Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System is a must read for anyone who watched a movie in the 1990;s. Sharon Waxmans book has a chapter devoted to each filmmaker, the movie or movies they made that shaped the 90s and their contemporaries which helped them get to where they are today. Through exclusive interviews with Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David O. Russell, The Wachowski Brothers, Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher and Spike Jonze we get to go behind the screen.
Youll learn all about what went down between O. Russell and George Clooney while making Three Kings, how Fincher laughed when they finally greenlit Fight Club, how Tarantino screwed over everyone he promised not to screw over and the battles that Anderson had with New Line over Magnolia.
Check out the official website for Rebels on the Backlot
Daniel Robert Epstein: Youve got some information in Rebels on the Backlot that seemed like it just happened.
Sharon Waxman: Most of the book is about the 90s but towards the end of the book I try to bring the reader up to date.
DRE: What was the most difficult part of doing this book?
SW: Definitely wrangling all the directors to do interviews. They are the ones who have their personal stories and a lot of the personal information that I was looking for. Also if they told their friends and the people around them not to talk to me then I pretty much would have gotten shut down. It was a gradual process of getting them to feel comfortable with the idea of me doing a book about them. Some came more willingly than others but they all eventually came.
DRE: Did you tell them right off this is a book about them, warts and all?
SW: Absolutely. But I think that if I told them otherwise they wouldnt believe it because my work isnt in that vein. I dont really write puff pieces or at least I try really hard not to. At the same time I didnt want to write a nasty or gossip filled book. There are a lot of interesting rich anecdotes in the book but the purpose was to tell the story of what happened in Hollywood in the 90s. It is all to serve the story of these directors who made some of the most indelible and interesting movies of that time.
DRE: These directors really admire the directors of the 70s and they seem prouder to have a book like this come out rather than the 70s directors did to have a book like Easy Riders, Raging Bulls come out.
SW: I havent heard how they have reacted to the book coming so I dont know if I can comment on that. I think the book is as complete as it can be. I would say that it is a sympathetic approach because I really love their movies. But of course as a reporter you uncover stuff but Im not there to judge. How they will respond is something Im curious about but its not essential.
DRE: How much of the stuff in this book did you already know but you needed confirmation from a source to print it?
SW: Most of what is in the book is new reporting. The context of the story is something I knew about because I cover Hollywood. But the specifics of who they were, where they came from and how they were regarded I had no idea about.
DRE: What piece of information surprised you the most?
SW: I guess it surprised me to find out how hard it was in every case to make the movies. I set out to find out about the community of rebel directors in the 90s and they had to find the studio so much to be made. For example I had no idea what an effort it was to make Traffic. It was like a suspense thriller with Steven Soderbergh financing the movie to the tune of $200,000 up until it got to principal photography because they had no idea which studio would finance it. Or with a movie like Being John Malkovich which the studio just forgot about in the course of Polygram being sold to Universal in one of the many mergers of the 90s.
DRE: How did you pick which directors to write about?
SW: I tried to pick directors whos movies really made a mark on the culture of the 90s. Movies that were seen by people and werent obscure independent films. A movie that was made in Hollywood not with somebodys credit card in the boondocks and finally a movie that when we look back in 30 years it would be something you still want to see.
DRE: Did any of these directors previous antics make you nervous about talking to them in the first place?
SW: No I loved talking to them. These are really interesting and complex individuals. They are smart and masters of what they do. My problem is never talking to the creative talent; the challenge is always getting that access. But once I did that we had the most amazing conversations, not just with them but with the people who collaborated with them. We did a screening of Being John Malkovich and as I watched the credits I just counted all the people I talked to.
DRE: Why was the book released on the first day of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival?
SW: Sundance is pretty much the one day where the film industry all gets together in one place so it seemed natural. Also most of the filmmakers in the book came to attention at the festival or at the Sundance Lab.
DRE: I was surprised to read in your book that Spike Jonze is borderline illiterate.
SW: He doesnt like to read.
DRE: Well doesnt like to read is much different from borderline illiterate.
SW: Hes a child of the video generation. Hes such a huge talent but hes not a book learning talent so who cares. Hes obviously so fabulous gifted. I take a different lesson from that, meaning that people have different gifts in different areas. Not everyone is going to excel at school but they still can become one of the most talented filmmakers working.
DRE: Do you think that someday someone will be able to write a book about you?
