Adam Brody on The Romantics, the Agony of Jennifer's Body and the Ecstasy of Scream 4

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So in the end, how often were you all together?

Well, the whole movie takes place in this one house. Then there are two holding houses nearby, so that's where we were with our trailers and this house we share. Everyone was kind of going back and forth. We all stayed at the one good hotel in town; we all ate at the one restaurant in town. And there were a couple field trips on ferries to different beaches. But again, we just had this town to ourselves every night! I wasn't experienced with oysters before I went there, but now I love them. I can't think of one activity that was really crystallizing; we really did just do a whole lot of hanging out. There was very little distraction. It was great. Night shoots are bonding, too.

How so?

Well, it's 4 in the morning, and you're the only ones up. Everyone else in the town was sleeping. And what's really great about this movie is that, for me, it's like a really great yearbook snapshot of that time. I'm glad it's on film. I saw the movie and was kind of nostalgic. I think it was like that for everyone.

Are there reunions planned?

Yeah! I'm certainly not the one to organize them, because I'm lazy. But I'd love to see that happen. I'll be friends with these kids for a long time.

So you're playing a detective in Scream 4--

It's a deputy, really. Deputy to now-Sheriff Dewey.

How did that go?

It was fun! It's also a funny one where it's all night shoots. It was cool and kind of surreal -- not just to see Ghostface, but there was one night where Wes [Craven] was directing Ghostface in his mask. He's like, "Ghostface, you're over there..." It was just surreal: "God, I wish I had my camera." But to do the scenes not only in "Woodsboro," or do them with Ghostface, but to do them with David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell was weird. It's cool, but it truly is a surreal experience, just because I remember walking into the movie theater when I was 16 and...

You were a Scream fan?

Yeah, absolutely. How could you not be? Totally enjoyed the movie.

There was a conversation recently about the levels of meta that Scream and other contemporary films draw from -- that Scream 4 draws from Scream, and Scream itself called out the conventions of a whole genre -- and how self-awareness just kind of trickles down. And--

Well, this one's like meta on meta on meta. Self-referencing on self-referencing. But again, because the first one is about movies, and this one's about movies and all the murders that have taken place onscreen over the years. This one's all about commenting on itself. And I like that. It's part of the fun. But that's right: I think everything is more meta and self-referential now. I think people are more plugged-in, communication works faster, people are more educated about it -- how it did or whatever. Even Apatow -- there's nothing "meta" about it, but it references events. People are doing more of that in movies and pop culture in the moment.

Well, Jennifer's Body was a perfect example of that. By the time it came out, it already seemed lost, and I thought it was grossly underrated.

Thank you! I did, too.

Here we are a year later: What the hell happened with that?

I don't know. I don't know what happened, and I don't know if anything could have changed anything, or if that was the path it was going down no matter what, but I'm happy people are finding it on cable or wherever they're finding it. But I do think it should win a Razzie for Worst Ad Campaign Ever. Seriously. They couldn't have done a worse poster or trailer if that's what they f*cking set out to do. I don't know. It was such a good opportunity for a cool trailer or poster, and it was like a Goosebumps/R.L. Stine poster.

Ha! That's what you'd compare it to?

Yeah! It was crazy. And even the idea that it was marketed to... I mean, to me, it was a totally girl-centric movie; it was for girls first and about girls first. Yet it was marketed to Maxim only. "Megan Fox! This is for you!" I think it scared off its main audience. And I think Megan's great in the movie.

She is!

She is! And she is a man-eater. Again, I don't know. I think there's a more sisterly point of view to approach it from.

Just the point of view of the writing and the direction alone suggests that.

I thought Karyn [Kusama] did such a good job. I look at it and I'm like, "How could you not like every frame?" It's so good-looking, and that world she created was so appealing. I'm instantly drawn in every time I see it. I really like that movie.

[Adam Brody photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]

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Comments

  • bess marvin, girl detective says:

    Hmm, interesting because I think besides the horrible promotions, "Jennifer's Body" was poorly directed by Karyn Kusama. The exurbs of Vancouver do NOT look like some podunk town, the use of that horrid emo soundtrack and lastly, Megan Fox, fails at her attempt to wink at the audience with her portrayal as a literal man-eater. Neither she nor Seyfried handled Diablo's dialogue in the adept fashion that Ellen Page, Olivia Thirlby and Michael Cera did.

  • Brian says:

    The studio did a terrible job of marketing this movie, but it was doomed to fail at the box office for one simple reason, women dislike each other. Miss indier than thou who posted above is a perfect example of why movies made by women, written by women, and starring women, do poorly at the box office. Women won't support other women, and men don't want to see "chick" movies. The exception is the rom, which women love to see. However, deviate from the rules of the rom, and women will not see your movie, but will post snarky remarks about your film on forums.
    By the way, the exurbs of Vancouver are nondescript enough to be pretty much anything you want. They aren't run down, but Kusama clearly didn't want to film a bunch of shacks with outhouses in the backyard. Megan Fox wasn't winking at the audience, she played the role straight. The soundtrack had a lot of emo in it because the band in the movie was emo. JB is not Juno, Juno was a comedy, JB was a teen drama with some comedy and horror thrown in. The dialogue in the two movies was very different, so comparing the delivery of the actresses in JB and Juno is absurd. Same writer, two very different types of movies. Also, water is wet, 2+2=4, and the short dial tells the hour, while the long dial tells the minute. Just thought I'd clear up some other things you are likely confused by.

  • Elsa says:

    It's a good thing Brian's here to explain things to us ladies! Here I was thinking that I was sick of movies that portray all female friendships as catty, hateful competitions, when it turns out that I actually didn't like the movie because I AM a catty, hateful bitch! Like all women, AM I RIGHT?!
    Thanks Brian!

  • tim says:

    the movie was kind of a mess--there were some good scenes though and megan fox proved she can act.