1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the thing, 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: My chance to talk with artists, policymakers and performers, to 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: hear their stories. What inspires their creations, what decisions change 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 1: their careers, what relationships influenced their work. My guest today 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: is director, writer, and cinematographer Carrie Fucanaga. Fukanaga produced and 6 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: directed Season one of HBO's moody, unsettling, and highly successful 7 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: crime drama True Detective, set in and around New Orleans. 8 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: He has three feature films under his belt as well, 9 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: shot in Mexico, England, and Ghana. For Carrie Fucanaga, each 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,840 Speaker 1: production is as unique as the shooting location itself. Every 11 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: movie so far has been so different in that sense, 12 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: in the same way like every relationship is different. There 13 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: are general things of the same, you know, film to film. 14 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: But my first movie was such bliss in terms of 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: the the general passion of the crew and how much 16 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: everyone sort of filled in the gaps with number first 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: number yeah, and then Jane Eyre was like, you know, 18 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: it was like a mercenary army where eleven hours and 19 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 1: fifty nine minutes people are ready to pull the plug 20 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: and go Home. It took me about half of that 21 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: film to win over the crew, and I think it 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: was necessary. I think you need the crew on your side. 23 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: So yes, there's a there's a level of it. But 24 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: that's also why you start surrounding yourselves with the same 25 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: head to department so that you don't have to win 26 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: them over. They get it, and then they're sort of 27 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: loyalty and there's your people. There are your people, and 28 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: they're loyalty and enthusiasm sort of trickles down. The number 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: was at a short film that was made into a 30 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 1: studio film correct or a future film. Yeah. The Shore 31 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: was a slightly different story, but same world. It was 32 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: about a truckload of immigrants that were abandoned in South 33 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: Texas and it was a refrigerated trailer, so a lot 34 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: of them suffocated to death, very similar to what happened 35 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: just last summer in Austria. You went to n y 36 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: U Film School and we went to grad from where 37 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: did you go unto grow when? To Santa Cruz for 38 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: history and uh, a little bit of political science. I 39 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: went for a year to to a political science institute 40 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: in Grenoble. Friends, and you grew up in northern California 41 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: from the East Bay. Um, but I've lived all around 42 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: the Bay area, moved every couple of years, So I 43 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 1: did a kind of a ring around the Bay Area. 44 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: But then when I go home to God and your 45 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: father or both your parents were born in an internment 46 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: camp or on one of them was my dad was 47 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: he was born in an internament He and my uncles 48 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: are born. He was born in Topas, my uncles were 49 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: born in Tule Lake. Because my family were no knows, 50 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: which means they signed no to uh two questions the 51 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: US government posed all Japanese Americans put in these camps. 52 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: One was do you first swear citizenship or a legiance 53 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: to your birth country or your country of your race, 54 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: which is Japan. And then the second question is where 55 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: you fight in the U. S. Military? And if you 56 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 1: answer no to both those questions, you were sent to 57 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: this other camp, which was sort of under martial law 58 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: the entire war. That's where your father was. Did as 59 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: you talk much about that or has he? I think 60 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: he was like three when he left. And then the 61 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: Japanese were moved to sort of ghetto if you will, 62 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: in Richmond in the Bay Area, and from there they 63 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: sort of worked and moved out within the next couple 64 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: of years. Your mother Japanese, so she's you know, Middle 65 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: American Swedish heritage. You know you're Japanese and Swedish basically, Yeah, 66 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: describe to me when you do a film and you 67 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: come in there, what you feel the job is, what, 68 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: what is the task? I had a conversation with Afonsi 69 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: quar own right before I went into Jane Eyre, and 70 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: it was the first time I would be directing a 71 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: screenplay that I didn't write myself, and he said something 72 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: really simple but very important, which was, Uh, your job 73 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: as a director is not to just illustrate somebody's screenplay. 74 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: Your job is to make it something entirely different. And 75 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: I think it's just really good advice because I think 76 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: many people are very precious about writing. Writing the essential 77 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: especially for dialogue and general story and plot. But the screenplay, 78 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: in terms of cinema and movie making, is really just 79 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: a starting point. It's a it's a floor plan where 80 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: the finishing work is going to come, you know, much later. 81 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: So I look at it as trying to figure out 82 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: what my unified vision is going to be, what the 83 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: overall emotion emotional impact of the story is and what 84 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: state I want the audiences to be in when they're done. 85 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: So when you go from Sinnombre to you're on the 86 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: set directing Judy dench s out of that field, it 87 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: was I was very aware that she had already at 88 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: that point, I had done more movies than I will 89 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: ever do in three of my life. So she kind 90 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: to you, super kind. She has in mind direction, she 91 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: likes direction and wants wants to make the director happy. 92 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: And that made it a lot easier because at first 93 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure what I could say to where prior 94 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: to that had really only been directing, uh, non professional actors. 95 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: You graduated from n y you graduate film school when well, 96 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: technically I haven't graduated yet, but you attended there when 97 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: two thousand two to four or five, And when you 98 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: had left Santa Cruz with your did you get a 99 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: degree in history? Yeah? When you left, I wasn't sure 100 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: if you didn't finish the arrival when you know, I 101 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: don't want to want to assume anything now, But when 102 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: you left Santa Cruz with a degree in history and 103 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: you went to n y U, how did that happen? Meaning? 