Director Karyn Kusama on Jennifer's Body, Megan Fox and the 'Crisis of Being Looked At'
The other young stars -- Amanda Seyfried and Johnny Simmons -- share that kind of watershed moment here as well. When did you recognize that potential -- and especially your responsibility to help achieve it?
I was having the funniest dual experience while making this movie. My son had turned 1 during our second week of prep. Four weeks later all the actors had descended on me; I thought, "I'm basically just replicating my skills at home, but with people who can talk and walk and feed themselves." But the actors were wonderful. They were enthusiastic, hardworking, very funny, curious about the world, didn't have bad attitudes.
I remember one night I invited everyone over to see Shaun of the Dead. Amanda, Megan, Johnny and some crew just came over, and we literally ate bagged popcorn and crudités and watched Shaun of the Dead. And I felt like with younger actors who are still sort of getting their professional legs and still figuring out how to be in the business, I think it's very important to take care of them the way you would if you were a responsible parent. You love them, you give them as long a rope as they can handle without hanging themselves, and you stop them when they start to f*ck up. Unfortunately, I guess I'd say that's your relationship with your cast no matter how old they are, but in this case I felt more of a responsibility to be really compassionate to the potential for little blowups and little personal things that happen between young people. Part of the charm of the cast was that still had a sincere lack of maturity. I don't see that as a demerit. But I do think that's something you need to manage a little more when you're on the set.
You briefly mentioned the experience you had on Aeon Flux. What made you decide you wanted to take on another big studio project like Jennifer's Body?
It's a question I'll ask every time. Along with loving the script, the reason I did Aeon Flux was because I needed the job, and I couldn't find $5 million to make a movie independently -- after making a fairly successful movie for a million dollars. The landscape of independent financing really changed from 1999-2000 on, and I suddenly felt like, "I just want to work. I just want to make more movies. I'm not content to simply wait anymore." And it wasn't a realistic financial option for me either. With Jennifer's Body, I felt like I had to do this. And crazily enough, it was being made at a studio. There's always going to be some risk involved, and there was a lot of spirited conversation about the cuts of the movie. I think they were always very supportive and loved the movie, but they had questions, and there were certain arguments over certain sections of the movie. Those that are preserved, I'm really proud of. And luckily there's a director's cut of the DVD.
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Comments
Great interview. I'm trying not to have too many expectations going into this film, as the reviews seem to be allllll over the place.
Maybe it's time to start liking Megan Fox? Maybe even champion her? She seems to be a Stone Rose in a garden of Fragile Flowers. . .
Listening to this broad go on and on about tropes and continuums and crudités, no wonder movies suck today. It's a horror movie, for God's sake--the protagonist is put under a spell and eats high school boys!
It ain't "Chinatown."
Have you ever heard of anyone--let alone someone with Kusama's meager track record--be so completely full of herself? My favorite lines is when she volunteers that she "literally ate bagged popcorn." Wow, just like regular folks!
If this film is a hit, it will be for one reason only: Guys like looking at Megan Fox. How's that for critical thinking?
Lemme guess Dave, first in line for Transformers were we?
The reason movies ''suck'' today is because people such as yourself like bagging on ''broads'' who have the audacity to put a bit of thought into their creative process. People such as yourself who think a sufficient rationale for a film's basis is '' Guys like looking at Megan Fox''.
Oh, and when exactly was the last time you actually ate that plebeian staple, bagged popcorn? Are you kidding me?!
oh nice, "broad"? You can't even refer to Ms. Kusama by her last name, can you? Why should anyone bother to listen to your opinion, you sexist pig?
CALRAIGH!! How is the grave digging going? As for Dave, you have to forgive him> His balls just dropped.
To clear up a few points for anyone so bored as to spend their time reading these posts (which obviously includes me):
I apologize for using the word "broad," which is sexist and outdated.
I meant to replace that word before submitting, and I overlooked it.
I did, however, use the director's last name when referring to "Kusama's meager track record."
I have not seen either Transformers film. I understand that they concerned robots blowing things up. Yawn.
The phrase "bagged popcorn" sounded a bit affected to me. I assume it refers to either microwave popcorn (of which I am a huge fan) or pre-popped corn sold in grocery stores (which I find a bit bland). If I am considered "plebeian" for eating it, I don't have a problem with that description. It's Lady Kusama that felt it necessary to point out that she and her colleagues had deigned to eat it. (With a side of crudités, of course.)
Now let me see, Calraigh, if I understand your points: 1) Movies suck because people (like me) express their disdain for filmmakers whose opinion of themselves is so inflated that they equate making a high-school horror film with existential philosophy. And 2)You believe that Megan Fox's abundant physical beauty is NOT the reason for the publicity surrounding this movie. And when exactly was the last time you heard folks in line at Safeway buzzing about "the latest Kusama film"?
Karyn is a very down to earth person, she's just trying to make Hollywood a better place for women to be in which it ain't.
My point is, ''Dave'', if that is, in fact, your real name, that you're so far up your own arse it'd probably take eating an entire box of microwave popcorn, a giant sack of pre-popped corn and large troughs of unrefined cruditès in order to further your passage out of it.
Make a film, have at it. When your opus is headlining festivals and getting gobshites like ourselves slinging idiocy in comments sections, come back to us and talk about filmmakers being ''pretentious''.
Until then , stick to categorizing processed maize. You're pretty good at it, all told.
Did not realize that making a movie was a prerequisite for commenting on one. This rule is going to put a lot of people out of work, not to mention all of us laymen who like to bitch about things we can't do. What about sports? I can't play baseball; am I permitted to complain about the Mets?
"Gobshites"? You've lost me there. I do know what it means, but what's it got to do with commenting on bad movies? I haven't called you any names or inferred anything about your personal life.
And what's the deal about popcorn? I like it. A lot of people do. Why all the abuse? I'm not angry at you, and it doesn't change my life one way or the other if you're angry at me, but...sheesh.
My name is actually David. I feel so embarrassed, thinking I could get away with the deception.