Feature: The Top 15 Interviews on HollywoodChicago.com in 2011

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Drake Doremus and Felicity Jones

Felicity Jones delivers a star-making performance in Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy.
Photo credit: Paramount Vantage

Interviewer: Matt Fagerholm

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: Interviewing two people at once does pose certain challenges. You don’t want one person to feel left out, but you also don’t want to make your questions so broad that they elicit generic answers. Director Drake Doremus and actress Felicity Jones proved to be an ideal pair of interview subjects, since they had a delightful rapport and would often build off each other’s answers. They had both won prizes at Sundance for their heartrending romance, “Like Crazy,” and had just wrapped another film together. Though Jones has been left out of this year’s Oscar race, she’s an actress that American viewers will be hearing a great deal more about in the coming years.

Memorable Quote: “I feel that it’s a very modern relationship in the sense that they are trying to pursue themselves as individuals and have their own careers. It is a complicated relationship because they have their own lives and are very passionate about them. Where does the love fit in when you want to be self-defined at the same time? It feels as though there are huge amounts of love between them. I think they probably could’ve been together, but it’s just the way the world is now and the way men and women are. It’s just harder. ” 

Michel Hazanavicius

Michel Hazanavicius in Chicago, November 2011
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Interviewer: Patrick McDonald

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: The setting for the interview was an empty hotel tavern in the morning, and the now Oscar nominated director was basking in the early acclaim for his now Oscar nominated film, “The Artist.” Hazanavicius is a perfect example of how bold creativity can penetrate the crowded media field and make an impact. He had done two James Bond-style spoofs, the “OSS” series, with the star of “The Artist,” Jean Dujardin. Those throwback films were a harbinger for his wholly original tribute to early cinema. He also revealed the original title for “The Artist,” it was to be called “Beauty Spot,” after a brief but key scene in the film. His producer came up with “The Artist,” because that’s how they identified the characters in some of the early silent films (The Cop, The Girl, etc.).

Memorable Quote: “What I know is that for a long time, it was a fantasy, it was like a dream. I had to convince myself first about it. I made two films with Jean [Dujardin] and one with Bérénice [Bejo], and I married Bérénice. And the two films that I made with Jean were so different, that it kind of gave me the power for what I wanted to do with this. It also gave me the self confidence to say to myself maybe I’m able to do it. And maybe I’m able to find some money and convince people to join me in this adventure. ”
Jonah Hill

Moneyball
Photo credit: Sony

Interviewer: Brian Tallerico

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: There’s something remarkably rewarding about interviewing a young man at a career turning point and I’ve been lucky enough to speak to Jonah Hill at his two biggest, before the release of “Superbad” and “Moneyball.” And seeing how this actor/writer/producer had matured in those years really fueled the entire conversation, which diverted from simple talk of the movie to what Hill wants not just out of his career but out of his life experience. I was the last interview of the day and he thanked me for the conversation, adding that he thought it was the best of the Chicago stop on the tour. Whether or not that was true, considering what he’s given to us, including one of the best performances of 2011 in one of the year’s best films, it was a true honor to be able to give something back that he felt had value instead of just another string of soundbites.

Memorable Quote: “I thought I knew everything about the universe and I knew nothing. I wanted so badly to be respected and seen as mature. The truth is that it comes with experience. Now that I’m almost 30, I’m still learning every day. It’s a bizarre thing. I really do feel like it’s my second time around right now.

Tommy Wiseau

Philip Haldiman and Tommy Wiseau star in The Room.
Photo credit: Wiseau-Films

Interviewer: Matt Fagerholm

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: Few recent filmmakers have brought me as much euphoric laughter as Tommy Wiseau, who mistakenly made one of the funniest films of all time when he helmed 2003’s mopey melodrama-turned-midnight movie sensation, “The Room.” The experience of talking to Wiseau over the phone was nearly as entertaining as watching one of his own films. The director’s inexplicable accent led him to call me, “Mott,” throughout the interview, until he finally decided that my name was “Mark,” and stuck to that. When our call was dropped, Wiseau immediately called me back and said, “Hello, Mark? Over,” as if we were communicating via walkie talkie. I’d talk to him again in a heartbeat.

Memorable Quote: “‘The Room’ has a great foundation. I always say, ‘If you build a house, you need a foundation first before the window.’ It’s the same with ‘The Room.’ We had a great, solid foundation. I’m not here to bash the media, but I think the mainstream media is missing the boat as far as I’m concerned. They think everything happened by accident. I’m sorry, nothing in this movie happened by accident. ” 

Malcolm McDowell

Malcolm McDowell in Chicago, August 2011
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Interviewer: Patrick McDonald

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: Malcolm McDowell, who had a distinguished early career collaborating with Stanley Kubrick in “A Clockwork Orange,” was appearing at the “Flashback Weekend” over the summer, a festival in tribute to horror films. Among the mock-ups of zombies and monsters in a hotel ballroom, McDowell gave me a candid and comprehensive career overview. With an influence that was born out of the Swingin’ 1960s London scene, McDowell has evolved over the years as a sought after character actor. He pulled no punches regarding his early work, his association with The Beatles, the infamous film “Caligula” and how “A Clockwork Orange” inspired an overall social shift.

Memorable Quote: “The great moments in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ are improvisation. And those are the moments that will live forever. The ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ part was an improv. That saved his ass, my ass and the film’s ass. It was a moment of sheer luck. ”

Jodie Foster

The Beaver
Photo credit: Summit Entertainment

Interviewer: Brian Tallerico

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: Talk about living legends. Somehow still underrated (neither of her performances this year — “The Beaver” and “Carnage”) got as much press as they deserved, Jodie Foster is without question one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She makes films that interest her. She talks about what interests her. And one gets the feeling that she truly devours life, whether it’s teaching film, taking care of her kids, or making movies. There’s no middle ground for Foster. She gives her all to what she wants or she doesn’t do it. Meeting that kind of person can be inspiring and I’ll never forget the fifteen minutes I had with this two-time Oscar winner. Talking to her was so intellectually engaging that I never even glanced at my notebook or a prepared question. We could have chatted for hours. Maybe next time.

Memorable Quote: ““The Deer Hunter” changed my life. The Russian Roulette scene, the structure of it — I remember saying “I will never be the same as I was before I saw this. I’m going to spend the rest of my life examining why that is.””