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How to Stage a Revolt
Stars Cera and Doubleday on Making an Anarchic Youth Comedy
Recently I sat down with Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday to chat with the actors about their new movie Youth in Revolt. Based on the popular series of novels by C.D. Payne and directed by Chuck and Buck and The Good Girl auteur Miguel Arteta, the movie is a raucous and spirited R-rated coming of age comedy that reminded me of Paul Brickman’s 1983 classic Risky Business.
Michael Cera in The Weinstein Company's Youth in Revolt
Like it, this one is an anarchic romp that pushes the boundaries of good taste, the whole thing anchored by a sweetly intoxicating tale of mismatched lovers whom somehow find a way to connect. Cera plays both nebbish hero Nick Twisp as well as his mustachioed split personality Francois Dillinger while Doubleday is the French loving object of his affections the seemingly selfish and self-centered Sheeni Saunders. The actors give themselves over completely to their respective characters, the pair achieving a form of uncomforting chemistry that fits the material beautifully.
It’s obvious I liked the movie, its sinister wit and vulgar sincerity winning more over pretty much completely. Youth in Revolt is the type of entertainment we just don’t normally get in January, my hope being it can find success so maybe in the future we just might get more like it in the multiplex. All of which makes it a forgone conclusion that I was excited for this round table interview, and while my time with the two stars was sadly brief that doesn’t make it anything close to time misspent.
Question: Michael, as a huge fan of the novels you’ve wanted to be a part of this movie for quite some time, isn’t that correct?
Michael Cera: Yes, that’s true, but I got attached to the project just shortly before we made it. I think I was attached in late 2007 and we made [the film] in 2008. But, yeah, I really wanted to be a part of it.
QUESTION: What was it about the book that made you so passionate?
Cera: I just loved the writing. The characters are just so well written and the characters are just so funny. There’s just a lot of fun stuff I wanted to be able to do.
Cera and Portia Doubleday in The Weinstein Company's Youth in Revolt
QUESTION: Does that mean there were things about the characters themselves either of you thought were like you or that you thought you could relate to?
Cera: I could relate to the feeling that you’re kind of born late, that you sort of feel like you don’t feel like the people your own age. I sort of felt like that growing up and I could relate to that.
Portia Doubleday: Yes, I guess I could kind of relate to the first love experience [aspect]. I didn’t necessarily make guys do those types of things for me, they just did it on their own, but, yeah, I could kind of relate to that aspect. I definitely had different tastes then Sheeni did, I didn’t know about Serge Gainsbourg at all. But, yeah, being different, but [then] I think everybody feels that way, though. It’s interesting. It’s an awkward time period, being 16, just finding [out] who you are going to be for the next couple of years.
QUESTION: The cast assembled for this film is pretty extraordinary. What was it like working with actors like Steve Buscemi, Justin Long, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis and all the rest? Any interesting stories from the set?
Cera: I’m a big fan of all those people so it was just really exciting to get to do scenes with them. It really is an amazing cast and I’m really a huge fan of everyone. Just getting to do these scenes with them was incredible. Getting smacked by Steve Buscemi was amazing, getting beaten by Ray Liotta was amazing; my mom visited the set twice and both times she was there I was being beaten by someone. So that was particularly cool, getting beaten by those guys.
QUESTION: When you work in an ensemble like this the caliber of the actors is so high does it then force you to bring your game up to a level maybe you hadn’t gone to before?
Cera: You always try to do your best, I think, but you definitely don’t want to ruin a scene that Steve Buscemi is amazing in, that would be terrible.
Doubleday: I didn’t really have a game plan. I don’t even know what I was thinking, to be honest, I was just thinking it was so crazy that I was even there. I’m lucky and I’m unlucky because I was just fine watching on the sidelines because I don’t have too many scenes with everybody other than the Thanksgiving scene with M. Emmet [Walsh], Mary [Kay Place] and Justin, and that was really fun. But we rehearsed a lot. It felt less daunting [because of that] then when we started.
QUESTION: Do either of you have a favorite scene in the movie?
Doubleday: I do. I’ve said this a billion times but I’m just going to keep on saying it. It’s Fred Willard when he’s getting up from the rug. Just his eyes, it’s my favorite part, then he tosses the keys and it’s just sweet.
Cera: I like the scene with Ray Liotta and when I’m facing off with him as Francois. I just like that scene a lot. And I like the Thanksgiving scene a lot when Trent shows up.
QUESTION: Is there anything in particular you brought to being Francois? He’s such a different sort of character then anything we’ve from you before, was he hard for you to get a handle on?
Cera: It was fun figuring it out with Miguel [Arteta] how to do it, figuring out the mustache and the contacts. The hair was from this Jean-Paul Belmondo movie, I think it’s called Le Magnifique – and that’s a really great movie, it’s a comedy, a really ridiculous comedy – but his hair on the poster is how we kind of did Francois’ hair. Just things like that were fun to figure out.
QUESTION: I was going to ask you guys about that, about the French New Wave and those films with Belmondo, especially the ones directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Did you two watch any of those to prepare for making Youth in Revolt?
Cera: It was really helpful to watch some of those movies. I was already a big fan of the [Francois] Truffaut movies, and I had seen Breathless but I hadn’t seen too many other Godard movies and we watched Pierrot le Fou, Le Magnifique and some other movies, too, that weren’t from that era so, yeah, that was fun to do.