104 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: What what what what made you want to go to 105 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: a graduate film program. Well, I think I wanted to 106 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: do movies for a long time. Started writing my first 107 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: shorts when I was like ten, my first you had 108 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: the bug before, I had the bug before, and you know, 109 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: saved up on its fourteen to buy a video camera. 110 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: I would write stories and and then in college I 111 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,280 Speaker 1: think I decided to pursue snowboarding and sports as a 112 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: career and potentially, you know, be a professional snowboarder. And 113 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: by the time I was one, I was starting to 114 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: realize that might be a really impossible dream. At that point, 115 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: usually if you're not like on the A team by 116 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: age seventeen or eighteen, you're never gonna catch up. So 117 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: I started to write stories again. I thought about getting 118 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: at the major at Santa Cruise and Film, and I 119 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: went and talked to the head of department, and he 120 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: made it seem like I had to be there two 121 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: more years to study film, and I wasn't gonna stay 122 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: in Santa Cruise, so I be I Basically I trialed 123 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: for a bit and then I went down to l 124 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 1: A and started crewing. It was the first movie you 125 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: crewed him, the first big production I did a couple 126 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: of indies around the Bay Area, but the first production 127 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: I showed up on in Los Angeles was a pick 128 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: up shoot for Destiny's Child Survivor a zooma beach. It 129 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: was amazing. I mean, like, first of all, I didn't 130 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: have to pick up a cigarette, butts, I had a 131 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: pretty cool job. I was on the camera truck and 132 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: so I was right up there with a cinematographer and 133 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: watching uh, you know, Beyonce dour thing. It was a video. 134 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: It was a video. I mainly worked on music videos 135 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: and commercials out there, features like some indie features that 136 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: I don't think ever won anywhere y n Y. You, 137 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 1: I mean as a native of California and even northwere 138 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: which I'm always mystified with natives of Central or Northern 139 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: California league because it's so beautiful there. I mean, l A, 140 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: I can see you wanted to get out of there 141 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: because it's so crowded. But but the y n Y. 142 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: I think, especially if you're from the East Bay like 143 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: Oakland and Berkeley, Brooklyn is very analogous as cities and 144 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: the multi cultural yeah yeah or not or or also 145 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: I mean, you just want to be in a place Uh, 146 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: there's a there's an urban side to the Bay Area 147 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: that you like, even with San Francisco being a very small, 148 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: big city but still a big city that I grew 149 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: up with that Los Angeles didn't have. And I think 150 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: also when you grew up in Northern California, you grew 151 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: up with a sort of natural antagonism for the Southern 152 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: California that most Southern Californias aren't even aware of. So 153 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: it's like when you're in college for the first time together. 154 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: The Southern California has had no idea that Northern Californias 155 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: didn't like in them. In the Northern California's really we 156 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: have no reason not to like them, except we were 157 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: just raised not like the South for some reason. It's 158 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: like in New York, we have an upstate downstate thing 159 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: here too, So you come here? Did you take to 160 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: New York? To you? Where do you live now? I 161 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: live in the West Village, So you like New York? 162 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: You took to it? I haven't been here almost fifteen years, 163 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: so yeah, I've taken to it. And when you finished 164 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: the n y you graduate program and according to your 165 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: you know, you just press uh, you know, click on 166 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: the Internet, or where you where your career took you. Uh, 167 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: there's a lot of time in between Sin Nombre and 168 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: when you left the graduate film program. Correct, it seems 169 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: like but if you think about the Chronologist. So my 170 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: short was that I shot the short at the end 171 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: of two thousand three. Uh. Started, I finished it by 172 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: the summer of two thousand and four. It was at 173 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: Sundance in two thousand five, and then I was at 174 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: the Sundance Writing Lab in two thousand and six, was 175 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: making it in two thousand and seven, two eight, did 176 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: post two nine it came out, So it seems four 177 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: years go by. I squeeze the hell Nombre experience, wrote 178 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: that thing for five years the Cooting Labs. So when 179 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: you're done, done, done with that sin nobody has done 180 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: what year? I finally finished it in two thousand and eight, 181 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: but it didn't come out until two thousand nine. The 182 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: next thing for he was Jane Are in two thousand eleven. Correct. 183 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: And what do you think it was that they hired 184 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: you for to do that movie? Well, actually it was 185 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 1: they conveyed that to you. It wasn't really happening, and 186 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,559 Speaker 1: had been sitting on a shelf at the BBC for 187 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: a while and I had a general meeting UM with 188 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: the BBC executive and I just asked what they had 189 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: and U, Jane Eyre was a project I was actually 190 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: thinking about adapting while I was waiting for se Nomber 191 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: to get the green light. So I had the six 192 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: months off, you know, between thinking we're making it and 193 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: having it pushed for like eight months, and I just 194 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: wrote be some no nation at that time period and 195 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: by yourself. Yeah, I adapted the novel at the end 196 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: of two thousand and six, and um, basically I was 197 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: thinking about what else can I write while I'm waiting. 