1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to. Here's the thing, 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: My chance to talk with artists, policy makers and performers, 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: to hear their stories. What inspires their creations, what decisions 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: change their careers, what relationships influenced their work? Thank you 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: very much. Good evening, Good evening. My guest today is 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: film director William Friedkin. I spoke with him at the 7 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: Turner Classic Movies Festival in Hollywood, where we screened his 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: picture The French Connection. Film critic Roger Ebert called The 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: French Connection quote all surface movement, violence and suspense unquote. 10 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: Many say it has the best chase scene ever between 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: a car and an elevated train in Brooklyn. The French 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: Connection won five Academy Awards, but Friedkin told me it 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: wasn't a smooth ride to the red carpet. This film 14 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: had been turned down by every major studio at least twice. 15 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: And my do sir, a guy named Phil D'Antoni. He 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: and I were going to do Dirty Harry with Frank Sinatra, 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: and we had prepared that for about six months, and 18 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: then Sinatra pulled out and the project was dead. We 19 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: left and did The French Connection. But We went to 20 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: every studio and they all turned it down. And finally 21 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: Dick Zanek, who ran twentieth Century Fox, called us one 22 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: day and said, you know, I don't know what the 23 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: hell this thing is that you guys are talking about doing. 24 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: The scripts not very good, he said, but maybe if 25 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: I just have a hunch up about it, if you 26 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: can make this thing for a million and a half dollars, 27 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: go ahead. And he said, you better do it right 28 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: away because I'm gonna be kicked out of here in 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: about three weeks. And he was now New York. The 30 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: New York that's depicted in this movie in the in 31 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: the early seven these is a steaming, feated cesspool. Obviously, 32 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: it's just so disgusting that there might be a couple 33 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: of blocks in the sixties between Fifth and Park that 34 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: might be cleaner than might have been cleaned up. But 35 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: it was a pretty nasty back then, right. I liked it, 36 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: you know, I thought it was I thought it was 37 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 1: very cinematic. And I'm from Chicago, and I used to 38 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: ride the subways and the elevated trains all the time, 39 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: and I love the streets. I love the streets. And 40 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: after this film was successful and I had another successful film. 41 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: After that, I moved to California, learned how to play 42 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: tennis and ruined my career. Don't ever if you're a 43 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: young filmmaker, don't ever learn how to play tennis. Forget it. 44 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: And you know you wanna walk the streets the way 45 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: you did. You want to ride the subways, you want 46 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: to see life. And so that's the way I approached 47 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: this film. I came from this world. Did slumming? Did 48 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: they give you your way in terms of the casting. 49 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: What was it like for you casting actors back then 50 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: when you made this film. Well, originally I wanted Jackie 51 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: Gleason and the hell is so funny Jackie Gleason, you know, 52 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: it's one of the greatest actors who ever lived and 53 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: uh he was known as a comedian. But Dick Zanick said, no, 54 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: I will never make another film with Jackie Gleason because 55 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: Gleason had just prior to this, made a film that 56 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: was the biggest disaster in the history of Fox. It 57 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: was a silent movie about a clown called gi Go 58 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: and it was a disaster. So we went through a 59 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: lot of guys and we had um a very short 60 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: time left when we had this at and we had 61 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: a meeting with Gene Hackman, my producer, and I. We 62 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: weren't that impressed. It was one of the dullest meetings 63 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: I've ever had. But we had to start the picture, 64 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 1: and so we hired Gene. I hired Roy Scheider immediately 65 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: he walked into the room. I had a casting director 66 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: who was not really a casting director. He was a 67 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: critic for The Village Voice and he uh had. His 68 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: name was Bob Wiener, and he had discovered a lot 69 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,919 Speaker 1: of interesting people as a critic. He discovered Whoopie Goldberg 70 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: a number of other people. And he brought me Roy Scheider, 71 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: who had not made a film. And Scheider came into 72 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: my office and sat down. He had a resemblance to 73 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: the character he played, whose name is Sonny Grasso. He's 74 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: in the film too. I never auditioned. I've never have 75 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: and never will addition and actor. I think it's embarrassing, 76 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: you know, I think you probably know this early in 77 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: your career. A lot of actors can read but then 78 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: can't act it, or vice versa. So I go on 79 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: instinct and Scheider sat down. I said, so what are 80 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: you doing now, Roy? He said, well, I'm in an 81 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,720 Speaker 1: off Broadway play by Jean Jane and I said, what 82 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: part do you play? He said, I play a cigar 83 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: smoking nun. And I said, it's interesting. Okay, you're hired. 