Novembre 2003

1 novembre: L'uscita di CELLULAR negli USA θ prevista per il mese di maggio 2004.
2 novembre: Da CHUD: SET VISIT: CELLULAR (pt. 1). So, the day before yesterday, I got a call from New Line asking if I wanted to visit the set of Cellular with a couple of other members of the online press. Of course, I did - the only trick was, it was the very next afternoon. And, naturally, my car broke down the very next morning. That's the kind of way you want to kick off a day heading to the set of a movie that's all about time crunches, racing against the clock, trying to solve problems via cell phone and taking multiple vehicles to get your ass to the Santa Monica pier in the nick of time to see Jason Statham. The plot of Cellular and, well, my morning. If you haven't heard of Cellular, you missed out on our interviews with Dean Devlin around the release of Eight Legged Freaks, our multiple chats with David Ellis around the release of Final Destination II and our various quotes culled from screenwriter Larry Cohen at everything from the Saturn Awards to FANGORIA'S Weekend of Horrors. Cellular is the story of an average surfer dude fella named Ryan (Chris Evans) who gets a frantic phone call over his cellphone from a woman (Kim Basinger) who tells him she's being kidnapped. The connection is running thin as are the batteries as Chris tries to stay online with the woman, find out why she's being kidnapped and rescue her before it's Too Late. I gleaned a lot more about the plot from hanging out on the set all afternoon including a few spoilers, but what fun is there in publishing that? On top of Evans and Basinger, also starring in the movie are William H. Macy, Jason Statham, Noah Emmerich and even Jessica Biel in a small role (as she slowly becomes the Queen of New Line genre flicks with Texas Chainsaw, Cellular and Blade: Trinity). I headed down to the set with the aid of a pal and his SUV (after getting down the first half of Wilshire via cab - and then ran out of cash) and though most sets promise production design-style eye candy, well, there was eye candy, but it wasn't made in a Hollywood shop. Yes, it was a bright sunny day on the Santa Monica beach and pier with hundreds of people milling around including dozens upon dozens of skimpily clad bikini girls. Ah, the life of an entertainment reporter. It's days like this that make you recall sets like, say, Dreamcatcher where you're in sub-freezing temperatures wearing a parka wondering why all the Canadians are tromping through the snow next to you in jeans, and you think, 'I need more Big Wednesday-type shoots.' I joined the other two onliners and we set about to tour the pier with the publicist/nerd-wrangler from New Line and the unit, an old pal from the set of T3. The pier is utilized in the third act of Cellular (hence, no elaborate plot explanation to avoid spoilers), but there's a big crowd of people walking around as this is where the main character finally comes face to face with the bad guys (including main Big Bad, Jason Statham). A concert is going on at the time by G. Love (I was told that "Special Sauce" was no longer involved - wha?), who wasn't there for that day of shooting, but would be there tomorrow. What we saw shooting (outside of a stunt we saw at the end of the day that involved an actor - doing his own stunt - leaping off the "pier" into a sea of boxes) involved Ryan talking to Noah Emmerich's character - a cop - and a winded William H. Macy sitting down after a big fight (a little blood on his shoulder from an earlier bullet hit) as Jessica Biel asks, 'What the hell is going on???' No, I'm not sure of the context, really, but it was towards the end as Devlin told us. Goddamn, it was a beautiful day, by the way, did I mention that? The crew sectioned off part of the pier for the shot as onlookers wandered around (including one tourist who got his daughter to pose for a photo with Noah Emmerich, who gamely smiled for the camera as he waited between shots) as the producers and director Ellis positioned themselves behind the monitors and watched the action being shot on two cameras simultaneously. They were in a hurry to get some shots off, so we just watched for awhile, hanging out behind "Bill" Macy as he chatted with Devlin and Ellis ran all around making sure everything was about ready to go. Of the people we interviewed, almost everyone made a point to say that not only was this a really great set, Ellis was ahead of schedule and ran the thing damn efficiently. This is what years of second unit directing will do, I suppose - constantly having to work the big shoots and wait on the director to figure out what he's going to do next. As, we were told, Ellis and many of the crew go surfing a lot before the day begins, the art department's crew t-shirts had surf boards on them with the film's logo printed across the boards. Hah! After some time watching the shoot and getting a feel for what was going on, we had our first roundtable chat - with Devlin - around the corner from the monitors near the stage where G. Love was to play. 

Question: How far are you into the shoot? 
Dean: Just more than halfway. A little bit more than halfway. 

Question: What all do you have to shoot out here on the pier? 
Dean: The opening of the film and then one or two scenes in the middle and then the whole ending takes place here. What we're going to be shooting here is a concert for 'Heal the Bay' and it ends with G. Love playing. The concert is going on with some Hitchcockian intercutting with the concert and the big final action piece. It'll be fun. 

Question: So, how did this process start from Larry [Cohen's] script up to your involvement? 
Dean: For the very beginning, you'd have to talk to [producer] Lauren [Lloyd], because she brought the project to me. I'm not exactly sure if she saw it while she was still an executive at the studio or if it was one of the first things she saw when she left the studio, so you have to ask her that. But we were shooting Patriot when she called me up and asked me if I wanted to take a look at the script. And I loved the idea of it. I just loved the concept of it. There were some problems because of Phone Booth, because he had written Phone Booth, and Fox was worried that they were going to be too similar and I assured them that we were going to develop it very differently, but to make sure they felt really comfortable, we brought in [screenwriter] Chris Morgan. Chris had never been part of the development of Phone Booth, so that way we knew for sure we would be developing it in another area. Chris really carried the ball a long way on this movie. 

Question: What about the director hunt? Once you've got a script you like, why is David R. Ellis the right guy for this? 
Dean: Well, for many years before he was a director, he was the premiere second unit director - primarily action sequences, but he also did a lot of sequences with the main actors and he also did a lot of stuff with cars. This isn't an ultra-action movie. You're not going to see these spectacular action sequences. There are interesting action sequences - they're suspenseful - but they're not these over-the-top kind of wild, watching cars do triple-flips-in-the-air kind of things. It's not Dukes of Hazzard. But he had that whole skill set of how to keep your interest in a car because a large part of our film is our kid driving around. But really, he came to us through the studio. When we brought the script in, the studio said, 'We want David Ellis to direct this.' I was like, 'Well, okay - but I don't really know his stuff.' So, then they screened for me a really rough cut of Final Destination II and I was really surprised because the thing's that he's known for is the second unit stuff, but the stuff I liked most in Final Destination II was the suspense, which I think is real filmmaking. So I said, 'All right, I'm game for it. I'll meet him.' And I met with the guy - I don't know if you guys have met with him yet - but he couldn't be a nicer guy. I mean, almost too nice. It's hard to believe he's really a director, but I've never met one that was that amiable (laughs). So, it was great. Then we got really lucky and got this phenomenal cast. This cast just blew away my expectations. 

Question: When you say that Morgan took the script and ran with it, what was that? What was expanded away from the original script and where did you want to take this? 
Dean: Well, in the original script, the premise vanishes early in the movie because it turns out very early in the movie that no woman has actually been kidnapped. That this was a ruse to get the hero - who in the original was a criminal - into a situation and then it's a plot-twist on a plot-twist and then it becomes very Quentin Taratino-esque where it's Big Revenge Time for everyone who tricked him. And I wasn't so interested in a body count movie, but I really loved this idea of, what if you just suddenly got a phone call from someone you don't even know who says they're being kidnapped? Would you risk your safety to help someone you don't know? And that just brought up a whole bunch of ethical questions and I started to think, it would be really nice to make a movie that's about the idea that helping someone just for helping someone was a good thing. He doesn't get rich from it, he's not going to find true love - there's no reward except for the reward of helping someone. I almost feel that after the Reagan eighties and the dot.com bubble and the 'me' generation, it would be nice to make a movie that says it's okay to do things for altruistic reasons (laughs). It doesn't make you a wimp. So, that's what was the center and the heart of it. That's why we wanted to go forward with it. 

Question: How do you deal with the road bumps of keeping the connection going for the duration of the film? The cellphone battery and all. Was that tricky? 
Dean: I think that's the fun of the movie. In a way, what I think was fun about the movie Speed was, 'How do you keep the bus going at that speed?' I think that was the ultimate challenge. What we threw at Chris Morgan was we said, 'Look. I want you to keep finding ways that he's going to lose that connection - and then don't let him lose that connection!' Because that's the whole fun of it. We all know how easy it is to lose a connection. So, if you're talking to someone and you start to drive in a tunnel, you know what's going to happen. Now you have to get out of that tunnel before you get in any deeper, so what're you going to do? You go into a building and you start to get into an elevator and the elevator starts to close and you start to lose the signal, how're you going to get out of the elevator? It was a constant thing like that. The battery starts to die, cross-talk, we just tried to think of every single thing that could screw up a call. I said to him, 'Whatever you do, write it, read it and then make it worse than what you just did.' Even if you can't figure out how to get out of it. I think that's the whole fun of it. 