198 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 1: I just I wanted to stay busy. And Jane Eyre 199 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: was one of my favorite movies when I was a 200 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: kid because my mom like the old black and white classics, 201 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 1: so uh, Bob Stevens version with Joan Fontaine and Orson 202 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: Welles was like one of my childhood favorites, and I 203 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: thought about adapting it and updating it. I had no 204 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: idea there were so many other adaptations out there. Zero 205 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: when I sought it out at the BBC, I still 206 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: didn't know it wasn't so I had signed there than 207 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: there are Frank and Stein's out there basically, yeah and 208 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: so uh or or Spider Man's or Heman the Hulks 209 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: uh so. Yeah. So I was unaware of them, and 210 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 1: then when I found out there were so many, I 211 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: just consciously ignored them. But I sort of was the 212 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: one that pulled it off the shelf again and brought 213 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: to focus features. So it wasn't like they solicited in me. 214 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: I actually asked to read it, and then I met 215 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 1: with al Snow and the producer. She asked what I 216 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: would change on the screen plan, and I told the 217 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: things I wanted to change, but essentially I felt it 218 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: was pretty pretty good. I thought, but why that? Why 219 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: did you want to do that? I wanted to do 220 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: a period piece. I was a history major. I love history. 221 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: One day, I want to do giant epics, you know, 222 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: all the Lawrence of Arabia. So yeah, so that the 223 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: Jane Are for me was a primer. Was a way 224 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: to show that I could do a period film, a 225 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: classic film. Um, I see Norm Bray in many ways 226 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: was still like my short film from college. And I 227 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: believe in sort of studying classics before branching out and experimenting. 228 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: And um, I thought, what did you learn on Jane here. 229 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: What were the learning curfew in the production? I think 230 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: about acting, about cinema, cinematics, anything, all those things, because 231 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: what I learned about was stillness, Like so much of 232 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: contemporary cinema is filled with showmanship and pizzas and using 233 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: visuals to hide for a lack of storytelling, And what 234 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: I wanted to learn about was doing as little as 235 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,079 Speaker 1: possible and try to tell a compelling story in terms 236 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: of the camera, in terms of the camera, in terms 237 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: of even uh, you know, the Bronze Charlet. Bronze in 238 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: particular wrote really extensive dialogue scenes, and as a director, 239 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: in a great dialogue scene, you're just there to observe 240 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: because the actors are the ones doing all the work. 241 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: You know, they're they're all the dramatic fireworks coming from them, 242 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: and there's an impulse to try to do something because 243 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: you're not really doing anything. They're not moving the camera. 244 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: You're not really able to to to shape that in 245 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: any other way or manipulate it maybe is a better word. 246 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: And what I learned there, and I talked to Alice 247 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:50,839 Speaker 1: known about it while we're shooting. I was just like, 248 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 1: I don't feel like I'm doing anything all day and 249 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,199 Speaker 1: and she's like, it's fine, this is this is it's okay. 250 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: It's funny you say that because one of the first 251 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: movies I made was Beetle Choices, and there was a 252 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: woman named Linda Hendrickson who was my customer on the film, 253 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:05,599 Speaker 1: and they had summoned some of the people in to 254 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: come look at the dailies the first couple of days 255 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: to see how their stuff was looking on film, and 256 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: I said, how did it look? And I wouldn't go 257 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: to the dailies because I found it very unsettling. I said, 258 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: how did Gina look? I said, because when I work 259 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: with Gina, she does almost nothing. It's almost if you 260 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: wonder they say action and you wonder did she even 261 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: hear them say action? And Linda said to me, oh 262 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 1: my god, he said, she's incredible. Yeah, you know, because 263 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: fort across and twenty ft high, the slightest little thing. 264 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: It was just she said, she's so entertaining and you 265 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: can't take her eyes off. You can't take your eyes 266 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: off her. Yeah, and that's that's uh. I think both 267 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:43,280 Speaker 1: Fastbender and Mia brought a lot of that, you know, stillness, stillness, 268 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: and you oftentimes can't see it even on the monitors 269 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: when you're watching because of these tiny screens. But as 270 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: since you start projecting that stuff, especially MEA's performance, there's 271 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: just the veins in her neck and little things in 272 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 1: her adjustments in her face or in her eyes that 273 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: are coming from some central ootional place where so powerful. 274 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: And that wasn't me, that was her, you know. So 275 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,319 Speaker 1: when you come out of that, you do your history 276 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: major from Santa Cruz, and you come out of that 277 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: and you make this film, uh, this spronte novel, and 278 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: what's the next thing for you, true detective? The first 279 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:18,680 Speaker 1: thing I thought to myself when I saw that, and 280 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: I hadn't met you with because the show for people 281 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: who don't know, when there were very few people who 282 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,680 Speaker 1: don't know the show. It was ten episodes this season, 283 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: the first the first season, and the first season was 284 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: written by Nilto right, so Nick Pisolatto wrote the first 285 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: season and you directed how many of the ten episodes? 286 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,080 Speaker 1: Eight episodes that I had directed all eight? It was 287 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,719 Speaker 1: so so season one was eight episodes and you did 288 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:46,199 Speaker 1: all eight, And so did you know that going in? 289 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: Did they say to you from the get go, we 290 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 1: want you to come and do all eight episodes of 291 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: the show, would you do a couple? And they went, Wow, 292 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: we really like him, we want you to stay. The 293 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: idea well, so I was there as part of the pitch, 294 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,079 Speaker 1: and the idea was it was getting like an anthology. 295 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: Every year they'd bring in Were you were there as 296 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: part of the pitch. How we packaged We packaged it 297 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: within anonymous content. Nick's a writer there, I'm a director, right. 298 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: What what made them want the guy from Jane Eyre 299 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: to come to the searing, violent, blood spattered insane. What 300 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: did you think they saw on you? I actually have 301 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: I've never asked that question. I should sit down to 302 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: Steve Golan and ask them. Um never occurred to you, 303 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,239 Speaker 1: never occurred to me. I was just we had conversations 304 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: about at ideas. UM, I need the color of how 305 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: I'd want to treat it. I love the idea of 306 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: of sort of a neo noir um and uh. I 307 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: was more than anything. I was excited about genre shifting 308 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: again and not staying over the show. Was it HBO 309 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: because Hbos were hands on? Yeah, you mean in terms 310 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: of bringing in Matthew and Woody, Right, what happened there 311 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: was you could have your pick up a lot of actors. 