In in-depth Q&As, guest speakers shared personal and professional anecdotes about the late filmmaker, including some eclectic and hilarious behind-the-scenes knowledge. Some of the highlights involved the casting of Demme’s features.
Q&A with Paul Thomas Anderson, Ed Saxon, & Louis Black after Demme's 'Something Wild' @ BAM last night😍 pic.twitter.com/JzY4bSBjER— regina?👽 (@reginaevelyn) August 5, 2017
Edward Saxon on casting Ray Liotta in Something Wild:
“He comes in, and he had been most famously been Joey on Another World, the soap opera. And he scared the hell out of both [Demme and me]. It was just one of those things where he came in and looked at me, and my heart gave out. When he left, Jonathan and I looked at each other, picked up the phone, and we had our principal cast.”
Louis Black:
“I don’t know if this is true or not, but Jonathan said his mom recommended Ray Liotta to him from the soap opera she was watching [Another World].”
Saxon also recalled Tom Cruise auditioning for the role of FBI Agent Mike Downey in Married to the Mob:
Of course, the iconic casting of Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs was mentioned. Her performance won her a second Academy Award as the ingenue FBI agent-in-training. “I guess Tom was interested in Jonathan because of his body of work, including Something Wild, and Tom had an apartment here in New York. John went and met with him, and I remember him saying, ‘Tom Cruise gave me cookies and milk, and all his pencils were sharpened so nicely.’”(Tom eventually passed on the role which went to Matthew Modine.)
PTA w/ producer Edward Saxon and biographer Lewis Black at @BAMcinematek following the screening of Jonathan Demme's SOMETHING WILD pic.twitter.com/BilMyzeEPN— Gabriel de Urioste (@de_Urioste) August 5, 2017
Paul Thomas Anderson asked, “Was there ever a moment when Michelle Pfeiffer was going to be Clarice Starling?”
Edward Saxon:
“Yes! Big time! They were so eager to work together again. They were going to do [it], and we sent her the script. But it was too raw and rough for her, and the subject matter was way too disturbing, so she passed. Then we went to Meg Ryan, and she passed. Jodie had put her nickel down early, and she was coming off an Academy Award for The Accused. When she wasn’t immediately cast, I thought, ‘What’s wrong with Jodie Foster, she’s too perfect for the part?’”Louis Black:
“Jodie had flown in on her own nickel to New York to pitch it to [Demme], and they had this long meeting. Finally, Jonathan said to her, ‘Why do you want to do this?’ Jodie said, ‘Well, I always play the victim in my movies and I always need to be rescued. This movie is about a woman saving another woman.’”Edward Saxon:
“Yes, Jodie’s insight into the story became thematic.”
One of the most poignant moments during the weekend came from Paul Thomas Anderson, who has mentioned many times throughout his career that Demme is his favorite director. “Last night, this afternoon, and today have been very emotional because I step into the hall and I see his face in that picture. It makes me very sad, but also happy to be here and know him, and see this. Everyone in this theater does know Jonathan because we just watched that movie. That’s what he’s like. That’s what sort of struck me. There’s a direct line between him and his films. It’s also interesting to see just how much I’ve learned—or I’ve stolen—from him. Just shot after shot I think, ‘I tried to do that shot, or I tried to do this shot.’”
Some lucky fans and filmgoers also got the chance to meet and speak with Paul Thomas Anderson afterwards:
They say never meet your heroes, but the absurdly lovely Paul Thomas Anderson must be an exception to the rule (yep I'm still shaking!!!) pic.twitter.com/7Bp7AYTG2v— Jade Budowski (@jadebudowski) August 6, 2017
The Jonathan Demme: Heart of Gold film series continues through Aug 24, and tickets are still available.
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