Question: With the casting, there were [a lot of rumors at the beginning]. Who was the first to sign on and how did the rest fall into place? 
Dean: Well, there was a lot of talk from the studio about trying to get a 'name' actor in the role and as you guys know from talking to me before, I don't really care about that. I really care about who is right for the part. Because they always become names if they're right for the part and the movie works. There are a couple of guys who will get people to go out and see movies because they're in it, but what is that? Four or five people? For the rest, it's just this comfort zone for them to know that they were in four other films. Very early on we met Chris and we just went nuts for him. And you'll see. You won't see it from the other films he's done because he's kind of evolved, but when you see him in this film, he's going to be the next giant star. I haven't been this excited about an actor since working with Will Smith on Independence Day where you get that feeling where you're like, 'Wow, we got this guy just before it becomes crazy!' Not only is he great looking and has enormous screen charisma - which is a movie star in itself - but he's actually a really good actor. To find a 22 year-old kid who is really listening, who is really present in the moment - that's rare. I just don't see it. I look at his contemporaries and there are very few people out there I would say have any skill sets. They may be charismatic or charming or fun to watch in a movie, but they're not really actors and this guy is. So, we were mad for him a long time ago. The studio went on this thing of looking for 'names' and it became a long process and we just kept coming back to Chris and coming back to Chris and finally we just said, 'Guys, we know you want a name, we know that it's going to give you comfort, but you just have to trust us.' So, they said, 'All right, we'll do a screen test.' So, we screen tested him with a bunch of other actors and he blew everyone away. He was amazing and the studio was like, 'All right. You can do it.' 

Question: How did Macy come to the project? 
Dean: That was just from Heaven - a gift from God. I mean, we asked! We never thought he'd say, 'Yes,' but we just asked. He said, 'I've never done a movie like that. I'd really like to see what I could do in that part.' Macy's one of these guys and you've heard the cliche a million times, but with him it's true - he could literally read the phone book and you'd be going, 'Wow!' I mean, he's just so compelling and so brilliant, so when he said, 'Yes,' we were all kind of shocked and pleased. He's just been amazing. Every scene he's been in, it's original. And - because he's a writer - he re-designed his whole part. The original part was a bit of a cliche. He was the older cop who has heart trouble and he's taking heart pills and all, but hackneyed. But he came in and said, 'Well, what if my character is actually retiring to open up a beauty salon for his wife?' and all the guys are giving him grief about it. We were like, 'Oh, that's great!' and it's so Bill Macy. It makes his character so much more surprising and interesting and all the dialogue more interesting and shows what his values are. With great economy, he creates a rich character. That's what you get with an actor like that. They can't do the 'in the box' [roles] - they expand the box. 

Question: Without giving too much away, do you have a favorite of these set pieces of 'losing the signal?' 
Dean: There's a section of the movie where he gets in cross-talk. I don't know if you've ever had that happen to you, but it's a very frustrating thing because you start to lose your call and now you're listening to someone you don't want to be on the phone with and if they happen to be jerks about it, it gets worse. He ends up in cross-talk with the biggest asshole lawyer in Los Angeles and it's a wonderful sequence. That's probably my favorite - one of those movements. 

Question: Do you have echoes in the phone? That seems to be my biggest problem. 
Dean: We have some of that. We have a lot of static coming in and out. And then, of course, going back to the actors, we have Jason Statham as our villain and he's amazing because he's so dangerous. Before we met him, I was expecting a totally different personality type from seeing his movies. I thought, 'Okay, this is going to be a guy I'm going to have to handle a little bit' - and he's such a gentleman. But he just looks so terrifying and his performances are so electric. So, he adds another dimension and then, of course, Kim Basinger - you get an Oscar winner in there and you're like, 'Wow, how'd we get all these people in an action movie?' 

Question: How do you build a relationship between two people who don't have much screen time? 
Dean: They don't meet each other until the end of the movie! So, it's really interesting - I've always said that this is a character drama disguised as an action movie because this is a real separation of plot and character. The plot is all these things he has to go through, but the story is about character relationships and how these two people bond without ever meeting. Again, it's not a sexual thing, it's not that, 'She's going to fall in love with me if I do this!' It's just two human beings connecting on the most basic human level. Just technically, that's very difficult to play because you don't have the actors in the room at the same time. So, you're shooting for months on end talking to the palm of your hand. It's technically challenging and emotionally challenging. Luckily, we've got actors who can do it. 

Question: What was the decision of, 'Yes, we're going to shoot in Los Angeles?' and is this your first movie shot in Los Angeles? 
Dean: It's the first movie I've shot entirely in Los Angeles, but it's one of the few times I've shot Los Angeles for Los Angeles. (laughs) We shot Godzilla here for a long time, but it was for New York. The original version that Chris Morgan wrote took place in Boston and I really wanted the movie to take place there. But, the whole movie takes place in one day and a shoot takes approximately three months and 90% of this movie is exterior, so the chances of getting three months that look like the same day anywhere on the East Coast is highly improbable, so for that reason alone, L.A. made a lot of sense. On a level that had nothing to do with the movie, all of us felt like too much production has left Los Angeles. The director especially felt that because he has so many connections to crew people. We just thought, 'If we can do it in L.A. and it makes sense for us and we can make the story work, we really should.' There's just too much production leaving Los Angeles and too many really talented craftsman out of work. The crew we've got on this movie is one of the best crews I've ever had and frankly, it's because there's no work here. 

Question: Are there specific L.A. gags you set up around this landmark or that landmark? Is it very Los Angeles-specific? 
Dean: Well, we try to include Los Angeles, but it's not super... 

Question: It's not Hollywood Homicide? 
Dean: No, no. I mean, there's stuff that takes place on Sunset Boulevard and stuff that takes place on the 3rd Street Tunnel and things that you'll recognize, but probably more than Los Angeles, it's the Santa Monica area. Our director, at some point before he was a second unit director and before he was a stuntman, was a professional surfer, so I think he has a real connection to Santa Monica. So, you'll see a lot of Santa Monica and beach locations throughout the movie and you don't really see them that much in features. There's a certain colorfulness to it. Most people, when they think of a Los Angeles shoot, they think of East Los Angeles, a sepia barrio, a tough look. This movie has a really colorful tone to it and it has more of a flavor of the architecture and colors that you'll find in Santa Monica. I think that's a bit unique about the film. 

Question: Were there any films you looked to in particular as inspiration to this movie? Hitchcock? 
Dean: North by Northwest. The ultimate one. Obviously, we're not as good, so I'll just tell you that right now (laughs). We're not as good and no film will probably ever be as good because that's one of the greatest films ever made, but in the same way that you have a normal person stumble into an extraordinary situation and how that train takes off and you get deeper and deeper and deeper, we really looked at that as a model. One of the things that Chris Morgan said early on was that he wanted to try and tell a Hitchcockian movie with the adrenalin of Speed. And I think that's what we're really trying to do. We're trying to keep this thing moving as quickly as a movie like Speed, but try to make it with enough twists and turns and suspense as a Hitchcock film because there's really more suspense in this film than action. 

Question: When you talk to first-time horror directors, they seem really shocked that it's hard to 'build' a scare - what are your conversations like with Ellis in building scenes to make them suspenseful without sound design, without thinking of score? 
Dean: Well, I think it starts with the script and we spent a long time haggling over the script and working with the studio. The studio is very involved. They're not a passive studio. There's not a word in the script that they didn't get their hands on. So, there's been a lot of haggling over the script with the studio, the director, myself, Lauren Lloyd, and the writer and when we finally got a script that we were really happy with, that became the blueprint. After that, then you have to have a lot of trust in your director. You have to believe in his vision. There'll be times on the set where I'll whisper in his ear, 'What do you think about this idea?' And sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesn't (laughs). The thing is with David is how clear he is on what he wants to do. He's not winging it. He's got shot lists for the entire movie - before we started shooting. You're lucky you get one on the day from a director. He's really thought this out. He's very meticulous. Again, I think that's from his background doing second unit. He's super, super meticulous. There's never a day where he's like, 'How're we going to shoot this?' 

Question: He's probably worked with many a director who is like that. 
Dean: And he's had to justify it to them. He's always had to explain exactly what he's going to do because these very nervous directors were trusting their baby in his hands to go off and do a sequence, so he would have to be very, very specific - 'I'm going to do this shot and this shot and this shot and this shot' - and he's done this whole movie that way. So, there aren't a lot of discussions in how to shoot it. 