84 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,919 Speaker 1: That was it. He was perfect. He walked in the 85 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: room as he was perfect. You know. Hackman had done Bonnie, 86 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: done Bonnie and Clyde, but uh, you know, he was 87 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,840 Speaker 1: not really a lead. He was a great supporting actor, 88 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: but hadn't played a leading role. And I didn't see 89 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: him as Ed Egan. Let me say right away that 90 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: I believe he became one of the greatest American actors ever. No, absolutely, 91 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: but I didn't have him in mind at all. And 92 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: I had a shorthand with my casting director. I said 93 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: to him, look, let's get that to play the part 94 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: of the French guy. Let's get that guy that was 95 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: in that movie belde Jure, you know, as a Louis 96 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: Bonoel film, wonderful movie, Catherine Di. Let's get the guy. 97 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: You know, he had a kind of a beard, um 98 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: two or three day growth of beard. And he said, 99 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: you mean, uh uh, I forget the name of that 100 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: Pierre something. I said, no, not that guy, the other guy. 101 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: The So he went out and he hired this guy 102 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: and he said, okay, the guy's name is Fernando Ray. 103 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: I said, we'll hire him. So I went to the airport, 104 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: Kennedy Airport, met his plane and uh, in those days, 105 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: you could go right to the gate, and I didn't 106 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: see the guys looking for I got paged. I went 107 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: to the desk and there's this guy and it's not 108 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: the guy from Bell Dejure. It was not at all 109 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: the guy from Bel Dejure. But his name was Fernando Ray. 110 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: So I meet this Guy's got this little goatee and 111 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: he's very sophisticated Spanish. He looked like a Spanish grande. 112 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: And the guy who was playing was had been a 113 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: longshoreman and a Corsican, you know, a real rough hewn guy. 114 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: So I'm driving this guy to his hotel and uh, 115 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: I said, you know you you can't have this uh 116 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: goatee for this case. Oh, I could never share my goatee. 117 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: I said, why not? He said, Oh, I have sores 118 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: all over my face. You would never want to see 119 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: the sword. He said. By the way, you know, I'm 120 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: not French, I'm Spanish, but I can learn enough French. 121 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: I said, you weren't in Belle de Jure. No, no, 122 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: I wasn't in bell Dejure. I've done other films with 123 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: Louis spoonwell, but not Belle de Jure. So I get 124 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: him into his hotel and I called my casting director 125 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:36,319 Speaker 1: and producer. I said, you stupid asshole, I said, this 126 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: is not the guy. This is the wrong guy. Thank 127 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: you very much. This is the wrong guy. And so 128 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: he's what are you talking about? I said, this isn't 129 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: the guy from Belle de Jure. So he looked it 130 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: up and indeed the guy we wanted was named Francisco Ribal. 131 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: So he said, well, what do you want me to do. 132 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: I said, fire this guy and hire friend Cisco Ribal. 133 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: I went back in the office. By the time I 134 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:10,599 Speaker 1: got there, they found that, uh, Francisco Ribal was not available, 135 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: did not speak a word of English, so we got 136 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: stuck with Fernando Ray. I would like to tell you 137 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: that it was all my genius, but I didn't. I 138 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with casting the two leads in 139 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: this picture. Now here it was. It was really the 140 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: gift of the movie God. And I think you'll bear 141 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: this out. There is a movie God. You know that 142 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: sometimes smiles upon you an other times I wasna. I 143 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: did the movie Hunt for Red October and they offered 144 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: it to Sean Connery and he was sick. He had 145 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: throat cancer and orient something seriously wrong with him, and 146 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: they said he can't do the film. So they cast 147 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 1: uh Klaus Maria and Dour in the lead role. And 148 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: he was casting the lead and they called me up 149 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: and they said we're gonna get Las Maria. Brand said okay, 150 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: and then Connery calls back, like several weeks later, he's 151 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: had treatments and he's on the mend and he comes 152 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: back and said, I think I can do the film. 153 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: So they called Classma Brandon when they say, you know, 154 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: what were the dates you said you could work? And BRANDI, 155 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: I am directing an opera and I am appearing in 156 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: a film in the early window, I can shoot the 157 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: film as these six weeks. I have to shoot the 158 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: film these six weeks. And they were like, oh, that's 159 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: too bad. We're so sorry. We'd get the schedule. We 160 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: can't do it during those six weeks. Were so very sorry, Klaus. 