Q: I had like
two quick questions - one getting back to Jack Nicholson, and then one
on the film in general. Actually, I thought Jack Nicholson sang
fairly well, because he's on the sound track. And you hear, "La Vie
En Rose." But it's funny because Ebert and Roper kind of said, "Don't
lose your day job," when they reviewed the DVD over the weekend. Any
thought about - because you know, I think he has a very charming -
it's very kind of unschooled singing style. But it's very genuine.
And you know - I don't know. I think he did a great job.
NANCY MEYERS:
Well, yes. I mean he's not a singer; he's an actor. And the intent
was not to showcase Jack as a singer.
NANCY MEYERS:
The scene was in the movie because he was expressing affection for
Erica (ph), and trying to give her a gift. And since she was a fan of
this kind of music, he was going to sing one of these songs for her as
a thank you for saving his life. So, you know, the scene was not
taken out because Jack, you know, wasn't Franks Sinatra, or Yves
Montand.
NANCY MEYERS:
You know, that was not the point.
Q: Yes. And
actually another sound track question - did you have anything to do
with the selection of songs? Because it was really eclectic, and I
thought very well done in terms of advancing the feelings of the film
or the emotions. And also, there were just some unusual talents that
are not heard in the States so much, like Coralee Clement (ph), and
I'm trying to think of whom else off the top of my head.
NANCY MEYERS:
Well, I had very talented music supervisors working on the film, and
they brought me a tremendous amount of music to listen to. And
finally, those were the ones that I picked that I thought worked the
best. But some of those songs were, you know, actually found by other
people and brought to my attention. Sort of like casting a movie, the
way a casting director brings you actors to choose from. That's what
a music supervisor does. Some of the songs were in my screenplay, and
some were replaced. And some brand new ones were found. And there's
even a song in there that was Jack's idea.
Q: Really,
which one?
NANCY MEYERS:
The song that plays when they're kissing, "I Only Have Eyes For You."
NANCY MEYERS:
Yes. That was Jack's idea.
Q: And then,
one quick question about the film in general. You know, it was
wonderful that Diane Keaton got an Oscar nomination. And I mean, I
think I'm one of the few people thought, "Well, she should have gotten
the Oscar too."
Diane Keaton and
Nancy Meyers on the set.
NANCY MEYERS:
Well I don't think you're the only one that thought that. If she
wouldn't have, you know ...
Q: Yes,
gotten the ...
NANCY MEYERS:
If she wouldn't have gotten the nomination, I know, certainly, many
people thought that she did a great job in the movie – very touching,
very funny.
Q: Yes, yes.
I mean, do you feel, in a way, it was unfortunate that you have such a
wonderful part for her, and that, you know, just as fate would have
it, she's going up against this particular movie. I mean, I know
there's really nothing - I mean that's just the way it happened.
NANCY MEYERS:
That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
NANCY MEYERS:
It's always great for me to look back on films and say, "That person
was never nominated?" I remember when Cary Grant won an Oscar, because
he had never gotten one. You know? So, thanks for saying that. I
appreciate it. I'm really proud of her performance.
Q: My
question was, did you expect the film to be as well received as it
was? And how do you feel now that you do have all these nominations
under your belt with this fantastic film?
NANCY MEYERS:
Thanks. I feel very proud. This movie has brought more good things
to me than any movie I've done. It's been, in some ways, you know - I
don't want this to be misconstrued - but, heartwarming, you know, that
women in particular have responded so strongly. People have written
me and said that this movie reflected something in their lives, or
touched them in a way. So it's been very gratifying, very, very
gratifying.
And right
before it came out, there were a few articles in the paper and the
"Wall Street Journal," wondering who in the hell was going to go see a
movie about middle-aged people who fall in love. And it was too late
then because we were about to open. But it was a bit surprising for
me that the film was getting that kind of watchful eye. People in
Hollywood were really watching to see what would happen. And then you
know, at the last minute, I got nervous. I thought, "Wow, what if
they're right? What if people aren't going to come?"
And it didn't
have a huge splashy opening, certainly. But it just hung in the
theater. It just stayed and grew, and in an unusual way. Not in the
way most films make it. Films generally open, if they're going to be
a hit, they open very strongly. And then they fall off. And we
didn't have that kind of pattern with this movie. So it was great.
What can I say?
Q: And to
follow that up, you know, what kind of inspired you to write this
story? Was there something in particular that led you to write this?
NANCY MEYERS:
Well, what led me to write it was, really my own life. You know, I've
been writing movies since I'm (ph) 29. And I'm 54 now. And I found
this is what interested me at this point in my life. You know, just
like when I wrote "Private Benjamin," when I was young, about a woman
going off on her own, and not getting married. All those things
seemed so vital to me then. This is a story that seemed vital to the
life I lead now, that's all.
Q: I wanted
to follow up - now I thought that I'd read that you'd created - or you
really had Diane Keaton in mind when you put the role together. Is
that true?
NANCY MEYERS:
Yes. I had Diane and Jack in mind. Those were really the only actors
I wanted for this movie.