Question: Do you have a date for this yet or any idea when it's coming out? 
Dean: Well, we don't have anything locked yet. I know they'd like to come out before next summer because this is a much smaller budget film. When you do a $100 million picture, they put the flag in the sand and say, 'This is our date!' On a movie like this, they're constantly going, 'Ooo...Warners just put this there, Universal just put this there,' so I don't know when they'll actually lock a date. That's probably the worst part about doing a $30 million picture. If you do something really good, they're like, 'Great, we'll put it in the summer' and you're like, 'NO!!! Don't do that!!!' That's what they did to us on Freaks. That so could've been a good movie in February or the end of October. But to throw us into the summer against $150 million movies and we're this tiny little $30 million goofball film, that was such a heartbreaker. 

We talked a little bit more about this or that and the way Hollywood's changed in the past few years and Dean mentioned that, in fact, John Ottman - who did the actually quite brilliant score to Eight Legged Freaks - would be scoring Cellular ("I love working with John Ottman," Devlin enthused. "He did such an amazing job on Eight Legged Freaks." - Devlin also added that he had self-financed the release of the score ["It's a big money-loser to do it, but I thought the score was so wonderful that it just had to put it out," he added], which is still available and in print). But then, Devlin had to get back to work. 

Next up, we chatted with scripter Chris Morgan who wandered over to our interview tent. We referred to the chair he was to sit in as "the hot seat" and he told us a funny story. 
Chris: I went to a pitch meeting for a Japanese company that was turning some anime into a film and I get into the meeting and there are twelve guys there and only one of them speaks English. I got to this table and it's a massive table and there's one seat with the skylight directly down on it. They said, 'This is the hot seat and you have to sit in it.' They weren't kidding. It was ninety-something degrees there. Totally intentionally, they put you in there to sweat. 

We had a larf and then moved into the interview... 

Question: When did this process start for you? When did you first meet Dean and Lauren and begin? 
Chris: I guess it was about two years ago, I think. I was working on a project with Lauren called...actually, I met Lauren on S.W.A.T. as I did a couple of drafts on that. Then, I did another project called The Rally over at Warner Brothers which is a fun car rally adventure and from there, Lauren was working with Dean on this, so she told me the basic concept and I loved it. I always liked this idea, so I met with Dean and I heard his take. Originally, the script was pretty different. I don't know if you guys are familiar with it at all... 

Question: Dean told us a little about it. 
Chris: Yeah, it was more of an art heist and the phone call stuff ends early in the movie. Dean's a big fan of Hitchcock and so what we're trying to go for is one of those things where you put a person that could be anyone in a situation that could happen to anyone and how far will they go? I always loved that hook because everyone has a cellphone, so it's just taking it from there and developing it and changing locations about five times. 

Question: We heard Boston then L.A., what're the others? 
Chris: Boston, L.A., San Francisco was mentioned. There were a couple of others. New York was mentioned for awhile. But we ended up here. We kind of figured this was the capital of cell phones. One on hand, I always hate setting movies here because it tends to come off too Hollywood or too fake, but this is one of those movies that's just perfectly set for here because it's kind of about that. 

Question: The idea of keeping a connection going through an entire film is a tricky concept - you have to be really inventive to keep it fresh and not cheat the audience. How'd you do that? 
Chris: Well, it was actually easier than it sounds. If you talk to anybody, they all have stories about weird glitches that happen with cell phones and it was just taking the more fun ones and expanding on it a little bit. You set them up not as set pieces, but as increasing obstacles. He's got to drive through a tunnel to get to a certain destination, but he's going to lose the signal - that kind of stuff. It's taking a few and putting them in at the right moment with the right tension. But yeah, you're right - trying to keep a cell phone alive for ten minutes, much less a couple of hours, is a big challenge, but that's where the fun is. 

Question: With a smaller, $30 million film, did you ever feel you had to straitjacket your imagination to a degree? 
Chris: Well, it's funny because typically, people don't come to me for 'small' type movies. When I did S.W.A.T., I wrote a draft that came back with them saying it would take $200 million to shoot. So, on some level yes, but on the other hand, one of the things about this movie is if you make it too big, you don't buy it. You've got to base it in some kind of reality or otherwise you don't accept the small leaps. This movie isn't about big leaps and huge stunts. You could do that, but it would be totally different. It would have a very different feel. We really lucked out. Chris Evans, I'm sure Dean raved about him to you. Man, he is so good. When I wrote the script, the character was a college kid and I just had a generic, kind of version of me or somebody else - a cooler version of me, I think all writers tend to do that - but I remember the first day we saw dailies with him in it and he was so deep and funny and had such a range, it was like, 'Oh, my God - this kid is a star.' And he doesn't look really pretty or anything, he just looks like a friend of yours. He reminds me in some ways of a young Harrison Ford because Harrison Ford isn't the toughest guy, he's not the smartest guy - no offense to Chris or whatever - but he's the guy who is the most determined. I think in movies, we always like that. That's the kind of thing we want to think that we are. I'm not the toughest guy in the world and I'm definitely not the smartest, but I do like to think that if it came down to it, I'd go the distance on something. That's kind of what this movie is about.

Question: As seeing the screenwriter on a set isn't that typical, are you still re-writing with David as it goes? Are you a producer on the film, too? 
Chris: No, no producing, just doing the writing thing. Yeah, it is pretty unusual. 

Question: They must like you. 
Chris: Maybe! I don't know, it's a good question. Actually, everyone gets along great and everyone always says that, but I've been on a few sets as a P.A. and I worked on Flubber and a couple of other movies I probably don't want to mention, but there were always these big rifts in the crew and every department kind of stuck with themselves. On this one, everybody jokes with everybody else. It's a really good feeling and I think that's, in a large part, because of David. He knows what he wants. I was amazed. I'll sit there watching and they'll get ready, do this incredibly long set-up for a take and Chris'll do it and nail it on the first one. And done - we're moving on, check the gate. It's like, 'What? You don't want to do it again for coverage?' He's like, 'No.' He knows. But look at the stuff he's done - Master and Commander, The Matrix [Reloaded] - the guy knows. We're really lucky. We got a crew of guys who, a lot of them are coming up. If you look at Jason Statham, there's a guy who has played the 'heavy' so many times, but the amazing thing about him is, he's a great good guy. He's really funny. I brought my daughter here the other day - she's 22 months old - and she's like everybody. I remember, I said, 'Hey, Jason, this is my wife and this is my daughter' and my daughter just looks at him and stares at him. I've never seen her do that. And she carries this little pink purse with her and she opened it up and started handing him her candies and things. It's the first crush she's ever had! The guy is just so nice. He was playing with her, he's charming. That guy is going to be a big action-hero. The Transporter - yes, he already is, but I think he's going to get a good-guy role that everyone is going to identify with and he's just going to blow up. He's great. And Bill Macy - can you do better than that? He's awesome. As a sidenote, Bill read the script, he got hired on the movie and he called me up and said, 'I've had some thoughts about the character.' I was like, 'Hey, absolutely - whatever.' He said, 'I want to take a crack on some stuff.' He wrote some stuff out and it was great! I remember calling him up like an idiot and being like, 'I just read your stuff and it was awesome. It's great. You should really think about writing.' Of course, I didn't realize he was about to get 6 Emmy's for Door to Door, so I felt like an idiot. 

Question: What were his notes? 
Chris: His original character was an Irish cop - the cliched, doughnut-eating, guy-who's-going-to-have-a-heart-attack, that kind of stuff. He had this great idea which is that he's been on the force a long time and he's ready to retire. He's been on a desk for awhile, but his wife has always had this dream of opening a beauty salon. And the beautiful thing about it is, when most cops retire they buy a fishing boat or get drunk or heart attack or buy a bar. But because his wife has spent so much time worrying about him as an officer and all this stuff, he's going to pay her back by helping her with this spa. So, all the other cops give him hell about it. They call it a beauty salon and he's trying to convince them, 'No, it's a day spa! It's much more sophisticated.' It's really funny. 

Chris went on to tell a funny story about a gag Macy came up with, but because it's rather SPOILERIFIC, you ain't going to be reading about it here. 

Question: What were your first conversations like with David Ellis and his take on the material? 
Chris: We just got together and he told me who he saw the characters as and the macguffin - that was a big issue we talked about. It was a fun take, it was a younger take, a more California take, but he grew up in Malibu, so he knows that atmosphere. I grew up in L.A., but not the beach. So, it's nice to get someone so passionate about that. The whole movie because of it has a different look and feel and it's nice. 

At that point, Chris had to get back to work as well, so we headed back to the set for a bit, which wraps up "Part 1" of our coverage from the set of Cellular currently shooting out in Santa Monica. Tune in next week for more including chats with stars Chris Evans, William H. Macy and Jason Statham and rounding it out as the sun went down with the director himself, David Ellis.

SET VISIT: CELLULAR (pt. 2)

We're back with Part 2 of our set visit to the upcoming New Line pic, Cellular directed by Final Destination II's David R. Ellis. The film stars, among other people, Jason Statham and William H. Macy, two of the most interesting character actors working in film today. I've interviewed Statham several times before, first on the set of The One, then at the junkets for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars and The Transporter, a movie I feel is criminally underrated and one of the best action movies in recent times (a fact that Fox caught on to and used a blurb similar to that on their print campaign for the film). The best news then for a boy like me out of all of this is - Statham said a Transporter sequel is on the rise.