161 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: And he's gone, and Sean showed up and there you go. 162 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 1: So the casting of films can sometimes be very very 163 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: and sometimes it's very strange. It was in this picture. 164 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: I can't think of anyone else in that part. Now, Um, 165 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: he was just great and an absolutely wonderful actor. He 166 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: told me how he got his start in film. He 167 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: was actually discover Herd by Louise bun Well. Um. Bun 168 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: Well's producer brought Bunwell to see some movie with another actor. 169 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: He wanted to look at another actor in that film. 170 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: And uh, after the movie, his producer said, well, what 171 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: did you think? And he said, oh, I didn't like 172 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: that actor. But the guy who plays the corpse, the 173 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: dead guy, which is was Fernando Ray. He had no lines. 174 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 1: He was laying in a coffin, and boon Well hired him. Now, 175 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: I wrote this down. I have it on a piece 176 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: of paper, but I may have left it in my seat. 177 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:35,959 Speaker 1: But off the top of my head, I'm struggling. Who 178 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: edited this film? Who cut this film for you? A 179 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: guy called Jerry Greenberg? Okay, and what was that experience? Like, yeah, 180 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: let's hear it for the editing in this film? Who? Um? 181 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: Jerry Greenberg edited The Boys in the Band with a 182 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: man named Carl Lerner who was a very distinguished New 183 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: York film editor, and Jerry was his assistant. And uh, 184 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,680 Speaker 1: when it came time to do this, Carl Lerner wasn't available, 185 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 1: so I asked Jerry to do. What was that experience 186 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: like for you? And him? Did it? Was he responsible 187 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: for most of the cuts? Who do you get heavily 188 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: involved without your song? I I work on every single 189 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: aspect of editing. That's where the film is made. You know. 190 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 1: To me, what you shoot is just raw material for 191 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: the cutting room. The the when I first made films 192 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: in New York, we would, uh, we'd come somewhere and 193 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: you know, I think if my memory for years ago, 194 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: as we'd stand inside of building and someone would say, man, 195 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: this is a great lobby, and I think this is great, 196 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: but you know, we can't kind of deal with them. 197 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: This location is too expensive. And someone would make a 198 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: joke and they'd say, well, we can come in here 199 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,559 Speaker 1: and do it Paul Morrissey style, you know. And when 200 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: I was younger in the business, I turnus, I go, 201 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: what does he mean, what's Paul Morrissey style? He said 202 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: that means we run into the building without permits and 203 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: we just start shooting till they kick us out. We 204 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: kind of we go in, we stage it, and we 205 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 1: go in. We squeeze off a couple of quick masters 206 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,559 Speaker 1: and some shots, and then we run out before the 207 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: cops come. And I was like, wow, shoot up, miss 208 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: people do that? I must say this film. Did you 209 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: have permits for everything you did? For this? We didn't 210 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: have a permit for for nothing except one thing. We 211 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 1: had no permits to shoot in the streets or any 212 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 1: of that. We just went out. But I had some 213 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: actual cops with me who had badges and stuff, off 214 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: duty cops and the two original French Connection cops. But 215 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: I thought my producer and I thought, well, you know what, 216 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: we better get permission from the subway to shoot on 217 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: an elevated train. So so we went to see this guy. 218 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: First of all, I asked him he was the head 219 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:48,599 Speaker 1: of the transit authority. He uh, it wasn't the CEO 220 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: or anything like that, but he ran everything. We got 221 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,559 Speaker 1: an appointment with him, and the first thing I had 222 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: to ask him was how fast can one of these 223 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: trains go? Which I didn't know. I said, if a 224 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: train could go at top speed at i'll say a 225 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: hundred miles an hour. This chase idea would not work 226 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: because the car would not be able to catch the train. 227 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: And he said, well, the fastest speed that one of 228 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: these trains goes as fifty miles an hour. So I 229 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: the great, We've got a chase scene here. He said, 230 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: what do you mean great? He said, the way you've 231 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: described what you want to do. He said, if I 232 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: gave you permission to do this, I would be fired. 