Q: Yes. Now,
can you - and I know you had a lot of static from the studio thinking,
"OK, what was Diane Keaton's last hit?" You know, there was reluctance
to cast here, thinking that she's not bankable enough. Well that was
proven wrong. Now, considering the success of this film, do you have
anything else in the works, for Diane Keaton? Or ...
NANCY MEYERS:
No I don't. But I hope this isn't our last movie together. We've
made four films together. And I hope to make another one with her.
But I don't have anything for her in my immediate future.
Q: Yes. OK.
And can you speak a little bit about the whole studio reluctance to
cast her originally, because to me ...
NANCY MEYERS:
Well, you know, my argument was easy and simple, really. When they
didn't immediately want Diane, I said, "Well what 55-year-old woman is
going to make them line up around the corner for this movie?"
NANCY MEYERS:
And basically, there's no answer to that. There isn't one. Diane now
is the biggest box-office star her age. And you know, when I posed
that question, there were answers, but not great ones. I said, "So
let's cast the person that's right for it, and the person that's going
to make the movie great, and the person I wrote it for. Let's not
screw it up now. Let's keep going." And you know, it wasn't a long,
hard fight. They did really love Diane, you know?
NANCY MEYERS:
Right. And it's hopeful. I mean besides the fact that it reflects
reality, it's also hopeful for people in middle age that, if they're
single - and there are a lot of us that are single – that your life
isn't over.
Q: I had
another question about the DVD itself. Directors, occasionally
either, you know may say they dislike or like doing commentaries. And
for this one, you did two.
NANCY MEYERS:
Yes.
Q: Talk about
what you think of doing them and the difference in chatting with Jack
Nicholson on one hand, and Diane Keaton and Bruce Block on the other.
Did they have different feels as you were doing them?
NANCY MEYERS:
What did you think of those commentaries?
Q: Well, I've
only got to listen about an hour of each one, because I've got only so
much time. But you know, I think I would definitely want to listen to
the entire Jack Nicholson one, if I was a Jack Nicholson fan. And I
am. So I want to go back and hear that. But then, I think I may have
learned more about film making in the other, though Jack has some
interesting actor insights that I had heard in what I've listened to.
NANCY MEYERS:
Yes. That's what I thought, too. Well yes, it's an odd experience,
watching your movie so soon after making it, and then talking about
it. The good news is that you still remember everything really well.
But it's odd to confront your film that way, and to dissect it and
talk about it. Because you know, you can bring back too many memories
and then the commentary probably won't be too interesting then.
What was
really cool about having Diane there was that she'd never seen the
movie. I showed it to her in a longer form at about two-and-a-half
hours, which I like to do with the actors. Before I'm finished, I
like to show them the movie, because if they hate a take that I've
chosen - I mean, after all they, they work for six months and then,
you know, the director chooses everything. You know, and there could
be something that she could say, "Oh man, you know, I hate the way I
did that."
So I'd done
that with Diane, but she never saw the finished film before doing her
commentary. And so it was fun to sit with her while she's watching
the movie, because, since you may notice on the DVD, she's laughing at
things, just like the audience did, because she's never really seen
it. So that was a unique experience. And I was sort of beaming just
watching her watch the movie.
And with Jack,
it was just a great time for me, because I got to sit with a master
actor, and listen to him talk about acting. And Jack has never been
on television. He's never done a talk show. He hasn’t done the
Actor's Studio. It's a public record of this great actor talking
about what he goes through in a scene to get his performance. And his
observations about the other actors - I thought, for actors, you know,
this is a great tool for them. So I was just thrilled with how that
came out.
Q: How hard
was it to get him to do that?
NANCY MEYERS:
I asked him.
NANCY MEYERS:
I just asked him, but he couldn't make it on the day Diane was
coming. I think he was playing golf or something.
NANCY MEYERS:
So he did it the next day. And I was glad that it worked out that
way. As soon as we got rolling, I realized this was going to be a
whole other take than the first commentary. And since I'd already
done my commentary, I didn't have to talk about my end of things. So
I could just talk to him about him in the movie.
Q: One of my
co-writers I work with said you know there was some - said I should
ask you about the idea of keeping the movie to a PG 13 rating. Were
there any thoughts to lengthen any scenes for the DVD, if you wanted
to either do an R rating or anything like that?
NANCY MEYERS:
No I don't have that kind of footage.
NANCY MEYERS:
There was something I did have to - oh yes, I know what it was.
Diane's nude scene - it was originally three seconds that we saw her
in the nude. And the Ratings Board thought it was too long, and I cut
a second out of it, which doesn't sound like a lot. But in that kind
of a shot, it's quite significant. And so it went from three seconds
to two seconds, and they approved it. But no, I didn't think to
lengthen that for the DVD.
Q: Well I
mean, you think of DVDs, you know, with movies like "The Matrix," and
things, and looking at special affects and things. But do you think
people will be freeze-framing that scene to see how you did it, to see
what more they see?
NANCY MEYERS:
Oh, there's nothing that I did. I just turned on the camera, and she
ran through, you know. Do you think people will freeze it? I'm sure
she would be very flattered if they did.
Q: All
right. Well thanks.