More on that in a second.

Picking back up from Part 1, we'd just talked to Chris Morgan, the screenwriter of the film when we headed back to the shooting area of the Santa Monica pier where more scenes were being shot. As you might imagine, it was more of the same sort of stuff - a wrap-up type sequence in the third act that I won't go into, but Ellis was getting coverage of it from different angles and going along just fine. 

But before we even got a couple of seconds to settle in, we went back to our little tent next to the set they were to be using Friday to catch up with Statham.

Question: Having a good time out on the beach surrounded by the bikini girls?

Jason: Ah, it's a hard life, isn't it? (laughs)

Question: So, you're the bad man...

Jason: I'm the bad man, but I don't know? Am I?

Question: You're dressed in black, so I guess so.

Jason: Well, I've got a brown jacket, it's just not on me. (laughs)

Question: So, what are you shooting today? Can you give us a set-up as to what we're seeing?

Jason: Chris Evans, who plays the character Ryan, he has something I want and this is the rendezvous chosen by Chris. He's going to deliver something to me and in exchange, I'm going to deliver something back to him. So, he doesn't want to disclose who he is to me, so he's in something of a disguise. He's wearing a headset and I'm speaking to him over the phone. We're trying to make this trade-off and I'm delivering my lines to him. So, that's the kind of scene we set up for a few moments ago, so I don't know what they're doing now.

Question: You can't tell us what he is or what you have?

Jason: (big smile) Well, you know, I never like giving everything away. I watched a trailer the other day and it literally shows you everything in the whole fucking movie, so what's the point in going to see that? I know what's going to happen. So, I expect to keep some mystery about the story. It makes it boring for you guys, but I don't want to be the one to spill the beans! I'll let the director do that.

Question: What was it about this script and the character that made you want to take on this project?

Jason: There's a lot of elements that appeal to me for different reasons. I was keen to do something of this nature. The movie itself had a very good concept and as a whole, I wanted to be a part of a movie that I think was going to be good and people are going to enjoy. Secondly, it has a great cast - the likes of William Macy and Kim Basinger. Chris Evans is this new talent. We've got Jessica Biel - it goes on and on. And David Ellis, I think, is an extremely talented man and the whole thing just gets better and better. I've been waiting around to do something that I've been turned on to and this was the thing that came first. I haven't worked since The Italian Job. There's been a lot of stuff that I haven't done.

Question: Do you have a lot of stunts and action that you have to do in the movie?

Jason: Yeah! I'm very physical. There's also a psychological element that's great - that's always the best part. I did a physical role not so long back, so it's not like I'm trying to prove myself physically. There's a definite psychological thing that's always more interesting than the physical element, but of course, I have to get heavy-handed at one point.

Question: If you're trying to overpower someone mentally, how do you get into that kind of character?

Jason: Well, there's lots of different ways that you can use as leverage. What I have and what he wants and what I could possibly do to hurt him - not him personally...without giving the story away, we're pretty bad guys and we've got the ability to do some nasty stuff. He's a good guy essentially and he doesn't want that to happen. So there, I have a hold over him. We're very carefree on our regard to pain. He likes to keep everyone intact - so we've got that barrier over him.

Question: With a director like Ellis, when he says 'action' are you ready to go or do you do a lot of takes to get into a scene?

Jason: He's super, super quick. One, two, maybe three takes at the most unless there's a technical problem with the camera or it's not in focus. Usually it's a technical hitch that'll make us go again. He pretty much lets us know exactly what he's looking for within the characters in the scene and then he's very relaxed and there's no pressure. He makes you feel very, very relaxed with what you've got to do and it's just working out so well at the moment. It's very enjoyable, which is essential - I think - on movie sets. It lets people get their natural juices to come out. When everything's uptight, it's hard to be able to try anything.

Question: What is it like working with Kim Basinger as she's been a screen idol for so many years now?

Jason: I haven't done any of my scenes with her yet. I'm so excited. I was just telling the guys, Kim Basinger, I had a poster of her on my wall - one of the very few women I had a bit of a crush on. (laughs)

Question: Have you met her yet?

Jason: No, not yet. But she's amazing. You don't win Academy Awards for being useless, do you? So, I'm looking forward to doing my scenes with her. 

We got a bit spoilerific for a moment ("I'm not going to talk about the story too much," replied Statham at one point during the questioning. "I'm going to be very firm about that.")

Question: If you're the big bad and Chris Evans is with William H. Macy a lot, who are the people in your cadre? Is it a lot of just you and a phone?

Jason: I know Chris did three weeks just running around, driving, just speaking into a phone, so he'd be able to throw some more lights on that sort of a deal. I haven't done anything into a phone yet apart from that one thing I was telling you about. As long as you know what's going on, you can get the right emotions across. It's all about what someone's saying to you and what you're saying to them. I prefer to be acting with actors rather than phones, but the whole story and the whole concept - I mean, the movie's called Cellular. It's about cell phones. That's the clever part about the whole movie as you'll see.

Question: Are you local now? Do you live in L.A.?

Jason: I'm backwards and forwards between London and L.A., which is nice.

Question: With all the cell phones, do you see this as a particularly L.A. movie or do you think it could take place anywhere?

Jason: I think it could happen anywhere, yeah. I'd much prefer to be shooting here than old Kent Road in London. Definitely, yeah. It's great. You've got no night shoots. Most of it takes place during the day. Yeah, it's spectacular. I love it. Could be a lot worse.

Question: Do you know what's next for you?

Jason: Not right now. We're trying to play something. I'm doing another movie with Luc Besson. I'm doing another Transporter movie (Note from Nick: Well, God damn that made my weekend!) and that's late spring. They're writing it now.

Question: Is it going to be Yuen directing again?

Jason: Corey Yuen's going to direct, yeah. I'm very thrilled about the prospect of what we're going to get up to. Other than that, there's a few things looming, I just don't know what's real and what's not real in this town. 

Question: Is there a particular type script you're looking for? A drama? Action? Comedy?

Jason: All of it, you know! Yeah! As an actor, I'm don't think I'm at the stage where I can choose what roles in what movies that I can do. If I could, I'd be very lucky. I could say, 'Right, next I'm going to do a comedy and I want to work with someone that's great. I'll work with the Coen Brothers or something' - because they might not want me. I'm not a big enough sort of star to warrant choosing my own stuff, so you have to wait and see what comes your way. I like all kinds of movies. I like comedies, I like dramas, I like action movies - whatever comes first and whatever's good is what I'm going to do next.

Question: Other than the Coen Brothers, who are on your list of dream directors?

Jason: I like David Fincher. I thought he made a great movie with the pirates, Gore Verbinski. I thought that was hilarious with Johnny Depp. I've got a big long list of directors. Michael Mann, I think he's tremendous. Oliver Stone. There'll all cool directors. Scorsese - please!

Question: Is the Transporter sequel back in France again or all over Europe?

Jason: Without giving too much away, it's going to be in the U.S. All the mistakes we made in the first one, we're going to iron out and deliver something much bigger in the scale of things and the scope. So yeah, I'm so excited. When we find out where we're going, you have to come to the set! There's been some talk of it being in Florida or somewhere or maybe on the West Coast. We just don't know yet what's going to work in Luc's head. We're not going to make another one in the south of France - it would be silly to do that. We've sort of done it.

Question: But you might've gotten by with more deadly stunts there than if it was made in America.

Jason: Yeah! (laughs) I hadn't thought of that. Maybe we should go back!

Question: Would you rather be playing a hero than a villain or just if the role's good, you'll do it?

Jason: If the role's good and the director. There's so many people that you want to work with. I'm fussy in certain respects, but just a chance to work with Bill Macy would be enough for me. 

Question: Do you worry about typecasting?

Jason: Nah, I don't give a fuck about it. People are going to pigeonhole you anyway. That's what they're good at. 'Ah, he's just another guy who can do fuckin' action.' But that's what people get a kick out of - labeling you. It makes them feel good about how they see people. And, you know, fair play to them if they want to do that. But I don't mind. I'm just happy to do what I want to do. I feel it's a great privilege to be doing what I'm doing. Let's not make it too complicated and get fucking stupid about things.

Question: Is there any humor for you in Cellular like there was in The Italian Job?

Jason: Um...there's a lot of humor in this movie, but I'm under too much pressure for me to sort of inject some humor at this point anyway. I've still got most of my stuff to do. I've only done about seven or eight days and most of my stuff is towards the end of the movie that we've shot. I'm really under stress and I'm really quite desperate to get what I need and time's running out, so I fail to see the funny side of anything of what we've shot over the last three weeks. Maybe at the beginning of the movie we might be able to get a little humor into it. It depends on what David wants.