312 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: It was, it was. It was actually a really good 313 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: time because that was right after Janey had come out 314 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: and basically in the same thing, the same with Jane Ayre, 315 00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: like Fast Spender and Mea were my first choices. So 316 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: I God, I just had conversations with him, you know, 317 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: and then through the conversations they signed on the same 318 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: thing with Dame Judy. Everyone said, you're not You're not 319 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 1: gonna get Judy to be in this, and I wrote 320 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: her just a little note and and just sort of 321 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: very lucky. I'm very lucky. I'm aware of this. By 322 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: the way. They're good, but you're lucky and good but 323 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: but but so, any time I saw a man with 324 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: a beard who seemed like that kind of crispy biker 325 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: gang crowd that McConaughey goes back to get high and 326 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: reconnect with, improved himself with by getting like Superstone, those 327 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: are some of the best Stone scenes I've ever seen 328 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: in my life ever. I mean, I was getting a 329 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: contact high just watching it. And then every time I 330 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: saw a guy with a beard, I wanted to run 331 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: up and break a chair over his face, or run 332 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: in the opposite direction crying like you put the fear 333 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: of God in me bye bye, by the madness and 334 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 1: then the real interiority of those guys. I don't know 335 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: how I didn't do that. I don't know. I mean 336 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: I was trying to. I was wondering if you're going 337 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 1: there and I think about that, you know, if you 338 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: emotionally to well. I try to think about the movies 339 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: we watch, say an action film right where it's filled 340 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: with all these sort of big set pieces. Uh, and uh, 341 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: you know that the body count is extremely high, and 342 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 1: why is it. We can watch that and laugh and 343 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: you know, popcorn, it doesn't really affect us. But then 344 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: a movie with like where one person is killed can 345 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: just you know, we can't shake the image. I I 346 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: try to think about that in terms of like what 347 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: I'm going for for execution, in terms of the mood 348 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: or tone of a scene, or even the impact of 349 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: something violent in the story. Maybe sometimes just the banality 350 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: of it, you know, through through again the stillness and 351 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: not trying to over sell something. It's the seduction of 352 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: thinking everything is normal when it's it's not. You know 353 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: what I loved about your show for the most part, Uh, 354 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: it was numbingly we all those scenes where McConaughey goes 355 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: back to that group and tries to befriend those guys 356 00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: and everything that goes on there, through the shooting and 357 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 1: the killing and the kind of the Feu salah that 358 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 1: takes place in then the old Bolt. The only question 359 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: I have so whose idea was it from mcconnie to 360 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: keep cutting open the soda can all the time? That 361 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: was definitely next idea because it was And then I 362 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: want to register that complain because I thought, if he 363 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: cuts one more fucking soda can, I was just talking 364 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: about continuity, man, that was a pain. And the smoking 365 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: and the kind of the characteristican through smoking and cutting 366 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: the soda can. I thought, okay, we've had a bit 367 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: about enough of that right now. And the other thing 368 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: is that I will say that also made it so 369 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: great other than your work, and I really mean that 370 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: you did an amazing job, is how much I worship Wouldy. 371 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,120 Speaker 1: I'm a complete You tell me what he's in the movie, 372 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 1: I'm there. I worship Woody. He's some people just have 373 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: that magic. There's no one else in the world like 374 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 1: Woody Harrilson. There is not, And uh, you know that 375 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: that's what he he brought to the scenes to He's like, 376 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: he's got a special energy and he's got everything. It's uh, 377 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: and you never know it's gonna be. It's unforgettable. He masculine, 378 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 1: he's playful, he's intelligent, he's loopy. Did you enjoy working 379 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: with him? Yeah? No, I mean he was. I enjoyed 380 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: not only what he was doing on screen, but just 381 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,120 Speaker 1: sort of his energy just on setting around. He said, 382 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: how long did it take to shoot the eight episodes? Uh? 383 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: Did they leave you alone and you want a decent 384 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: amount of time? Or was it tight? It was pretty tight. 385 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: It was pretty tight. We were every day. It was 386 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: pretty stressful. Uh. We shot it in a hundred days. 387 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: So what does that work out too, It's a little 388 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,199 Speaker 1: bit more than twelve days in an episode? Yeah, Um, 389 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: where did you shoot Louisiana outside of New Orleans? And 390 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 1: puts a lot about all of it, wrote the whole thing, 391 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,479 Speaker 1: and how much were Woody or McConaughey or your other 392 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: people allowed to do some alterations that do some alternate takes, 393 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: alternate lines. That was definitely in the in the shaping 394 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: of the narrative. Is a lot of collaboration early on 395 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 1: and then I think Woody and Matthew wood He definitely 396 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: brought humor into it for both characters and made sure 397 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: that the the interplay between the two guys was more 398 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 1: balanced and fair. Earlier drafts, I think the Cole character, 399 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 1: Matthew McConaughey's character, uh, was just sort of just spewing 400 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: out stuff and and and his wife was played by 401 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,919 Speaker 1: Michelle Michelle Monahan. I couldn't believe You've got Michelle Monahan 402 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,959 Speaker 1: to do that sex scene with McConaughey. I was stunned. Yeah, well, 403 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 1: I thought Michelle Monte had no she would never you here. 404 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 1: She was having a very you know, like almost hardcore 405 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: sex scene with him. I thought, my god, I think 406 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: we only did one take of that one too. That 407 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 1: was an intensely hope. So, yeah, that was a really 408 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: intense scene. And I was obviously trying to be sensitive 409 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:36,159 Speaker 1: to Michelle um and what was her attitude about doing that, 410 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: because it's interesting and this day in time, I find 411 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,640 Speaker 1: that women nowadays it's like it's like, let's not even 412 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: go there, let's not give it. It's it's tough because 413 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: there was three different girls that had to do sex 414 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: scenes in this show. And my first movie. There was 415 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:50,920 Speaker 1: kind of a sex scene, but I was really uncomfortable. 