I may read US Weekly religiously, but I am not celeb-struck. I don’t swoon over leading men and fantasize about someday marrying them (here’s looking at you, Katie Holmes). I wonder about their “real lives” and what they’re really like, but I’m not overly invested in what they are or aren’t doing. But I was really, really impressed by John Krasinski at his Q & A after Interviews with Hideous Men on Friday night.
The most impressive thing about John Krasinski was how open and intelligent he was. He was happy to revel in the analytical side of his work, honest about how he caught a lot of breaks to get this movie to fruition, and his intelligence really showed through. I mean, the guy went to Brown BEFORE he made it as Jim, so obviously there’s something cooking up top. But he hasn’t lost sight of that or let it slip, which is really great.
Without further adieu, a not-verbatim (I typed as fast as I could on my iPhone) transcript of my favorite parts of the Q & A:
I started writing the script before I had the rights while I was waiting tables. I knew who I wanted to cast. No one was allowed to read script until they talk to me. They were like, What?? Only Spielberg does that. And these actors’ agents were like, c’mon, it’s fine, it’s just Jim.
I cast all the people I was watching as I was writing the script. I’m all about breaking the rules.
I just put the words of book into the actor’s mouth and that’s it.
I never wanted to direct. That’s true. We were out looking for directors at lunch at Sharky’s in LA and I was with Rainn Wilson [the crowd ooohs a collective “ohmigod”] Ohmigod? … Wow Rainn never gets ohmigods. I’m gonna text him right now.
Anyway, he said why don’t you do it?
The best way to direct is in ignorance. Have fun … I compare it to bowling when they put down the bumpers. [He surrounded himself with other experienced Hollywood heavyweights like his director of photography] I’m directing and I’m like, I’m amazing! and they’re like, whoa, easy there, we put down these big gray things … you can’t fail…
All the other guys in the movie are playing insecure … they’re showing you, ladies, if you let us talk we will shoot ourselves in the foot. Start clapping.
The unforgivable thing is when you know what you’re doing is wrong and you continue to do it.
My character was a selfish character. He is gross. But he’s fun to play, I’m not gonna lie.
I had the equivalent of money fall from the sky and that’s not a joke. My roommate from college, I showed him the script. He said he wanted in and I said no, you can’t mix friends and money, blah blah and he told me how much money he wanted to put into it and I said, You are my producer. That was amazing. He trusted me.
There’s still time to see Interviews with Hideous Men this week at Alamo Ritz, here for tix.