Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1055354
www.postmagazine.com 14 POST NOVEMBER 2018 A STAR IS BORN Did you always want to direct, and why? "I did, and I have to date it back to what moved me as a child growing up in Philly — cinema. My dad showed me movies and I'd watch films like Citizen Kane, Raging Bull, Popeye — a lot of very different types of movies, and we lived across from a movie theater, and those were the days when films stayed there for months and you could keep going back to see them again. So it was the whole cultivation of growing up around cinema, and seeing life and thinking about things cinematically. I always remember pretending I was shooting a movie just by what my eyes saw around me, and I'd move my head where I want- ed the camera to go, and it was just instinctual for me. It's what moved me. "When I was 12, I saw The Elephant Man, and it just floored me and stayed with me. I was just as entranced with what David Lynch was doing and how he told the story cinematically as I was with the great acting. But I don't think I had the cour- age to take directing on as a job, so I thought, maybe be a part of it, so acting became my focus. But as I got older, I realized just how curious I am on sets about directing, from my first commer- cials through to TV and movies. I'd spend all my time on-set, asking questions and watching dailies and sitting with editors, soaking it all up. So the desire to direct came from that sheer curiosity. And working with David O. Russell was really like film school, and I was able to executive produce Silver Linings Playbook and that's where I met Jay Cassidy. So I finally got to a point at 39 years old where I felt I had something to say, and knew I'd rather fail trying than not try at all." You definitely jumped in the deep end for your directorial debut with this. How did you prepare to direct, and who gave you great advice? (Laughs) "Well, a lot of people who care about me said, 'Why don't you choose something else?' But you choose what moves you, and I always wanted to direct a love story. I'd thought, 'Maybe I should direct a TV pilot or a commercial first,' but that re- ally scared me, and I thought about all the movies I loved and how it was the emotional experience that was most important to me, and then you look at how they used the camera and the language of cinema after that. So this moved me, the story of a man and woman who really love each other, and I wanted to make that as strong as I could, and look at the impact of family on identity, and how you find your voice in this world. "A couple of years before I started this, I talked to Clint Eastwood about it as he'd been thinking of remaking it, and it was a slightly different take on it and my character, though he had the same basic DNA. So it all came about because of a conver- gence of my age and feeling I had a point of view, and then this property giving me the structure to do it. And other directors told me that preparation is everything, and it has to be your sole focus, and it's so true. I spent four years making this. The last time I acted was in 2015, and I felt I couldn't expect the cast and crew to give their all if I wasn't totally prepared. Right before we began shooting, I saw this great documentary about Mike Nichols, who was asked how he approached directing, and he said, 'Prepare, prepare, prepare, and when I show up I throw it all away.' And I followed that ap- proach, so we could catch those authentic mo- ments. That's what you're trying to do." Any big surprises, directing for the first time? "Many, and every day. That's part of the thrill. And I hadn't realized that every movie's three different artistic elements. The script is its own thing, as is the shoot and then editing and post. And it works best for me if you see them as all separate bits of an evolution. As for acting and directing, it felt like a real asset for me. I'd spent two months prepping my character, so I never had to stop and discuss it. It was all about the prep." Casting Ally was obviously crucial. What did Gaga bring to the role and any surprises working with her? "She brought everything, and this wouldn't exist without her. She really came first, and then the Director Cooper, on-set Live performances were shot at various festivals.