With that, Jason had to head back to set and hang out for his next scene. We were rounded up and trundled back ourselves to form a circle around William H. Macy, who was going through a pair of scripts that his agency had sent over (Writers & Artists, I believe, if you're looking to send fan-mail). I've never met Macy, though I'm getting him again in a short while for the junket of The Cooler. As a huge Mamet fan, naturally, I'm a huge Macy fan and really enjoyed finally meeting the guy and chatting with him. For the movie, he had a blood stain on his t-shirt and a bit of blood on his face as well, though it wasn't fatal.

Without further ado, here's Macy...

Question: We've been told so far that once cast, you brought in a whole new addition to your character...

William: It was written for a different actor than me. I don't know if it was written for somebody specific, but he was supposed to be an older, portly man who had had a heart attack and the gag was that all the cops in the station were worried that he's going to get excited and have another heart attack. Being the virile hunk that I am, we knew that that wouldn't fit me. So, I suggested that the character was going to retire after twenty-seven years, which I am - unfortunately - old enough to play for this role and he and his wife are going to start a day spa. So, all the cops are busting on him all the time. 'You're really starting a beauty parlor?' and the joke is I keep saying, 'It's a spa - it's a day spa.' It's led to some great gags, it really has. 

Question: Was this an idea you might've toyed with before for something else or did it come to you out of the blue for this?

William: No, I made it up on the spot and David thought it was a grand idea, so I hammered out the scenes and sent them to Chris, our writer, and he tweaked them.

Question: He spoke very highly of your writing. When you were changing the dialogue, were you trying to make it funnier or what was the aim of the re-write?

William: The role clearly was one of comic relief - from the very beginning it was - so that was the job. So, I thought, 'What would make it funny?' and then of course the thing that makes it funny is someone that has a sincere and legitimate objective, but is sort of out-of-step with the circumstances and it's that irony that I've always found has the best humor as opposed to gags or jokes. I'm not above gags or jokes.

Question: Aside from building a new character, what was interesting in the concept of the film to you?

William: It's a high-adventure chase movie from start to finish. There's about three minutes of calmness at the beginning and then the door bursts open and it never calms down. I've never done anything like this. I'm not a fan of stupidly violent movies and although this is pretty violent, I don't think it goes over the top. The bad guys get their comeuppance and good triumphs and it doesn't feel to me like it's gratuitous mowing people down for jokes. So, it's the high adventure of the thing, it's the tension of it that I thought was a real potboiler and something that I've never done, so I always wanted to give it another shot.

Question: Do you often get offered stuff like this and you just turn it down for the most part?

William: It's unusual that I do things like this. I have a big fight scene in this which we finished the other day. I don't get to do that kind of a role that often and it's a good thing, too, because I'm black and blue. 

Question: When you play comic relief in a thriller, is it hard to find the tone and what level to play the comedy to? What were your conversations with Ellis like about that?

William: I think we were on the same page. When the new scenes came in, he signed off on them immediately. They're funny enough without going over the top, so no, we didn't have to worry about it. It's sort of a tried and true trick of storytelling, if you want an audience to cry, get them laughing first. If you want them to laugh, make them sad first. If you want to scare the bejeezus out of them, soothe them with some false sense of security. By the same token, the levity in this is a little bit funnier because it's surrounded by such tension. I think the audience needs a laugh. By the same token, by having a funny scene, it really sets up something that has a lot of tension in it.

Question: Your shirt is bleeding - what happened to you?

William: There's a bandage in this scene, too, that you don't see, but I get grazed. When Chris comes to me and says, 'This lady says to me on the cell phone that she's been kidnapped!' I sort of pass him off to some detectives. But it touches in my memory, so I check it out and I go to the house and it looks like it was an erroneous report - and then I see some information on the television that makes me 'revisit.' So, the second time I go, this woman just draws down on me and grazes my neck. I end up killing her only to find out she's a cop, so the plot thickens. It's an onion, don't you know.

Question: So, there are gun battles as well as fisticuffs?

William: Oh, yeah - it's a real chase. It's a high voltage movie.

Question: So, you recently worked with David Mamet again, right?

William: Right. Spartan. It's in the can. He's not finished, but I've seen a cut of it and it's magnificent. I've never seen anything like it. It's brand new. I've never seen a film with less exposition, which is to say that it has no exposition. None. No character is introduced. No establishing shots. The plot revolves around the President's daughter getting kidnapped and they never say the word 'President.' They never say it's the President's daughter. They never identify who it is. The only information you get in every scene is what those characters need to get to the next scene. That's it. And the audience can come along or not. And, of course, the punchline is that it's crystal clear. You follow the plot all the way through. I truly believe that the future belongs to those writers and directors and actors who don't indicate ever or at all.

Question: What about yourself as a writer? Do you have another project that you're currently writing?

William: I have two. We won a boatload of Emmy's last time. I've been to a lot of those awards ceremonies and it's better when you win. We sold a project to Showtime called The Stripper and the Accountant - working title - about, you guessed it, a stripper and an accountant. And another one to TNT, which is called The Wool Cap and it's based on the old Jackie Gleason film called Gigot from the 1960's. Gigot is written and is just about ready to go into production and the other one we have to write.

Question: And that one is for you to star in as well?

William: I'll star in both of those.

Question: Will you direct?

William: No, Steven Schachter, my co-writer, will direct both of those. 

Question: Are you interested at all in writing stuff that you're not in?

William: In theory. I'm a good writer. I want to take all those good roles! In theory, yeah. As a matter-of-fact, a project came along that I would've probably done something in, but it wouldn't have been for me. If we come up with a rockin' good idea that sounds right for me, I would right it.

Question: Do you prefer television as you don't have a big studio hanging over your head and projects don't always have to be celebrity-driven? What's your take on doing movies for television rather than features?

William: Yes, yes and yes - everything you just said. They're unfortunately cutting back on long-form television - drastically - but I don't think they're going to cut it out. Traditionally, the networks and cablers have done material that you just couldn't get made as a feature. It's too soft, it's too character-y, it's all those little catch phrases that they use, which basically mean, 'No, go away.' They do those films. I don't think Door-to-Door would've been made as a feature. I don't think we could've gotten it made. Even if we had gotten it made, it would've been a little indie and then my parents would've seen it and that's pretty much it. As it was, it was seen by millions and millions of people because it was playing a long time.

Question: Do you have plans to return to stage soon?

William: Not immediately. It's so much work. It's a lot of work. I did a play about four years ago. I'll probably do another play in three or four years.

Question: Have you ever considered doing stage out here in L.A.?

William: I'm a member of the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City, so they'd probably come and kick my butt if I started doing plays out here. If I was going to do a play, it would probably be in New York. But, I did do something at the Actor's Gang. I did The Guys with my wife Felicity and I directed something at the - rest-in-peace - Tiffany Theater. I do little things - benefits. I get on stage every once in awhile. 

Question: Did you have to do any special training for the fight scenes in Cellular?

William: I stretched out in my trailer. That helps a whole lot. I'm not brave. If it looks dicey, I let the stunt guys do it because #1, they're tougher than me and #2, they're better than me and #3, the film can go on if they get hurt, but it can't if I get hurt. So, I'm padded up like crazy. I'm very, very careful. Anyone can bruise and bleed. It doesn't take an actor to do that. I stretch out. I make sure I know what's going on. I don't have any macho needs to do all my own stunts.

And that's actors Jason Statham and William H. Macy chatting it up from the set of Cellular, currently shooting in Santa Monica under the aegis of director David R. Ellis. Check back in tomorrow for Part 3 of our set visit interviews, chatting with star Chris Evans and director Ellis himself.
5 novembre: Da CHUD: SET VISIT: CELLULAR (pt. 3). We're back with the third and final part of our set visit to Cellular, New Line's new thriller currently being shot in Santa Monica by director David R. Ellis, producer Dean Devlin, scripter Chris Morgan and a cast comprised of Chris Evans, Kim Basinger, William H. Macy, Jason Statham, Noah Emmerich and Jessica Biel among others. 

We left you yesterday chatting with Statham and Macy about the feature. Following our yakking with Macy, we camped out behind the monitors and watched as the crew set up great reflectors to keep the lighting constant as the sun slowly set over the ocean. Jessica Biel, looking lovely in a white top and blue skirt, kept repeating her, "Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" line as the crew got a few more angles, but then we were brought the star of the film, Chris Evans.

I've only seen Evans in Not Another Teen Movie where he played the lead fella (the jock) and was somewhat surprised when they cast him in Cellular after a name like "Ashton Kutcher" had been thrown out by Larry Cohen at Weekend of Horrors last year. But, as Devlin said, they fought to get Evans - a relative newcomer - into the lead and as history tells us time and time again, sometimes a fresh face that doesn't bring any "celebrity" baggage to a role can be your best bet.

To keep Chris from being too hot, the crew had strapped ice packs to his body under his t-shirt and they had just been removed when he came over to talk with us.