Cera and Francois Dillenger in The Weinstein Company's Youth in Revolt
QUESTION: The reason I asked this is because in your case, Portia, I got a big Anna Karina feel from your performance which reminded me a lot of Pierrot le Fou, that detached yet feminine bemusement that she has throughout the whole movie. I was curious if that was something that you saw that you felt would be perfect for Sheeni and if it was something you tried to emulate during filming.
Doubleday: Yeah, totally. I think I have Miguel to kind of thank because even when I was early in the auditioning process he suggested that I watch those movies and they are wonderful, just wonderful, and I instantly fell in love with [Karina]. She’s amazing, and [Belmondo] couldn’t be any sexier – there’s no one right now who can top his appeal.
I was watching Pierrot le Fou in my trailer all the time, just kept watching scenes and there’s this commentary [track] that was cool and would talk about Godard and how he came up with scenes as he was driving up to the set and how he would shout out random lines to them. This one time [Karina] broke down and starting to cry because there’s that shot of the bowling, of the bowling alley, and she had to get a strike and she couldn’t get it and he kept yelling at her I was thinking what sort of rush is going through her body right now because she just has to continue. What if she screws up the line after she just accomplished that? So, yeah, definitely, I was watching that a lot for inspiration and ideas.
QUESTION: So then, making this movie and getting inspired by the French New Wave, what was the most rebellious thing you ever did in your own life?
Doubleday: I don’t know. I really can’t say. If I did anything I didn’t get caught for it so it wasn’t really rebellious, I guess, because I didn’t ever have to deal with the consequences.
QUESTION: Have either of you thought about the chance of a sequel or maybe a miniseries? The books are filled with so many characters and are so sprawling it just seems like one movie can’t begin to do them justice.
Cera: [There] would probably be a different cast because we’d be too old, but I’d like to see a miniseries of Youth in Revolt, of the original book where every character is included just using the book as the script. It would probably be like a seven hour miniseries but it was still be really cool.
QUESTION: Back to this film, it feels like it was a perfect fit for Miguel. What was it like to work with him? Where would you rank him amongst the great directors you’ve already worked with?
Cera: He’s really a special one. Yeah, he’s incredible guy to work with. You really feel like you’re a part of the team, a part of the movie and what the final product is going to be. He’s really collaborative and he creates and amazing atmosphere on set and everyone is really happy to be there. He’s always set to go. And it was fun, I felt like we were all part of the process.
Doubleday: I don’t have too many people I can compare him to but I think he’s a special person and I think I knew that when I met him. He’s just so smart and he’s really funny, he makes you become part of a family. I was scared and the first day I was holding the poor dog and like shaking, but he’s the type of person that you can email at three in the morning or take aside and ask [questions] to and he’s just there with you. It felt like we were creating something together, it wasn’t work-ish. It felt like a creative project that we all wanted to be really good. He’s just a great person, a great guy.
QUESTION: Working on anything new:
Cera: I’m not working on anything at the moment. I’m in-between.
QUESTION: That has to be a little bit unusual for you, Michael. There was a period there where it seemed like you were working constantly, so having a bit of a break must be kind of nice I’d imagine.
Cera: Yeah. It’s nice. It’s a weird feeling [and] kind of a weird part of being an actor, I think, no knowing what’s around the corner. I think it’s pretty understandable why a lot of actors go crazy. You have no control; you’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen next. But, for right now, it’s kind of nice.
QUESTION: You had a couple of films that were massively successful, and in the case of Juno almost out of left field; I don’t think anyone expected it to be quite as popular as it proved to be. Do you find that undo pressure is put upon you to reach that level of success every time out?
Cera: Well, not really, I don’t think there is. It’s nice to be able to work on things you feel good about. You just have no control over how things are going to be received. All I can really worry yourself about as an actor is your work on set, that’s the only thing you have control over.
QUESTION: I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or the possibility of an “Arrested Development” movie. Anything you can tell us?
Cera: Scott Pilgrim is done and it is going to come out later [this] year, maybe June or July, I’m not sure. As far as “Arrested Development” hopefully something will happen [this] year with it.
QUESTION: Portia, what do you hope happens for you from here? How do you hope your character is appreciated by audiences and how do you hope playing her affects your career?
Doubleday: Oh my gosh, I just don’t know. If anything I’m just too scared to look forward, I’d rather just stay here. I just hope people can appreciate the movie because I think Miguel is amazing and these people are amazing and Michael is amazing – every thing’s just amazing. I just hope [the movie] is appreciated. But, for the rest, I have no idea. I love acting but there is so much that I don’t know. I’m in school, I’m learning, and, I don’t know, I’m just going down whatever path it is I should be on. Hopefully I’ll have more of these kinds of experiences, but for the time being I’m [content] just living this age and this experience and seeing what happens next.
QUESTION: Speaking of careers, Michael you seem to be so quick on your feet coming up with a verbal witticism or a joke, do you ever envision you’re going to write your own script? That you’ll go in your own Judd Apatow direction and be in complete control of a project?
Cera: I don’t know. Maybe. If it feels right. You really never know.
Doubleday and Cera in The Weinstein Company's Youth in Revolt
QUESTION: How do you hope audiences respond to the movie? What do you want them thinking as they exit the theater?
Cera: I hope people like the movie and I hope they’re glad they saw it and don’t feel like it was a waste of time. I hope they want to see it again.
Doubleday: I hope they don’t ask for a refund.
Cera: Yeah, no refunds. I hope they feel like they’ve had a fine, satisfying cinematic experience.
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