416 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: I couldn't even ask the girl to take her top off. 417 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:55,160 Speaker 1: You know, I just felt really out of place there 418 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: and it's not fun. It's just a it's a strange 419 00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: need to be a guy with them. If you said, 420 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:00,240 Speaker 1: sit down with her in the makeup, t learned the 421 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 1: producer and kind of described we're looking for it definitely 422 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: has to be character based, and I think Michelle understood 423 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 1: both for the wood he's seen when they're as a 424 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: couple married, how they come back together at that point 425 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,880 Speaker 1: in the dramatic arc of their relationship. The sex scene 426 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: was important to show that connection, to show it still exists. 427 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: And then later on the sex scene with Matthew was 428 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: sort of essential for understanding the split between them and 429 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,880 Speaker 1: how she drove it. But she down for that though, Yeah, 430 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:26,440 Speaker 1: well is there some kind of this is part of directing? Yeah, 431 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: what was so Matthew again, it's very He's very planned 432 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: and he has ideas for things. So you know Matthews like, well, 433 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: first I'm gonna do this, and then I'm gonna do this. 434 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: He choreographs the whole thing, and you have to Basically 435 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,399 Speaker 1: it's like a partner dance and Michelle and then we 436 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: pull Michelle side, like are uk with all of these things, 437 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 1: And Michelle always had every every girl had the cut call, 438 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,360 Speaker 1: so they know they're allowed to call cut in situation 439 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: like that. And they had to feel comfortable to be 440 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: able to call cut. That's also a big thing. You 441 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:58,640 Speaker 1: can say that and then they still feel like, oh there, 442 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: I'm not going to be the show. Never call cut? 443 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,919 Speaker 1: Or did she call cut twenty seven times? Well, we 444 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 1: only did on the Matthew Day. We only did that 445 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: one taken and on What He's I think we did too, 446 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:15,120 Speaker 1: and she called cut both times. Right, Yeah. Fucanaga created 447 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,120 Speaker 1: an atmosphere on the set of True Detective that allowed 448 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,720 Speaker 1: his actors to give exceptional performances. Both McConaughey and Harrilson 449 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: were nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor's 450 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: Guild Award. Explore the Here's the Thing Archives where I 451 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: speak to director William Friedkin about his unorthodox casting process 452 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,199 Speaker 1: Roy Scheider When I cast and he said, don't you 453 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: want me to read for this part? I said, there's 454 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: nothing to read. The guy goes, uh, get your hands up. 455 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,880 Speaker 1: Get what what is that? Who wants to listen to that? 456 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: In a in a goddamn conference room? You know, take 457 00:21:52,520 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: a listen at Here's the Thing dot Org. This is 458 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,479 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. My 459 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,679 Speaker 1: guest today is director, writer, and cinematographer Carrie Fucanaga. His 460 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 1: latest feature film, Beasts of No Nation, depicts the horrors 461 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: of a civil war in an unnamed West African country. 462 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: Critically acclaimed for its story, direction, and acting, the film, however, 463 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: did not get a single Academy Award nomination. There's a 464 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: couple of things going against us, which was not having 465 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,719 Speaker 1: a major studio with its sort of locked in oscar 466 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: voters who released the film. Netflix released the film having 467 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:41,360 Speaker 1: Netflix as a perceived online only game players the TV 468 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: show that was a TV movie. I think subject matter 469 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: we knew. I know most people would discover it once 470 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: all the voting was done, and and and still a 471 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: bulk would never see it ever in the future. So 472 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 1: I think we thought it was a long shot. Netflix 473 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: learned a lot from that experient ands about how they're 474 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: going to do that differently from No One, I hope. 475 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: So you know, we have. We have yet to have 476 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 1: a real fall up conversation like would you like to Yeah, 477 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: and I have ideas, but they also you know, the 478 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,479 Speaker 1: game is changing in terms of how people consume movies. 479 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 1: The awards aren't going to immediately reflect that. They're still 480 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: gonna be looking over here. You know. It's and and 481 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 1: I and I say this with all honesty. This is 482 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: not out of like, well, I don't care, it's I 483 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,120 Speaker 1: actually haven't watched the Academy Awards. And over ten years, 484 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: you didn't watch the Academy Awards when I hosted with 485 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,160 Speaker 1: Steve Martin in two thousand and ten. What you meant 486 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,359 Speaker 1: to say was that in two thousand and ten you 487 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: made an exception. Yeah, when you watched the one that 488 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: I hosted. I watched it pirated, you watched it. I 489 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,640 Speaker 1: stopped watching it around film school because we'd have these 490 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: kind of these pools, see who'd win the Oscars, and 491 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: I would always lose the pool. Like I voted were terrible. 492 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: I was terrible. I always voted for the films that 493 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 1: I thought deserved it. And clearly that's just not a word. 494 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: And that's when I kind of got that sense of it. 495 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: Then and then then over the years, and I saw 496 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: the films that were being nominated, I just had zero interest. 