Question: So, you have to work covered in ice packs?

Chris: Yeah - ice packs! In the last scene, to be a little more inconspicuous I wear this big winter jacket with the hood up, so you guys have been here...but actually, it's cooler now (S.J.R. Note: It was pretty hot then, so I can only imagine), but yesterday it was brutal, so they just gave me this suit of ice packs which makes me much more pleasurable to work with (laughs).

Question: Dean mentioned that this scene was about halfway through the third act - what is your character up to today?

***POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING*** (I'm not sure how spoilerific this is, but I figured a warning was in order)

Chris: This is almost the ending of the film. We've only got a couple more pages. This is after they've kidnapped Jessica, I have the videotape they're looking for and I've basically told them to meet me here and we're going to make a trade. 'I've got your video camera, you've got my hostage' and then we get to make the trade. So, I'm on my little earpiece cell phone trying to wheel and deal with the bad guys.

***END SPOILERS***

Question: Are you enjoying hanging out and working with Bill Macy and Statham?

Chris: Yeah, it's great. They're just the epitome of professionalism. They come to work and they know exactly what to do and when to do it and how to do it and it's just crazy to look around and be like, 'Oh, shit! I'm acting with these guys!' It's a dream come true and I'm just eternally grateful. They're very welcoming people. They make it a very comfortable set.

Question: What is it like to have to spend much of the movie working alone - just you with a cell phone to your ear?

Chris: It's not that bad. They gave me a little earwig - this little earpiece they put in my ear and they have a wonderful actress reading the lines through the microphone, so there's enough to feed off of. It's kind of nice. I think it's interesting the things people do subconsiously when they're on their cell phone - where their eyes go, what their body language is. It's something that I've never had to do before so it's a new muscle to exercise.

Question: You've been watching a lot of people talking on their cell phones?

Chris: More than that, I've been trying to pay attention to myself, when I'm driving - especially because most of the film is me in the car. So, what do you do when you're driving on the phone. What are the things you subconsciously do to drive? What are the things you subconsciously do to listen and speak? Check your battery - whatever you do. It's a bunch of stuff you don't really think about. So, it's fun.

Question: Is it a really physical role for you? Are you always on the run and stuff?

Chris: Oh, yeah. These have this stuff called 'glycerin' that they use for fake sweat and I think there's a total of two days on the whole film where I'm not covered in it, so yeah. Every scene I'm frantic and running and panicking and screaming. So, it's very upbeat, yes.

Question: Do you ever have to fight?

Chris: Well, I think in the ending I do get in a little bit of a physical confrontation with one of the bad guys. I think I give him a pretty good beat down, too.

Question: You can handle Jason?

Chris: Well, not Jason, thank God because he'd be giving me the beat down. Another bad guy.

Question: Have you met Kim Basinger yet?

Chris: No, not yet. She was actually on set today doing hair and makeup tests, but she's been busy. She's working on another film. We're just so honored to have her, so she's just trying to make it work with her schedule. 

Question: You might think it would be helpful to meet the person you have to do all the talking to over the phone...

Chris: It's almost helpful that I've not seen her because throughout the film, I have no idea who this woman is. I've never seen her face, I don't know who she is - I don't know anything about her. So, it actually contributes in a way.

Question: What's Ellis like as a director?

Chris: He's great. He's efficient. He knows what he wants and he gets it quickly. He's a problem solver. If something's not working, it's not a twenty minute ordeal trying to get it fixed. It's a very well-oiled machine from the D.P. to the grips, the electricians - everyone just is functioning the way they need to function. We're not behind. We're on schedule and actually, I think we're ahead of schedule, which is something I think you rarely encounter in film. 

Question: With all these complicated set pieces and knowing that Ellis likes to shoot efficiently, does that make you be that much more on your game for every take?

Chris: Yeah, a little bit. You don't want to screw up. You want to make sure you're not the weak link in the well-oiled machine. But, I feel like all of a sudden I am having it rough and I am stumbling a bit, it's such a welcoming environment and a supportive group of people that they would be there for me and they would have the patience to get it right.

Question: Devlin and Morgan were telling us a bit about the elaborate set-ups to lose the phone signal and how many obstacles they've set up for you - do you have a favorite?

Chris: I really like having to pick up her son. I have to try and rescue her son before the bad guys get him, so I have to run into a school while school is in session. It's just a fun sequence seeing this sea of kids. I'm just running through and pushing kids out of the way. It was just a really fun day of work. 

Question: What's the tunnel sequence and have you shot that?

Chris: At one point I drive into a tunnel not realizing I'm on a cell phone. The tunnel is the kiss of death to a cell phone, so right before the signal cuts out, I have to throw the car in reverse and back out of the tunnel. And it's fun! It's a lot of car moves.

Question: What kind of car do you have in the movie?

Chris: I start out with a Bronco and then I steal a Porsche.

Question: Do you do a lot of your own stunt driving?

Chris: No, not really. As far as driving goes, they have a great stunt driver. They let me do a few things, but the driving they want to leave to professionals. But I do get to do a lot of jumping off the edge of the pier and sliding down a trash chute - fun stuff like that.

Question: How do you feel about carrying your first film as an action star?

Chris: It's exciting. I'm honored, I'm grateful. I can't believe it's even happening. The good thing is, like I said, I have such a wonderful, wonderful supporting cast, wonderful director, wonderful everybody - the studio, the producers - it's just taken a lot of the load off. So, I really feel like it's a group effort.

Question: As far as your career goes, you've done some comedy and now you're doing action, do you have a plan? 

Chris: I just want to work with good directors. In film, a lot of your craft is put through the filter of the director, the storyteller. So, it's wonderful when you can work with a wonderful director who meshes with your style of creativity. So, regardless of whether it's comedy, action or drama, I don't care. If it's a great director and a great storyteller, that's the person I want to work for and work with.

Question: About where are you in the shoot? How far along are you?

Chris: It's a 52-day shoot and we're on Day 32.

Question: What kind of stunts do you have to look forward to?

Chris: Well, actually, most of my stuff is almost shot. I mean, I've got about a week left on camera and the whole last month is all basically Kim's stuff in her attic and I'm just doing off-camera lines. So, it'll get easier.

Question: How tired are you of talking on cell phones at this point?

Chris: I'm pretty tired of it, but it's not that. It beats the coal mines.

Question: Does it feel weird driving home chatting on your cell phone?

Chris: I try not to. Jeezus, I try not to, but it's inevitable.

Question: Do you like shooting here on the pier surrounding by all these people just walking around?

Chris: It's a great place to shoot. Just being in L.A. alone. A lot of films are on location these days and getting to shoot in L.A. is a real treat, especially in such a beautiful place in L.A. 

Question: Are you local L.A. then?

Chris: I live in the Valley, but I'm working on that. (laughs) It's okay. I don't mind the Valley. I shouldn't be a hater. Yeah, it's great. My friends are here, my girlfriend's here, my dog's here. Getting to go to work and then go home to your own bed is really special.

Question: Since the movie takes place over the course of one day, what have your conversations been like with Ellis about keeping the suspense at the right level throughout the shoot?

Chris: Right, sure. That's a good point. The fact that it takes place in one day - you really have to be conscious of it to make sure you have good continuity with your character, but like I said earlier, I have such great people watching the monitors - David, Dean Devlin, Lauren Lloyd - if ever they feel like I'm slipping, which is bound to happen - I'm not De Niro (laughs) - they'll come in and say, 'Don't forget - you just came out of this scene.' It's great. Everyone is helping me and I really feel like it's a nice family. It's a great working environment.

Question: You feel pretty free to make suggestions?

Chris: Oh, yeah. It's a beautiful thing. There isn't a lot of ego. No one really feels like, 'No, you don't tell me what to do - I tell you what to do.' There's none of that. I haven't had much to say. I still am kind of green, but if I do have a comment, if I do have a suggestion, it's welcomed and taken into consideration and it's really a great place to be creative.

Question: After Cellular, do you have your next project lined up?

Chris: Who knows? I have a few meetings here and there, but nothing locked.

Question: Looking for more action?

Chris: Again, you know what, if the right director - if Spielberg called and said, 'We want you to do an action movie where you're on a cell phone the whole time,' guess what? I'd be doing it! So, it doesn't matter what the film is. If it's the right director and the right cast of characters, it's just an outlet to be creative with a creative storyteller.

And that was Chris Evans. We watched him hurry to another part of the pier to do a stunt. I won't go into it here as it's probably spoiler-y, but should you read him talking to the press during the junket runs for this and he says he "did his own stunts" the way most actors always say that (causing the eyes to roll of stuntmen all over Hollywood who know better), know that Evans, well, really did do his own stunt. Not that it was that dangerous, but I could certainly see any number of other actors say, 'I'm not doing that, padre.' So, good on Evans for taking the launch Jackie Chan-style.