233 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: He said, we have never had a train crash, We've 234 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: never had a guy hijack a train. He said, it's 235 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: just you know, it really never has happened, and it 236 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: would be extraordinarily difficult for me to approve anything approaching 237 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: what you've just told me. So we thanked him, and 238 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: I figured, well I'll steal this thing, and we started 239 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: on a way out. He said, wait a minute, were 240 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 1: you going? And my producer said, you just told us 241 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: it would be extraordinarily difficult. He said, did I say impossible? No. 242 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: My producer, who is a Sicilian, said to him how much? 243 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: He said, New York He said forty thousand dollars and 244 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: a one way ticket to Jamaica. And uh, I remember saying, well, 245 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: why a one way ticket? Why don't you just go 246 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: down have a nice face, he said, because if I 247 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: give you permission, I will get fired and we'll we'll 248 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: have to go down there and live live out my life. 249 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: And that's what happened. Well, we gave him forty grand 250 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: which was a huge percentage of the budget, and he 251 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: lived happily ever after in Jamaica. There was no chase 252 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: scene in the original script, so Friedkin and its producer 253 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: Phil D'Antoni added one they were determined to outdo the 254 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: chase scene in Bullet, the Steve McQueen film released a 255 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: few years earlier. Take a listen to the Here's the 256 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: Thing Archives, Well you can hear Turner Classic Movies host 257 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 1: Robert Osborne talk about his night with Lucille Ball. Where 258 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: was the house on Roxbury right next door to Jack 259 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: Benning exactly and just down the street from Ira gersh 260 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: one and around the corner front celebrity back with me. 261 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: You take a listen, and Here's the Thing Dot Org. 262 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 263 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 1: When The Exorcist came out in it ushered in a 264 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: new age of horror cinema. Audience reaction to the film 265 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: was so strong that theater ushers carried smelling salts to 266 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: revive those who had fainted. My guest, William Friedkin directed 267 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: the movie. Warner Brothers did not want me for The Exorcist. 268 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:14,360 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers UH wanted for The Exorcist either Stanley Kubrick, 269 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: Arthur Penn, or Um who else? Arthur Pens, Stanley, Mike 270 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,439 Speaker 1: Nichols and Arthur Penn turned it down. He said he 271 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: didn't want to do any more violence on film he 272 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,639 Speaker 1: had done Bonnie and Clyde. And Mike Nichols said, you 273 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,640 Speaker 1: will never be able to get a twelve year old 274 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:39,679 Speaker 1: girl to carry this film on her back and do 275 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: the kind of things that are required. And Kubrick said, look, 276 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: I only UH direct the films that I find and 277 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: prepare myself. So all three of them turned it down, 278 00:17:54,600 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: and the guy who wrote the novel in the screen 279 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:05,119 Speaker 1: play wanted me. And finally I was like the last 280 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: man standing, and I had just won the Academy Award. 281 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,239 Speaker 1: That's how I got the exerci Now the same as 282 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: with with French Connection, as with I mean, you do 283 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: these two films back to back, French Connection and The 284 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: Exorcist to classic films. Um what's it like in terms 285 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: of you directing actors? Are you very Do you just 286 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: hire them and you bring them in to do what 287 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: you know they're gonna do, or do you have some 288 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:28,880 Speaker 1: kind of input with what they're like. Let me tell 289 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: you how I work on a film. I I would 290 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,679 Speaker 1: not work this way on a play, And I direct 291 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 1: a lot of operas, and I don't work this way 292 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: on an opera. But with a film, the films that 293 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 1: I've made, I'm more interested in spontaneity than anything else. 294 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: The stuff that I do, the scripts that I've done, 295 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:53,959 Speaker 1: is not Shakespeare, you know. It's mostly street dialect, especially 296 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: the French connection. So I want spontaneity, so I don't rehearse. 297 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: I would talk to the actors and find the things 298 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: that move them, either that caused them to laugh or 299 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: cry or be frightened or whatever, and I would use 300 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: those things from time to time in the making of 301 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: the film to suggest, whenever it was necessary, some emotion. 