497 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: I really did. And uh, but that doesn't mean that 498 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: when you're not nominated, you're not like, you know, feeling 499 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: the burn, because it's like not being picked for, you know, 500 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 1: the little league baseball team. And you wonder why people 501 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:22,919 Speaker 1: who were voting, they have no opportunity, They have no 502 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: hope of seeing everything that's out there, even everything good. 503 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: People are playing telephone. Somebody calls up somebody and says, 504 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: what do you like? And there are people who move 505 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: little bundles of voters in a certain direction, and and 506 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: and those people are old guard Hollywood, their studio Hollywood, 507 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: and they'll be in touch with people who it's like 508 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 1: it's like it's like a chain. And that person then 509 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: is in touch with people who are costume designers and 510 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 1: set designers and do different jobs who haven't made a 511 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: movie in twenty five years. And membership in the Academy 512 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: is there one lifeline to the industry still that they 513 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: take very seriously. And that's been a problem for years. 514 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: And your situation is emblematic of the fact that it's 515 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: only getting worse, only getting worse. Yeah, I don't know. 516 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: I mean the reforms are trying to talk about, I'm 517 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: not informed enough about how to make it more diverse 518 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: or make it more reflective our society in our world now. 519 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,680 Speaker 1: Because there's also a part of any art and any 520 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 1: guilt that is about protecting the legacy and protecting you know, uh, 521 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: the rights of former members of their industry. You know 522 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:26,440 Speaker 1: that you can't just strip away membership. But maybe there's 523 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: a another way to to to weigh it. I don't know. 524 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 1: It's just because you you you want to believe like 525 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,919 Speaker 1: health insurance, you know, or social security that you know 526 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: you've put a lifetime into this industry, that you know, 527 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 1: until you die you'll still be respected. There's an annuity 528 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 1: there for you. Um, you said you wrote the screen pie, 529 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:49,879 Speaker 1: you adapted the screenplay for Beasts of No Nation Win 530 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: two six, you carried around for a while. It's been around, Yeah, 531 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: it's only I didn't rewrite it until about six months 532 00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 1: before he started shooting The True Detective Help You get 533 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: a job? No, I actually had to produces admiring of 534 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: the TV show. I wondered it helped you, and um, 535 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: you know it didn't even help in terms of pre sales. 536 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 1: I had interests and and the show, and that didn't help. 537 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 1: What was the budget of you with my masking for 538 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: the film? It was six million in Ghana, West Africa. 539 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 1: You're not married, not married, you have no kids? No kids, 540 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: so you could to Ghana for? How long you prepped for? 541 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:24,640 Speaker 1: How long I prepped there? Not long enough. I think 542 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: we had about eight nine weeks of prep. I was 543 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: down for about a week, had malaria. Right before he 544 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: started shooting. I was bedridden. Uh. I was able to 545 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: get some final rewrites done to lock, you know, locked 546 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 1: the script before I went into production, but I don't 547 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,400 Speaker 1: think I could ever do a project like that again. 548 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: It definitely took a lot out of me. How did 549 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: you find your lead actor? I had a casting director 550 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 1: I brought out who was Avy Kaufman's son, Harrison Nesbit. 551 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: He's He was twenty three when he came out there, 552 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 1: pretty much fresh out of undergrad. He had helped out 553 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: on Life of Pie. I knew what I was looking 554 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,160 Speaker 1: for in terms of street casting. This wasn't something where 555 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: we were going to be able to like make TV 556 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: and radio announcements and get thousands of kids show up. 557 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: I mean we were gonna have to go out in 558 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: the neighborhoods and find these kids. And that's exactly what 559 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 1: he did. And he got a small team mc nats 560 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: together and they went every slip boys name again Abrahamatta 561 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: see from. So he's from a neighborhood called Shiman. That's 562 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: kind of a poor neighbor. It's a working neighborhood in 563 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: in Across. And uh had he acted before, He'd never 564 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: really acted before. He did a couple of like you 565 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,479 Speaker 1: know in church, you know, some scenes in church from 566 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: the battle you direct him. We did a kind of 567 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,959 Speaker 1: it was a boot camp, if you will, of acting 568 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,120 Speaker 1: about two weeks before he started shooting, at about thirty 569 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,200 Speaker 1: kids who were sort of finalists for all the rules, 570 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: and we just taught them the basics. You know, this 571 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,440 Speaker 1: wasn't gonna be something where they could just feel it out, 572 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: like they needed some tools. You didn't have time. Yeah, 573 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: they had to give him the structure, you know, and 574 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: exercises to Like. One of the things we had to 575 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: kind of pull out of their toolbox was the sub 576 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: opera style acting that they're used to a lot of 577 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,119 Speaker 1: them Nollywood films and the Gnaian version of Nollywood films 578 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: are very uh Nigeria stuff, and I mean they're most 579 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: the most prolific film producing country in the world, I think, 580 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,159 Speaker 1: even more than India. Uh. But there's a style of 581 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 1: acting there that's oftentimes very very big, and this film 582 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:30,119 Speaker 1: we wanted to pull it back, so a lot of 583 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: it was rather than indicating an emotion, it was just 584 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:35,680 Speaker 1: trying to access the memory to feel it so much 585 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 1: more of a Strasbourg thing. And we did two weeks 586 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: of that and and tried to work on a different 587 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: sort of emotional beats he would go through and then 588 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: in the movie and all the kids did because we 589 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: had to see who was the one who was best 590 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,880 Speaker 1: at it, and Abraham just always came at it from 591 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: a much more um, a smaller and much more sort 592 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: of honest perspective. He was from the one from the go. 593 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 1: It wasn't overacting. If anything, I had to pull it 594 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: more out of him. So it was it safe to 595 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: say that you had a pool of young boys or 596 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: he was twelve, and we shot the pool of kids, 597 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: let's say around that age, and you weren't quite sure 598 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 1: who would play the one who would play that leader 599 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: would emerge from that pool because he had to because 600 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: at that point, you know, Harrison and Stall over two 601 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,440 Speaker 1: thousand kids, and I had seen tape on a couple 602 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: of hundred, and these were the top thirty. You know, 603 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: we weren't going to find him anywhere. Did the shooting go. 604 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: It was hard because even on the first one was 605 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: hard about everything, whether whether we didn't you don't even 606 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: have radar there, you know, like in Louisiana we get 607 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 1: rainstorms all the time, but you could look on the 608 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 1: Doppler and see if it's gone in fifteen minutes or 609 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: four hours. Who was your deep pay make plans? I 610 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: was a DP. So Um, that wasn't the hard part. 611 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 1: I mean it was physically strenuous. I think the hard 612 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: part was that we just never had the money never 613 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: at the time. Soderberg is a much smarter guy than me, 614 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: so he had that come before him. Um, but he 615 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: shoots and stuff, yeah, I mean like it. He's a machine. 