Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with another interview I did recently. This one was an email interview I did with Russell Gewirtz, the first time screenwriter who penned INSIDE MAN, which was adapted by Spike Lee. I really dug the flick, released last Friday, and it seems like a good lot of you folks did, too, since it opened to some pretty nice box office bank. The following interview is much, much shorter and more concise than that monster of a chat I have with James Gunn over in the left hand column. Enjoy!!!
Quint: I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. As a first time screenwriter, how did you get your script in front of Spike Lee?
Russell Gewirtz: The script had already been sold to Universal and Imagine in 2002. So it wasn't like I had to slip it under his door. Plus, my Executive Producer's wife is his agent. That helped.
Quint: How involved were you in the production of the film?
Russell Gewirtz: I did rewrites with Spike during pre-production and was on set throughout the filming. Watching Spike work was a treat. A real education. He's a master.
Quint: I really dug the flick and one of my favorite aspects is that while there was a bit of mystery to the whole heist, there wasn't a huge twist or an attempt to pull something ridiculous out at the last minute. Was there ever any thought to exaggerating the heist or did you consciously try to ground the film in reality?
Russell Gewirtz: I certainly always demanded that it feel real at all times. That's the only way I write. There's nothing like "it was all a dream" or the whole thing was some big government conspiracy.
Quint: Did you intentionally structure the film in order to make the audience root for Clive Owen's character, Dalton Russell? Was it a difficult balancing act in keeping Frazier and Russell both sympathetic?
Russell Gewirtz: That was the hardest part. I wanted the audience to leave the theater feeling like Dalton was one of the greatest thieves of all time, without making Frazier the fool. I think that it worked, but it wasn't easy. Frazier catches on to Dalton before anyone else does. But I think it's his morality that sells it.
Quint: Let's talk about the actors a bit. Spike cast some of the strongest actors out there... Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe... What do you think they each brought to the characters you created and what was it like watching them breath a life into your words?
Russell Gewirtz: I'll take that in reverse. It was completely unreal. Seeing and hearing my words come out of Denzel's mouth was unbelievable. Ditto for the rest of them. And especially for Denzel's character, (only because he has the largest role and the greatest arc) watching the emotions on his face, seeing him act what I had intended, was just too much. As for the first part, I think they all owned their characters 100%. And that goes for Chiwitel Ejiofor as well. And maybe most of all for Christopher Plummer. Maybe it's just my personal bias, but I think these characters will be remembered. When they talk about Christopher Plummer, they'll mention Arthur Case.
When Dafoe was cast as Darius, I was really bowled over. I hadn't expected that part to be cast at such a high level. But with Jodie, Clive and Denzel all on board, the part became bigger, and attracted serious talent. Then Willem called me at home on day to discuss an extra scene I was writing for him. That was a blast.
Quint: What was your main goal in creating this story? To make an entertaining heist flick? To make a film that was in many aspects a throwback to classics of the genre? To get a massive paycheck and live the high life in the Bahamas? What?
Russell Gewirtz: I wanted to make a flawless heist flick. The kind that when it was over, you would have to debate it with your friends and see it again. And one that harkened back to the classics in the sense that it didn't depend on any of the gimmicks or conventions that have become the staple of the genre. If I accomplished that, then I think I deserve the check and the high life in the Bahamas.
Quint: You've written a great heist picture... is there another genre or subgenre you'd like to attack in the future?
Russell Gewirtz: Already in the pipeline are another NYC crime drama, called Righteous Kill, although it's a darker piece about two detectives hunting a vigilante serial killer, and American Blood, a serious take on the war on terror, as seen through the eyes of an Arab-American.
Quint: What's next?
Russell Gewirtz: Righteous Kill is very close to finding a studio. I'm still putting some finishing touches on American Blood. I'm working on a pitch for a big-budget franchise in the Bourne Identity vein.
There you have it. I really liked that one. Hopefully you folks did, too. Be back soon with more goodies!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