302 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,919 Speaker 1: But I would never tell an actor really how to 303 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: do it. The thing I look for more than anything 304 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: else in an actor is intelligence. The actor's ability to 305 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: perceive what the story is about and a way to 306 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: get into it and you can find that out just 307 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: by talking to an actor, you know, Roy Scheider. When 308 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: I cast and he said, don't you want me to 309 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,200 Speaker 1: read for this part? I said, there's nothing to read. 310 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 1: The guy goes, uh, get your hands up, Get what 311 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: what is that? Who wants to listen to that? And 312 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: a and a goddamn inference room? You know? Uh, He's 313 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: so No, there's nothing to read. It wouldn't the Academy 314 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: Award for Screenplay too exactly. But when you come, when 315 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: you come into the experience of doing I'm only mentioning 316 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: this because of it's because you're coming from French connection 317 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: and winning the Oscar and having all the success, and 318 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: you come into um the Exorcist. Was Jason Miller your 319 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: first choice? It wasn't the same thing again where a 320 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 1: whole lot of actors turned down the parts of the content. 321 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:31,479 Speaker 1: Once again, it was the movie God we had cast 322 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 1: another first of all this for The Exorcist. The studio 323 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: wanted either Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, or Anne Bancroft, and 324 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: I thought, wonderful, you know this is great. After they 325 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: hired me, so they offered the part to Audrey Hepburn, 326 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: and she was married to an Italian doctor living in Italy. 327 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: She read the script and she called me and said, 328 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: you know, I this is very interesting. It's different for me, 329 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: but I'd love to do it, but you have to 330 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: come to Italy to film it. And I said, I'm 331 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 1: not gonna go to Italy. I don't speak Italian and 332 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: I wouldn't be able to communicate directly with the crew. 333 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: We'd have to bring every actor over to Italy because 334 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: you know it's set in Georgetown. And I said, miss Hepburn, 335 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't you just come over for a little while and 336 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: do this. No, so she was out. We then went 337 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 1: to Anne Bancroft, who said, I think this is terrific. 338 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: So I love to do this, but I have to 339 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 1: tell you I'm in my first month of pregnancy. And 340 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 1: she said, if you guys want to wait for me now, 341 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: I said to her, look, I think when you have 342 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: your child, you are not gonna want to go right 343 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: back to work. Nor do we want to wait nine months. Unfortunately, 344 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: so we had a let her go. We then sent 345 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,679 Speaker 1: it to Jane Fonda, who sent us all the same 346 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: telegram that said, why would I want to be in 347 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: a piece of capitalist rip off? Bullshit like this. Now 348 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: I've seen her since and she doesn't remember having sent that, 349 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: but I haven't. That was her response. That I don't 350 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: know how she really felt, but that was her response, honest. Yeah. Meanwhile, 351 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: Ellen Burston was hockeing me all the time. I had 352 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,919 Speaker 1: seen the Last Picture Show, but I didn't know Ellen 353 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,640 Speaker 1: Burston from Claris Leachman. I didn't know which was which. 354 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,959 Speaker 1: But Ellen said to me, do you believe in destiny? 355 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:55,919 Speaker 1: Has anyone ever asked you that before? Uh? Well, she 356 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 1: was the only one who ever asked me that. And 357 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: I said, I guess I believe. And she said, I'm 358 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: destined to play this part. I said, look, with the 359 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:08,719 Speaker 1: studio wants Jane Fonda and Bancroft or Audrey Hepburn, this 360 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,640 Speaker 1: was all going on. She said, I don't care. I'm 361 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: destined to play this part. And it came about that 362 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:19,919 Speaker 1: she was the last person standing, and so we cast 363 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: her against the wishes of the studio. They did not 364 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: they wanted a big star for that um. Then we 365 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: cast Stacy Keach to play Father Cares. He was a 366 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: great is a great actor. He was the go to 367 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: Eugene O'Neill actor on Broadway, and what happened. I went 368 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: to New York and maybe it was that No but no, 369 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: we cast her. I went to New York and I 370 00:23:55,680 --> 00:24:00,359 Speaker 1: saw the opening night of a play called That Championships Season. 371 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: And it was written by a man named Jason Miller. 372 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: Never heard of him. Uh I thought the play was great. 373 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: It was it really reeked of lapsed Catholicism. It was 374 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: a play about a group of high school guys who 375 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: won a championship under their coach, but cheated to win 376 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 1: and they were suffering this guilt and the stage was 377 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: just filled with Catholic guild. I felt so I I 378 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: said to my casting director, who was this guy that 379 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: wrote this? I'd love to talk to him, just to 380 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,440 Speaker 1: talk to him. It turned out that he had studied 381 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: for the priesthood three years at Catholic University in Georgetown. 