As soon as that stunt was finished, David R. Ellis wrapped it up and came over to say 'hi' to us before climbing in a cart, gathering up the press and roaring us to a quiet area to do the final interview of the day. Ellis, a former stuntman himself, drove the cart like a stuntman (no, we weren't in danger, but he did zip between a pole and some other equipment with ease that would've had me at least slowing down or something) and we were there in no time.

***SPOILER WARNING TO THE MAX***

Seriously - ***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!***

Hey, I warned ye...

Question: So, that was nifty - a man leaping through the air...

David: That was Chris Evans leaping for his life off the pier.

Question: Can you give us a little set-up to the scene? What's happening there?

David: What's happening in that scene is Chris has the evidence against the bad cops, they want it, they think they get it and they destroy it and now they're going to take him away with Kim Basinger and her husband and son and take care of them so they won't ever talk again. But, unfortunately, Chris can recognize them so when he leaps off to get away, they still have unfinished business because they have to capture him to take him and eliminate all the people that can be eyewitnesses to what happened.

***END SPOILERS***

Question: With Final Destination II, the film was set apart by the Rube Goldberg set pieces - with this, are you trying to go for something more character driven?

David: Yeah, this is a totally different kind of film. Final Destination II for me was a great experience and was a really great opportunity for me to move from second unit to first unit. I wasn't that into the horror genre - those aren't the films that I usually go see - but when they offered me the script, I felt it was an opportunity to do a cool sequel. But I didn't watch any other horror films or anything to see what everyone else had done because I just wanted it to be kind of fresh. And it was all about the Rube Goldberg's trying to fake out the audience so when they're least suspecting something, then something happens. This is totally different. This is a character-driven piece about a kid that's really self-centered, into himself, never does anything right or never really has for himself. His girlfriend's bailed on him because of that and all of a sudden, he gets this random cell phone call from this lady that's been kidnapped. It's about him having this character arc where he comes up to the plate and actually really hangs it out for somebody that he doesn't even know. So, it's a really great Phone Booth mixed with Speed because it's constantly moving and there are obstacles that you encounter through the adventure that everybody encounters every day via a cell phone - losing a signal, the battery's dying, he has no charger and all these different things. His phone gets cross-talked with somebody else, so it's all the things that he has to overcome to try to complete his mission, which is freeing Kim Basinger and her family.

Question: A lot of people today have been mentioning the "Hitchcockian suspense" in this movie - will you talk a little about that?

David: It's got a lot of suspense, because just what I was talking about - the obstacles that he's encountering and there's a ticking clock the whole time. So, all those obstacles and things he's encountering help build the suspense and there's different things that are happening with her son being kidnapped and now her husband's being kidnapped and they've got all the elements that they needed and then all of a sudden the kid - Ryan - gets the tape as the camera has incriminating tape on it. So, intercutting what's happening with him in the real world and her in her little world stuck in the attic really builds a lot of suspense because she can't see anything but her little confined world and he's out there in the middle of all this shit that's happening.

Question: Is that difficult to sustain - having your two leads apart like that?

David: Well, I don't think it's going to be difficult because they connect on a lot of different levels through the film and start to grow this relationship having never seen each other. I'm actually not going to let Kim and Chris meet until the end of the film so they don't know each other. I mean, he knows what Kim Basinger looks like, of course, but I don't want her to know 'Ryan.' I only want her to know Ryan through the phone. I don't think it's going to be hard because they start to establish a relationship. He starts to do things to continually jump hurdles for her - and not even knowing her when the simplest thing for this kid to do would be to hang up the phone and go back to surfing and checking out the chicks on the pier in their bikinis. Then she starts to really appreciate what he's doing. It keeps hitting home to him what his girlfriend said in the beginning that he's irresponsible, self-centered, blah, blah, blah - and now he's overcoming some of those things. It's cool. They connect on a good level.

Question: Visually, when you read the script, were there set pieces where you were like, 'Hey, I do something really cool with this'?

David: Yeah, we have the usual set pieces - action sequences, car chases - different things like that. It's something that I do and know how to do. It's kind of second nature. I re-wrote this film with the writers and the producers to take place in California - it was initially going to be in Boston and centered around a big concert on the Charles River and rowing and all of that stuff. I just felt that it was problematic to shoot it in Boston because the film takes place in one day and we needed the best weather. 80% of the film is outside, so we needed the best chance to get good weather and I thought L.A. would be that. I wanted also to be a filmmaker that kept a film in the States and not take it to Canada because it was going to be Toronto for Boston - two weeks in Boston and then playing Toronto for Boston. So, I wanted to keep the work here in the States and felt that I have an amazing crew that I work with here and I can't take those guys to Canada. Also, we needed a lot of stunt people because of all the car chases. The best stuntmen in the world are here in Hollywood. We have all the guys from Brand X, which is the top stunt group in the world. Then we were trying to come up with an event which was an event that would create the chaos for the third act and we thought about the L.A. Marathon, thought about different things - and then I go past this, the Santa Monica Pier, every day on my way home to Malibu where I live and I thought, that's the perfect place. It's California, visually it's going to be beautiful, and then I came up with the idea of putting a benefit here. We have a concert for Heal the Bay, which is a good thing, too, to try to give them some PR because they're doing a really good thing in trying to clean the Bay up. It just worked out.

Question: What are some of the car chase stunts that you do in the movie?

David: Well, what happens is in one car chase, when he goes to the school to try to get the kid before he's let out of school and just misses him and the kidnappers get the kid, the kidnappers are in a Porsche Cayenne, which is their new SUV 400 horse power ride. His car is at the other side of the school, so when there's a disturbance, this little tiny security car pulls up and this security guard gets out. So, he has to go steal that car. Now he's in this little thing with a sewing machine engine trying to catch these guys in a Porsche Cayenne and he gets cut off on traffic and he tries to pass a bus and while he's trying to pass the bus, he can barely get up to the front and now he's having a head-on with this big center divider so he has to swing into opposing lanes of traffic. He veers through all that shit and has a head-on with this pickup truck with a gardening trailer on it and that flips over and cars crash and he swerves back. Another time, he gets cross-talk on his phone and he finds the guy who is actually on his side of the conversation and he's sitting at a stoplight in a convertible Porsche Carrera. So, he goes to the guy and tells the guy he needs his phone because Jessica's on that phone and in the background, the little security car he had - parked in the intersection - gets completely destroyed and blown up by a big cement truck, so he goes, 'I need your car, too.' The guy goes, 'Oh, dude, no!' And he says, 'Out!' Now he's in a Porsche and he turns right to get away from this guy and he's stuck entering a tunnel. He's losing reception on the phone, the tunnel's a mile long, there's no way he can go that way, so he has to stop and he has to back up against traffic and they're all swerving. He does a backwards 180 and takes off. 

Question: Did you already shoot all that?

David: Yeah!

Question: Where was it all done? The 3rd Street Tunnel, obviously, but where else?

David: Yeah, the tunnel in downtown L.A., we shot there. Then we shot Riverside Drive and over on Westchester Parkway over by the airport.

Question: And you got it all without a hitch?

David: Oh, yeah. 

Question: We hear you're even ahead of schedule.

David: We're doing good. We're rockin'. We have a great team. 

Question: Everybody's been very complimentary about you as a quick shooter - you know what you want...

David: It's knowing what you want. It's doing your homework. It's making sure that everybody else is prepared for you. Everybody's got shot lists. They know exactly how I see it in my head exactly how I'm going to edit it, so I know exactly which take I need, which piece I'm on. So, if I'm doing coverage, I don't need a take to be good all the way through, because I know during that take, I'm cutting to the other actor or to this actor or that actor. So, I watch it and when I know I have that moment, I move on. I usually do two to three takes at most. I think the most on this movie so far is nine and it was a really, really tricky focus - fast-going moving focus with a long lens on an actor. Usually the performance stuff - especially with the caliber of actors that I have - they're nailing it the first take. I do a second take so I can pretend I'm directing them. 'Hey, um, why don't you try this?' They nail it right away, so we do very few takes. 

Question: That was a "one" take we just saw?

David: Yeah - that's the only take. When you have it and it's good, there's no need to take a second one. Clint Eastwood shoots the rehearsals and then prints it and moves on.

Question: What's your working relationship like with Dean Devlin on this?

David: It's awesome. Dean's a very talented producer. He brings a lot of clout to the movie. He developed the script. Then I came on and we developed it together. He's definitely a friend, a collaborator and somebody that I look up to.

Question: How has directing William H. Macy been?

David: You don't really direct him, but I'll take credit for it. He's fucking awesome.

Question: So, you're a surfer...

David: Absolutely!

Question: You still surf a lot?

David: All the time. Every weekend.

Question: Hence the surfboards on the crew shirts?

David: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a whole California theme. Almost everybody on my crew surfs, so yeah. 