616 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: You know, he can edit when he goes home, like 617 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 1: I'm a cide work. I'm told from people he's a cidek. 618 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: But but but why do you, uh you prefer it? I 619 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: like shooting you did you do that? In the true 620 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: Detective I've always been really involved in camera. It's just 621 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 1: one of the things you operate, detective, and I didn't 622 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: like to operate. I don't want to like get involved 623 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: in that level. I'd rather be pay attention to performance 624 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: and not THEO didn't operate and be some onitiation. I 625 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,959 Speaker 1: wasn't supposed to operate. But our our steady cam operator 626 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: who has our a cam operator, pulled his hamstring on 627 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: the very first day, the first set up in the 628 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: second take, and after that he couldn't move the camera. 629 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: So I degree came in. It came in handy. They 630 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: we do everything there, you know, boom operating. Sometimes describe 631 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: your lead actor to me, Abraham dress address address is 632 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: actually I shouldn't say that, yeah, address, I shouldn't say 633 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:55,840 Speaker 1: the leader because because the other boy, the young boy, 634 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,960 Speaker 1: he is Abraham. He is very every mention the lead actors, 635 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: it was a was that what is no such thing 636 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 1: as a big actor as a small actors? Even Labraham's 637 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: like four ft tall um but addresses, Uh, he's a 638 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: force of nature. Where did you find him? I found 639 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: him through his work. Essentially. I was very aware of 640 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,440 Speaker 1: his work when I was about freedom to cast who 641 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: you wanted to cast. It was you call it. You 642 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: can call it freedom or the limitations of the subject 643 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:22,719 Speaker 1: he gave you about. We need a name we can 644 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: raise money off of. I mean it just I mean, 645 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: for me, it just is a name. He's a huge 646 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,680 Speaker 1: even we were that aside, no one came to you 647 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: and said, well, here's another list. All right, Oh, Matthew 648 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: McConaughey played this role Robert Daddy Jr. He's already done 649 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:41,360 Speaker 1: that role. So, um yeah it. Dress was on a 650 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: very very short list of actors, um maybe two and uh. 651 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: And he was my first choice just based on the gravitas, 652 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,360 Speaker 1: the you know, the way you were describing Woody, where 653 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: he's masculine, he's intention and he's sensitive. All those qualities 654 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: he could he really in any in the all living 655 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: at the same time in him. It's not like he's 656 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: like changing colors like a wheel. He's he's they all exist, 657 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 1: you know, coexist. And I needed someone that could pull 658 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: off that kind of uh. I don't want to call 659 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: it gang leader, but that sort of uh town hall charisma, 660 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 1: which is different than say, like a Mugabi the book 661 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,680 Speaker 1: he does in the movie how does he Die? He's 662 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 1: shot by one of the soldiers in the very soon 663 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: in the final encampment when they say goodbye to him, Yeah, 664 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: one of them shoots him. Does it build to a 665 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: head where he shoots him? Is he is he bullying 666 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 1: them and he's taking the money on one of them 667 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,040 Speaker 1: shoots him. It's basically similar. There's just run down and 668 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: they have no goal anymore. Everything has sort of been 669 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,920 Speaker 1: a lie. And then one of the soldiers named Rambo 670 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: shoots some kid and they're a teenager. Essentially, why didn't 671 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: you do that in this? My first draft, I had 672 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 1: Agu do it because I wanted Agu to take control 673 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:55,600 Speaker 1: of his destiny and make a choice and in some 674 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 1: way vengeance for everything he's experienced. And then as I 675 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,520 Speaker 1: did my re right, I thought that was too easy. 676 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 1: It was to button up a neat way out of 677 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 1: the story and that life, which I think in the 678 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 1: banal sense we're talking about earlier, the more insiduously evil 679 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 1: and frightening version is that he still exists out there 680 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: like a shark and murky water. Yeah, in my version, 681 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: he would have like something would have happened. I don't 682 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: know what it would be. I'm not a good riding. 683 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: He would have tripped and phone on some Purmese tiger 684 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 1: trapper and he obvious the kid to kill him to 685 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 1: be had a man of his misery because it was 686 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: one of those characters where I mean because that sex 687 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,959 Speaker 1: scene with him and the boy is so subtle and 688 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: so quiet, and and and and he's you know, he's 689 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: obviously he's high, and he's kind of blitz st out 690 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: the character. And when that happens, everyone I was in 691 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,239 Speaker 1: the room where we were like, oh, I hope this 692 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: guy does And the screen and the screenplay there wasn't 693 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: much more. There's a couple more lines in there that 694 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:56,479 Speaker 1: that kind of make it even more uncomfortable. And uh 695 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: Idris was kind of he was the one in almost 696 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 1: the we're talking earlier about sex scenes, He's the one like, 697 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: I'm not comfortable going that far. I just can't do that. 698 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,080 Speaker 1: You know, a newborn child, he's got a daughter, young daughter. 699 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 1: It's like that's just something I'm just I can't do. 700 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: You don't want to go there, you can't go there. 