Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/680196
DIRECTOR'S CHAIR www.postmagazine.com 20 POST MAY 2016 orget the Energizer bunny — it's Garry Marshall, the legendary producer, director, actor and writer of film, television and theatre, who keeps going and going. Now in his 80s, the man who created, wrote and produced some of television's most beloved sitcoms, including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and The Odd Couple, also helped define the modern romantic comedy with such hit movies as Pretty Woman (which made Julia Roberts a superstar), Beaches, Overboard, The Princess Diaries 1 and 2, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. His latest film, Mother's Day, stars Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and a large ensemble, sup- porting cast in a series of interwoven stories about a group of women with one important thing in common — moth- erhood. Expectant moms, single moms, stepmoms, gay moms, estranged moms, long-lost moms and mothers of all kinds get their due in an emotional tribute to the tie that can't be broken. The production also features a stel- lar below-the-line team that includes Marshall's frequent collaborators: director of photography Charles Minsky (Pretty Woman, New Year's Eve) and editors Bruce Green (The Princess Diaries, Freaky Friday) and Robert Malina (The Avengers, The Bourne Ultimatum). Here, in an ex- clusive interview with Post, Marshall talks about making the film, his love of post and why he has no plans to retire. Once again, you've assembled an all- star cast, and this is your fourth film with Julia Roberts. Do you have to deal with her people, or do you just call her up and offer her the role? "I just call her. Sometimes you bump into people at a party or event. Her kids play Little League with my grandson, so we just talked about it socially first. I've known her so long, since Pretty Woman, that it's very easy that way." This is the third film in your 'holiday' trilogy. What made you choose this story? "I happen to be a big fan of mothers. My mother was very influential on me, and I did one about fathers — Nothing in Common — and I wanted to do one about mothers and about a holiday, and I do comedies and rom-coms so this was perfect for me." Why did you shoot in Atlanta? "It's a great city, with great locations and crews and sound stages and restaurants, so it has a lot to offer. But the main reason was dinero — money! That's why we shot there. They offer great tax breaks, and I really don't like cold weather — when we shot New Year's Eve in New York, it was the dead of winter at 4 a.m. and I was freezing to death. Not fun! So Atlanta was a great choice for us, and the reality with filmmaking is you're always looking for that tax break — but it keeps changing." This is your seventh film with DP Charles Minsky, who also shot Pretty Woman and New Year's Eve for you. What did he bring to it? "Chuck gave it a great cinematic look and helped open up the script, but the big thing is that when you do women's pictures like me, and you have Julia, Kate, Jennifer and so on, it's all about mak- ing them look really great, and he did. I thought Jennifer Aniston looked abso- lutely gorgeous, but she'd just been on her honeymoon in Tahiti or someplace and she had this great tan and she was so funny and charming, and Chuck captured all of that, with all the actresses." Did you shoot on film or digitally? "It was all digital. Here's a little secret: I'm afraid of heights — and so is Richard Gere. So I won't go up on a crane, so I don't shoot any second unit, and it's a big part of my filmmaking process. So my son shoots all the second-unit stuff, and for the first time ever we used a drone for some of the coverage, and he has the patience I don't have to get all the sec- ond-unit stuff done. For instance, there's a crucial shot in the soccer game section where the ball lands on the goal line, and you don't know if it's a goal or not. It took my son 47 takes to get that shot just right, but he got it in the end, and that's why I rely on him for second unit." Where did you do the post? "I learned a very long time ago that Steven Spielberg was absolutely right GARRY MARSHALL: MOTHER'S DAY F THE INDUSTRY VET ON HIS EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO MOMS BY IAIN BLAIR Garry Marshall on-set with DP Minsky. The director has no plans to retire from filmmaking anytime soon.