At that point, unfortunately, David had to take off. As we headed back to the parking lot to be whisked back home (thanks again for the lift, beaks!), we got one more treat - a goddamn gorgeous sunset over the Pacific. Cellular actually sounds like it'll be a kick-ass movie, so I'm sure as hell looking forward to it. I hope you've enjoyed our three-part set visit snap shot and look for the flick to hit some time next year from New Line.
6 novembre: Aggiornamenti box office.

ARGENTINA
October 10 - 16

TW LW Title Weekend Gross Theater Count Average Total Gross Week

1 - Freddy vs. Jason $160,427 30 $5,348 $160,427 1
2 1 Bad Boys II $92,530 51 $1,814 $223,853 2
3 - The Italian Job $90,415 27 $3,349 $90,415 1
4 2 Valentνn $86,693 35 $2,477 $376,584 5
5 3 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen $65,185 53 $1,230 $673,943 5
6 6 2 Fast 2 Furious $58,028 40 $1,451 $408,142 4
7 5 Bruce Almighty $54,517 77 $708 $2,716,300 9 
8 4 Once Upon a Time in Mexico $51,082 40 $1,277 $253,373 3
9 - People I Know $49,386 18 $2,744 $49,386 1 
10 7 Matchstick Men $38,646 30 $1,288 $234,893 4

7 novembre: Ultime date d'uscita di PEOPLE I KNOW:

Netherlands 6 September 2003 (Film by the Sea Film Festival)

Belgium 24 September 2003 

Philippines 24 September 2003 (limited)

Argentina 9 October 2003 

Poland 24 October 2003 

South Korea 24 October 2003 

Netherlands 17 June 2004 

8 novembre: Riepilogo box office 8 MILE:

Budget
$41,000,000
Opening Weekend
$35,565 (Argentina) (28 January 2003) (16 Screens)
€2,865,767 (Italy) (16 March 2003) (325 Screens)
€2,584,717 (Spain) (9 February 2003) (285 Screens)
£4,440,334 (UK) (19 January 2003) (423 Screens)
$51,240,555 (USA) (10 November 2002) (2,470 Screens)
Gross
$165,000 (28 January 2003) (Philippines)
$101,345 (Argentina) (4 March 2003)
$94,092 (Argentina) (25 February 2003)
$85,349 (Argentina) (18 February 2003)
$69,966 (Argentina) (11 February 2003)
$57,197 (Argentina) (4 February 2003)
$35,565 (Argentina) (28 January 2003)
$13,255,802 (France) (20 May 2003)
$12,378,986 (France) (1 April 2003)
$11,857,640 (France) (25 March 2003)
$11,055,640 (France) (18 March 2003)
$8,313,482 (France) (11 March 2003)
$5,398,696 (France) (4 March 2003)
€16,311,074 (Germany) (12 October 2003)
€7,156,104 (Italy) (27 April 2003)
€7,144,599 (Italy) (20 April 2003)
€7,092,059 (Italy) (13 April 2003)
€6,953,959 (Italy) (6 April 2003)
€6,465,236 (Italy) (30 March 2003)
€6,465,236 (Italy) (23 March 2003)
€5,274,820 (Italy) (23 March 2003)
€2,865,767 (Italy) (16 March 2003)
$116,300,000 (Non-USA) (1 June 2003)
$98,600,000 (Non-USA) (16 March 2003)
$92,500,000 (Non-USA) (9 March 2003)
$86,500,000 (Non-USA) (2 March 2003)
$57,800,000 (Non-USA) (2 February 2003)
$492,044 (Russia) (27 July 2003)
€7,262,710 (Spain) (16 March 2003)
€7,087,638 (Spain) (9 March 2003)
€6,631,426 (Spain) (2 March 2003)
€5,922,750 (Spain) (23 February 2003)
€4,737,749 (Spain) (16 February 2003)
€2,584,717 (Spain) (9 February 2003)
£12,974,253 (UK) (23 February 2003)
£12,708,922 (UK) (16 February 2003)
£12,175,385 (UK) (9 February 2003)
£11,013,509 (UK) (2 February 2003)
£8,649,445 (UK) (26 January 2003)
£4,440,334 (UK) (19 January 2003)
$116,724,075 (USA) (9 March 2003)
$116,691 (USA) (2 March 2003)
$116,638,030 (USA) (23 February 2003)
$116,574,895 (USA) (16 February 2003)
$116,453,435 (USA) (9 February 2003)
$116,304,760 (USA) (2 February 2003)
$116,134,915 (USA) (26 January 2003)
$115,953,495 (USA) (19 January 2003)
$115,630,575 (USA) (12 January 2003)
$115,270,265 (USA) (5 January 2003)
$114,707,095 (USA) (29 December 2002)
$114,134,575 (USA) (22 December 2002)
$113,357,310 (USA) (15 December 2002)
$111,179,170 (USA) (8 December 2002)
$107,393,455 (USA) (1 December 2002)
$97,579,500 (USA) (24 November 2002)
$84,440,250 (USA) (17 November 2002)
$51,240,555 (USA) (10 November 2002)
Weekend Gross
$7,253 (Argentina) (4 March 2003) (16 Screens)
$8,743 (Argentina) (25 February 2003) (16 Screens)
$15,383 (Argentina) (18 February 2003) (16 Screens)
$12,769 (Argentina) (11 February 2003) (16 Screens)
$21,632 (Argentina) (4 February 2003) (16 Screens)
$35,565 (Argentina) (28 January 2003) (16 Screens)
€2,098 (Italy) (27 April 2003) (3 Screens)
€16,689 (Italy) (20 April 2003) (10 Screens)
€56,044 (Italy) (13 April 2003) (40 Screens)
€274,260 (Italy) (6 April 2003) (145 Screens)
€716,119 (Italy) (30 March 2003) (280 Screens)
€716,119 (Italy) (23 March 2003) (280 Screens)
€1,447,159 (Italy) (23 March 2003) (339 Screens)
€120,160 (Spain) (16 March 2003) (116 Screens)
€296,010 (Spain) (9 March 2003) (226 Screens)
€527,468 (Spain) (2 March 2003) (271 Screens)
€929,859 (Spain) (23 February 2003) (281 Screens)
€1,591,650 (Spain) (16 February 2003) (285 Screens)
€2,584,717 (Spain) (9 February 2003) (285 Screens)
£102,433 (UK) (23 February 2003) (148 Screens)
£284,090 (UK) (16 February 2003) (265 Screens)
£655,233 (UK) (9 February 2003) (373 Screens)
£1,414,861 (UK) (2 February 2003) (406 Screens)
£2,514,467 (UK) (26 January 2003) (423 Screens)
£4,440,334 (UK) (19 January 2003) (423 Screens)
$22,540 (USA) (9 March 2003) (46 Screens)
$35,340 (USA) (2 March 2003) (62 Screens)
$45,585 (USA) (23 February 2003) (76 Screens)
$83,220 (USA) (16 February 2003) (90 Screens)
$105,565 (USA) (9 February 2003) (153 Screens)
$123,370 (USA) (2 February 2003) (169 Screens)
$134,625 (USA) (26 January 2003) (207 Screens)
$218,935 (USA) (19 January 2003) (246 Screens)
$216,110 (USA) (12 January 2003) (325 Screens)
$304,765 (USA) (5 January 2003) (365 Screens)
$346,620 (USA) (29 December 2002) (321 Screens)
$344,025 (USA) (22 December 2002) (450 Screens)
$1,354,575 (USA) (15 December 2002) (1,375 Screens)
$2,548,975 (USA) (8 December 2002) (2,015 Screens)
$5,758,815 (USA) (1 December 2002) (2,518 Screens)
$8,620,975 (USA) (24 November 2002) (2,585 Screens)
$19,344,025 (USA) (17 November 2002) (2,496 Screens)
$51,240,555 (USA) (10 November 2002) (2,470 Screens)
Admissions
51,857 (Argentina) (4 March 2003)
46,026 (Argentina) (25 February 2003)
37,735 (Argentina) (18 February 2003)
28,823 (Argentina) (11 February 2003)
21,967 (Argentina) (4 February 2003)
10,635 (Argentina) (28 January 2003)
2,096,981 (France) (1 April 2003)
2,007,155 (France) (25 March 2003)
1,870,061 (France) (18 March 2003)
1,401,316 (France) (11 March 2003)
922,854 (France) (4 March 2003)
2,617,361 (Germany) (9 February 2003)
2,516,966 (Germany) (2 February 2003)
2,351,803 (Germany) (26 January 2003)
2,063,400 (Germany) (19 January 2003)
1,621,960 (Germany) (12 January 2003)
932,434 (Germany) (5 January 2003)
1,555,034 (Spain) (16 March 2003)
1,516,713 (Spain) (9 March 2003)
1,416,225 (Spain) (2 March 2003)
1,262,642 (Spain) (23 February 2003)
546,338 (Spain) (9 February 2003)

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