701 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: What are you working on now? I am working on 702 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,399 Speaker 1: a mini series right now. I'm not going to direct 703 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 1: the whole thing. It's a Caleb Cars the Alienist, just 704 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 1: starting to do the casting part again. It kind of 705 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: reminds me of when we're doing Detective because there's this exciting, 706 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:32,440 Speaker 1: uh step in that development process as you start figuring 707 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: out who are the people who are going to make 708 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: this come to life? And with each actor it's a 709 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: totally different thing, you know, and when you kind of 710 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 1: imagine them in these leading roles, it can you go 711 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 1: in different directions. It changes the way I want to 712 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:48,200 Speaker 1: write it. When you work with actors, do you feel 713 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 1: because you seem very um sanguine, but when you go 714 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:55,560 Speaker 1: on the set now, do you feel intimidated when you 715 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,279 Speaker 1: have to deal with the crew and the actors? Or 716 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,400 Speaker 1: you feel very confident? Though? I think that the first 717 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,280 Speaker 1: week confident enough, confident enough. The first week of shooting 718 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,320 Speaker 1: is always a bit wobbly as you try to figure 719 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 1: out paced tone, figure out how you know to to 720 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: communicate with people you're not comfortable with yet, and what 721 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:15,839 Speaker 1: you ultimately want is to get on a good sort 722 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:18,920 Speaker 1: of direct line, you know, but you never know what 723 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:20,879 Speaker 1: someone's limit is. You don't know when with an actor 724 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,239 Speaker 1: where they're gonna be irritated that you're just talking too much. 725 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: I thought that you would tell edge of four about 726 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: this a little bit about the amazing actor and about 727 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 1: self directing and when you start to do more projects 728 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,719 Speaker 1: and not getting especially if you've worked with greats who 729 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: you know when the day is done, you know what 730 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: you've done and and you don't need to go watch 731 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 1: the dailies, uh, and you know what your character is 732 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,760 Speaker 1: onto next and how to jump in these new scenes. 733 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:48,920 Speaker 1: And and then you go into something else where you're 734 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,399 Speaker 1: getting nothing. How do you survive those productions? And that's 735 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: when you start this skin gets thicker and you just 736 00:35:56,360 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: rely on yourself and you get confused. Yeah, well that's 737 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 1: the part of the thicker skin comes from learning not 738 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,720 Speaker 1: to make that confusion make you feel insecure and effect 739 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,759 Speaker 1: the performance, especially if you're operating on your own. I 740 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 1: think for me, my style at least is what I've learned, 741 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,880 Speaker 1: uh is it's usually about the conversations before we start shooting, 742 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: and if we if we're a hundred percent on the 743 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: same page about who that character is, then every idea 744 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 1: that comes out of the actual shooting is a continuation 745 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,840 Speaker 1: of that conversation. And it's not like you're just making 746 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 1: up direction just to fill the space with more words. 747 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,360 Speaker 1: You know, between takes because there is that stillness I 748 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: was talking about in Jane Eyre where I learned where 749 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: where I didn't have to say anything because we had 750 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:41,080 Speaker 1: talked about beforehand was working, so we can just move on. 751 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:44,920 Speaker 1: I remember when I was going to a friend of 752 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:47,840 Speaker 1: mine who was a producer, director, and writer, wanted me 753 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 1: to do a movie which was based on a The 754 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: character was a big ticket NBA basketball coach and he 755 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:56,560 Speaker 1: was friends with Pat Riley. And this is when Riley 756 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 1: was coaching the Knicks here in New York. And he 757 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 1: took me out to facility up in New Pols where 758 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 1: the team was training then. And then we got in 759 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 1: the car and we went to Riley's home and had 760 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 1: lunch with him, and I said to him, what's the job, 761 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:10,920 Speaker 1: what's the task? And he said, I have people who 762 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: have been dominant in this sport since they were eight 763 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,280 Speaker 1: years old. He said, they were dominant in their peewee leagues, 764 00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:19,799 Speaker 1: they were dominant in high school, college, they get into 765 00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:22,400 Speaker 1: the pros. He said, they've been dominating this game and 766 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,520 Speaker 1: playing thousands of basketball games for nearly two decades. And 767 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: he goes, and my job is to walk into a 768 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: room and make them care one more time? How do 769 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: you make them care enough to go out there? And 770 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 1: a lot of directors don't feel that they have that 771 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,200 Speaker 1: obligation that you know you're gonna come and you're getting 772 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,360 Speaker 1: paid all this money or whatever the bullshit is that 773 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:41,920 Speaker 1: you know, you motivate yourself. And I wouldn't mind if 774 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:43,759 Speaker 1: the director came in every now and then and try 775 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: to enlist me in the cause and say something. The 776 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: last thing I want to say to you is, I 777 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,040 Speaker 1: mean again about a piasts of no Nation is whenever 778 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,319 Speaker 1: people talk to me about movies and they stole some 779 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,360 Speaker 1: movie they've seen, I always smiled and I said, well, 780 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,520 Speaker 1: let's calm down here because big questions. Would you watch 781 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:03,440 Speaker 1: the movie in you made an amazing movie. Thank you 782 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 1: made an incredible movie. When that boy goes running into 783 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,400 Speaker 1: that war, I was sobbing. I was sobbing. And I 784 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: hope that, uh, you'll stick with your instincts, because your 785 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 1: great instincts have gotten you where you are now. I 786 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 1: did a small part in Warren Batties movie about Howard Used, 787 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: and I said to myself, you know your problem is 788 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 1: you don't make enough movies. You know he was too slow, 789 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: And I'll say the same thing to you. Don't stop 790 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,319 Speaker 1: making movies, keep making moneys, don't take too much time off, 791 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. You know, I was supposed 792 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 1: to make a movie last year, and I sort of 793 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,880 Speaker 1: fell apart, That sort of mid range Hollywood forty million 794 00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: dollar film fell apart, just because sometimes you're just not 795 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: creatively in sync with the money people. You can watch 796 00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: Beasts of No Nation on Netflix.