SW: A book on me? I highly doubt that. Im a reporter that likes to observe and write about other people.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Youll learn all about what went down between O. Russell and George Clooney while making Three Kings, how Fincher laughed when they finally greenlit Fight Club, how Tarantino screwed over everyone he promised not to screw over and the battles that Anderson had with New Line over Magnolia.
Check out the official website for Rebels on the Backlot
Daniel Robert Epstein: Youve got some information in Rebels on the Backlot that seemed like it just happened.
Sharon Waxman: Most of the book is about the 90s but towards the end of the book I try to bring the reader up to date.
DRE: What was the most difficult part of doing this book?
SW: Definitely wrangling all the directors to do interviews. They are the ones who have their personal stories and a lot of the personal information that I was looking for. Also if they told their friends and the people around them not to talk to me then I pretty much would have gotten shut down. It was a gradual process of getting them to feel comfortable with the idea of me doing a book about them. Some came more willingly than others but they all eventually came.
DRE: Did you tell them right off this is a book about them, warts and all?
SW: Absolutely. But I think that if I told them otherwise they wouldnt believe it because my work isnt in that vein. I dont really write puff pieces or at least I try really hard not to. At the same time I didnt want to write a nasty or gossip filled book. There are a lot of interesting rich anecdotes in the book but the purpose was to tell the story of what happened in Hollywood in the 90s. It is all to serve the story of these directors who made some of the most indelible and interesting movies of that time.
DRE: These directors really admire the directors of the 70s and they seem prouder to have a book like this come out rather than the 70s directors did to have a book like Easy Riders, Raging Bulls come out.
SW: I havent heard how they have reacted to the book coming so I dont know if I can comment on that. I think the book is as complete as it can be. I would say that it is a sympathetic approach because I really love their movies. But of course as a reporter you uncover stuff but Im not there to judge. How they will respond is something Im curious about but its not essential.
DRE: How much of the stuff in this book did you already know but you needed confirmation from a source to print it?
SW: Most of what is in the book is new reporting. The context of the story is something I knew about because I cover Hollywood. But the specifics of who they were, where they came from and how they were regarded I had no idea about.
DRE: What piece of information surprised you the most?
SW: I guess it surprised me to find out how hard it was in every case to make the movies. I set out to find out about the community of rebel directors in the 90s and they had to find the studio so much to be made. For example I had no idea what an effort it was to make Traffic. It was like a suspense thriller with Steven Soderbergh financing the movie to the tune of $200,000 up until it got to principal photography because they had no idea which studio would finance it. Or with a movie like Being John Malkovich which the studio just forgot about in the course of Polygram being sold to Universal in one of the many mergers of the 90s.
DRE: How did you pick which directors to write about?
SW: I tried to pick directors whos movies really made a mark on the culture of the 90s. Movies that were seen by people and werent obscure independent films. A movie that was made in Hollywood not with somebodys credit card in the boondocks and finally a movie that when we look back in 30 years it would be something you still want to see.
DRE: Did any of these directors previous antics make you nervous about talking to them in the first place?
SW: No I loved talking to them. These are really interesting and complex individuals. They are smart and masters of what they do. My problem is never talking to the creative talent; the challenge is always getting that access. But once I did that we had the most amazing conversations, not just with them but with the people who collaborated with them. We did a screening of Being John Malkovich and as I watched the credits I just counted all the people I talked to.
DRE: Why was the book released on the first day of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival?
SW: Sundance is pretty much the one day where the film industry all gets together in one place so it seemed natural. Also most of the filmmakers in the book came to attention at the festival or at the Sundance Lab.
DRE: I was surprised to read in your book that Spike Jonze is borderline illiterate.
SW: He doesnt like to read.
DRE: Well doesnt like to read is much different from borderline illiterate.
SW: Hes a child of the video generation. Hes such a huge talent but hes not a book learning talent so who cares. Hes obviously so fabulous gifted. I take a different lesson from that, meaning that people have different gifts in different areas. Not everyone is going to excel at school but they still can become one of the most talented filmmakers working.
DRE: Do you think that someday someone will be able to write a book about you?
SW: A book on me? I highly doubt that. Im a reporter that likes to observe and write about other people.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
missy:
Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System is a must read for anyone who watched a movie in the 1990;s. Sharon Waxmans book has a chapter devoted to each filmmaker, the movie or movies they made that shaped the 90s and their contemporaries which...