382 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: He came up to meet me in and I was 383 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,199 Speaker 1: staying at the Sherry Netherlands Hotel and I had the 384 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 1: flu and I had a lot of pills. He thought 385 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,239 Speaker 1: I was a pill freak, and uh, I thought he 386 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: was a drunk. And he didn't know what the hell 387 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: he was doing up there. And I asked him a 388 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: lot of questions about studying for the priesthood and stuff, 389 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: and I was a horrible meeting. And I went back 390 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles and about two weeks later, as we're 391 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: starting to prepare the picture, he called me at Warner 392 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,640 Speaker 1: Brothers and he said, hey, you know that that book 393 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 1: you were telling me about that You're going to film 394 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: that Exorcist? He said, I said yeah. He said, I 395 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 1: am that guy. He said, I am that character. I said, well, 396 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: you're not. Stacy keach is that he's going to play 397 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: the part. He said, I'm telling you, man, I am 398 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: this guy. And he said, have you ever done anything 399 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: like a screen test? And I said no, I've never 400 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,159 Speaker 1: shot a screen test. And what's the point. I told you, 401 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: we've cast this. He had never made a film, never 402 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,879 Speaker 1: been in a movie, only played very small acting roles 403 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: in a road road companies. He was delivering milk in Flushing, 404 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 1: New York when he wrote Championship Season, and so he said, 405 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: you gotta test me. You have to give me a 406 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,679 Speaker 1: screen test. I said, why, what a waste of time? 407 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: He said, Man, I'm telling you so. I had great 408 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: respect for him as a writer. I said, you want 409 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: to shoot a screen test? Okay? You come out here 410 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: on your own. You get out here. It was like, 411 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 1: let's say it was a Tuesday. I said him, get 412 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: out here by Thursday, and i'll shoot a screen test 413 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: with you and i'll take it out of the camera 414 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: and give it to you so you can show it 415 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: to your kids. And Uh, he said, oh, I can't 416 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 1: get out there Thursday. I said, what do you mean, 417 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: He said, I don't fly. He said, I'll take the train. 418 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: I'll be out there in a week, all right. So 419 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: I set up an empty stage with a great cinematographer 420 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: named Bill Freaker, and I had cast Burston and I said, look, 421 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: we're gonna do a test to this guy, and let's 422 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 1: do the scene where you first meet him in a 423 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: little park in Georgetown and you tell him that you 424 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: think your daughter is possessed. And she said, what why 425 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: are we doing this? You've got a great actor. I said, 426 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: I don't know why we're doing this. And I swear 427 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: to God, I didn't We shoot the test, no sets, 428 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:44,400 Speaker 1: just Bill Freaker lighting in an empty studio, and they 429 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,399 Speaker 1: did that scene one take. And then I had Ellen 430 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: Uh interview Jason with the camera over her shoulder on him, 431 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,880 Speaker 1: where she just asked him questions about his life, who 432 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: he was, what his background was, his family, everything, And 433 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 1: then I shot a very tight close up of him 434 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: saying the Mass, but not saying it the way you 435 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: used to hear it. Maybe you still do in church 436 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,159 Speaker 1: where the priest just rattles it off. You know the 437 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: name of the Father a little book. I said, I 438 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 1: would say the words of the Mass as though you 439 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: really mean them, and well, you mean every word, and 440 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: and say it, uh, with as much conviction as you can, 441 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: and take your time. And I shot that in a 442 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 1: close up. And we did that, and I wasn't sure 443 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 1: about anything. But Burston came over to me and said, 444 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:46,479 Speaker 1: you're not going to hire this guy, are you? And 445 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: I said, well why not? She said he can't act. 446 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,719 Speaker 1: He said he's not an actor. He can't act. And 447 00:28:53,760 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: she said, when I tell Father Caress this story, worry 448 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: about my daughter. I have to break down and collapse 449 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 1: in his arms, and I need a big strong man 450 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: to do that. It happened that she had was going 451 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: with a big strong man at that time who was 452 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: an actor that she wanted me to consider. But uh, 453 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 1: she said, this guy is about five six. I said, 454 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 1: you're probably right. And the next morning I saw the 455 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: dailies and the camera just loved this guy. The camera 456 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 1: just loved him. He looked great, he was real. And 457 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: I went to Warner Brothers and I said, we're gonna 458 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,280 Speaker 1: pay off Stacy Keach and hire this guy. And they said, 459 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 1: you're out of your mind. What is wrong with you? 460 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: You're crazy, but you're possessed, Yes, something like that. I 461 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: didn't want to do it. The writer didn't want to 462 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 1: do it. Uh, nobody wanted to do it. But I said, 463 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: this is what we're gonna do, and that's what we did. 464 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 1: And he was brilliant, incredible. You said that Nichols said, 465 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: no twelve year old could carry that film. How did 466 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: you solve that problem? You yourself with Linda Blair. Nichols 467 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:19,360 Speaker 1: was wrong because he had not met Linda Blair. We 468 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: we had cat We had auditioned several thousand girls. They 469 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 1: were put on tape from all across the country by 470 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: casting directors, and I must have looked at five hundred 471 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 1: of them myself, just a minute or two and then out. 472 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: And it appeared that there was nobody who could play 473 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: this part who was twelve years old. And I had 474 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: reached a point where I felt like that we couldn't 475 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: make the picture. You could not find a twelve year 476 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: old girl who a would understand all this stuff or 477 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: be not be scarred by it, maybe for the rest 478 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: of her life. And I didn't see that possibility in 479 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: any of the audition tapes. We started to look at 480 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: sixteen year olds who looked younger, and fifteen year olds, 481 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: and one day my assistant in New York said, there's 482 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: a woman out here who's brought her daughter. Her name 483 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:24,840 Speaker 1: is Eleanor Blair, and she doesn't have an appointment. Would 484 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: you see her? And I said, okay, why not? Because 485 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 1: we were striking out all over the place. In came 486 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 1: this little girl with her mother. She was twelve, and 487 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 1: I knew immediately that she was the girl instantly she 488 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: sat down. She had never acted. She had done those 489 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 1: things that you see like in the New York Daily News, 490 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:54,200 Speaker 1: in these newspapers with girls model coats and little dresses 491 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: or shoes or something. She had done that, but no acting. 492 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 1: So she sat down with her mother and I am 493 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: She was a straight A student in Westport, Connecticut, and 494 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: she was had one blue ribbons showing horses at Madison Square. Garden, 495 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: but had never acted. But I said to her, Linda, 496 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: do you know anything about this story? Do you know 497 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: anything about the the Exorcist story? And she said, oh yes, 498 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: I read the book as she did. She said yes, 499 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,560 Speaker 1: and I looked at her mother. Mother nodded, and I said, 500 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: what what is it about? And she said, well, it's 501 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: about a little girl who gets possessed by a devil 502 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 1: and she does a whole bunch of bad things. I said, well, 503 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 1: like what and she said, well, she hits her mother 504 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: across the face, and she pushes a man out of 505 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: her bedroom window, and she masturbates with a crucifix. And 506 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: I said uh. I looked at her. Mother was smiling, 507 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:00,200 Speaker 1: and I said you know what that means. She said 508 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: what I said to to to masturbate? And she said 509 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:08,400 Speaker 1: it was like jerking off, isn't it? And I said yes. 510 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: Her mother was still smiling, and I said to her, 511 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: have you ever done that? Have you ever done what 512 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:23,360 Speaker 1: you just said? She said, sure, haven't you? And so 513 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: I hired her A kindred spirit. A kindred spirit. When 514 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: I look at your career, it said you you make 515 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: these films in the early seventies, and by the time 516 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,360 Speaker 1: you go to make Sorcerer. The movie business has changed. 517 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,160 Speaker 1: Did you feel that that you feel was changing underneath 518 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: your face? Yes, I would tell my younger self or 519 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: anybody who is starting in the film business at any time, 520 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: do not escalate your expectations. Learn as much as you 521 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:59,600 Speaker 1: can from watching the works of filmmakers you admire. For 522 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:03,520 Speaker 1: the most part, they are the masters now. I never 523 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 1: studied film. I never spent one day in a classroom 524 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:13,440 Speaker 1: learning about film technique. I never studied the camera. I 525 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: started in live television in the mail room of a 526 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:21,280 Speaker 1: television station and work my way up. In today's world, 527 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: if you're of any age, you can go out. You 528 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,759 Speaker 1: can buy a little digital camera. You can go out 529 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:32,720 Speaker 1: and shoot your own film and learn from what you're doing. 530 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:36,120 Speaker 1: You don't need to go to a film school or 531 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:40,400 Speaker 1: a film class. I think you just need to practice. 532 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,400 Speaker 1: If I was starting today, I would get it together 533 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: by a camera, shoot something that represented how I felt 534 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 1: about things, cut it and now. Then you can also 535 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: put it on the internet. You can watch William Friedkin's 536 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: movie The Exorcist right now on Netflix. X. This is 537 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin you're listening to. Here's the thing