lavishly lobby <strong>the</strong> HFPA to score nominations.<br />
That’s especially true in television. The problem is<br />
that this year’s freshman class of fall primetime shows is lacking <strong>the</strong> “wow” factor of last<br />
year’s Glee (Fox) and Modern Family (ABC). Sure, HBO’s high–pricetag drama Boardwalk<br />
Empire comes complete with big screen character actor Steve Buscemi and indieprod regular<br />
Michael Pitt and legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Sopranos writing alum Terence<br />
Winter. But will that satisfy <strong>the</strong> HFPA’s penchant for putting star wattage above o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
factors? When Globe nominations are announced on December 14, expect <strong>the</strong> usual TV<br />
<strong>awards</strong> season suspects like Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (AMC) and The Closer’s Kyra Sedgwick<br />
and Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco (Showtime), as well as 30 Rock’s Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin<br />
(NBC), and The Office’s Steve Carell (NBC). But <strong>the</strong> HFPA may also embrace o<strong>the</strong>r famous<br />
faces like Sopranos fave Michael Imperioli for Detroit 1–8–7 (ABC) or The Shield’s<br />
Michael Chiklis (ABC) and Dexter’s Julie Benz for No Ordinary Family (ABC), or big and<br />
small screen starlet Piper Perabo for Covert Affairs (USA).<br />
HeRe IS an eaRLy Look at WHat and WHo mIGHt Be In GoLden GLoBe ContentIon:<br />
dRama<br />
The class is obviously Boardwalk Empire (HBO) given its production pedigree and sizeable<br />
buzz. That said, <strong>the</strong>re is always <strong>the</strong> chance that HFPA members will heed <strong>the</strong> decidedly mixed<br />
critical reception that’s greeted <strong>the</strong> Prohibition–period series. Despite his modest <strong>awards</strong><br />
nomination history that includes a Globe nod for Ghost World in 2002, Buscemi has to be seen<br />
as a strong contender since he’s a movie guy doing television. That isn’t <strong>the</strong> case with Chiklis,<br />
but he’s got nice history with <strong>the</strong> HFPA (three nominations for The Shield, including a win in<br />
2003). Rubicon (AMC) and relative unknown James Badge Dale had <strong>the</strong> best chance to bust<br />
through until <strong>the</strong> show was recently cancelled. No matter: AMC’s Mad Men may make it four<br />
wins in a row. The first seasons of HBO’s kudo–ed Treme with Melissa Leo (an Oscar nominee<br />
for Frozen River in 2009) and Justified (FX) with Timothy Olyphant (as crime novelist<br />
Elmore Leonard’s macho 21st century U.S. Marshal) could get attention.<br />
24 deadline.com<br />
Comedy oR mUSICaL<br />
Both Glee and Modern Family could sweep since no performer from ei<strong>the</strong>r show won last<br />
year. But, with so many quality contenders, The Big C (Showtime) may debut a nomination<br />
due to <strong>the</strong> cancer victim performance of <strong>awards</strong> magnet Laura Linney. Plus, <strong>the</strong> HFPA<br />
seems on a Showtime high of late. Then <strong>the</strong>re’s Californication’s David Duchovny (Showtime)<br />
who has been nominated seven times. Louie (FX) starring Louis C.K. has <strong>the</strong> single<br />
camera favored by <strong>the</strong> HFPA which hasn’t honored a multi–camera series in years. Sophomore<br />
HBO comedy Bored to Death also has a shot with its star power (Jason Schwartzman,<br />
Ted Danson, and Zach Galifianakis) even though it’s received lukewarm reviews. Working<br />
in its favor is a recent third season renewal. Of course, <strong>the</strong> HFPA could honor quirky, like<br />
David Cross in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margret (IFC), William Shatner in<br />
$#*! My Dad Says (CBS), and Betty White in Hot in Cleveland (TV Land).<br />
<strong>the</strong> 68 th aNNual GoldeN Globe aWards Will be held JaNuary 16 at <strong>the</strong> beverly hiltoN aNd be broadcast live oN Nbc.
COVERTAFFAIRS.USANETWORK.COM<br />
F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N<br />
PIPER PERABO<br />
Best Performance by an Actress<br />
In A Television Series - Drama<br />
“Meet <strong>the</strong> female Jason Bourne...”<br />
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS<br />
“...fun and clever…”<br />
NEW YORK TIMES<br />
“… Perabo is a winning, watchable actress…”<br />
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER<br />
“…steadily absorbing plots and skilled writing…”<br />
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL<br />
“...fast-paced, fun and every bit as charming.”<br />
LOS ANGELES TIMES<br />
COVERT AFFAIRS<br />
Best Television Series -<br />
Drama