How did you become interested in this project?
I read the book by Walter Kirn and was pretty taken by how honest and revealing it was about stuff that's hard to talk about. At the same time, it was kind of funny. I related to the Justin character, especially his relationship with his mother.
What was the experience of writing your first screenplay?
Words have never been my best friend. But coming from music videos, where you write the idea, [the concept of] coming up with the content and directing the content are inseparable. Fortunately, I never had much ego invested in myself as a writer. I was very open to criticism.
How did you select what elements of the novel to adapt?
A movie is not a novel; it's not even a novella. It's more like a short story. There's a lot of extraction to do. You could take the book that I took and make a different movie. I was really interested in the parts of the book that dealt with family and how complicated it is being a family and that our problems aren't failures-our problems are part of us being human beings.
When did you begin working on the project?
I started it six years ago. The first [obstacle] was just writing it; it took a while to educate myself. The real stall was a year and a half of being told "no" by financiers. That was really trying. But that whole bad experience has proved to be really empowering. I had never dealt with that much rejection for that long.
How did you assemble such a well-known cast?
It wasn't anything that I thought was going to happen. At the same time it was getting rejected by financiers, the script was having another life in the world of actors and agents. Many, many actors were interested beyond the ones in the film. And the amazing cast? I got to choose them. They kept me sane when I was dealing with all the rejection. Tilda [Swinton] really became the catalyst. She was the first one that really stayed on and fought for the project.
Many of the actors play against character-particularly Keanu Reeves and Vince Vaughn. Why did you see them in these roles?
I think I'm always interested in playing against character. But, beyond that, there's a sincerity to Keanu- and the most important thing for me was that his character is a sincere person. And Vaughn, I just loved meeting him. He was so funny-a smart, quick-mouthed person who is savvy enough to know how to play a character that's weaker than the children.
What was it like as a first-time director working with such experienced actors?
They always made me feel like I was the captain of the ship, and it was a good ship to be on. All these people you really respect respecting you back. I really lucked out.
How did Leo Pucci's lack of experience affect his performance?
His newness and his youngness were all pluses. The fact that this scared him, the fact that he allowed himself not to know what he was doing-to have it be part of his performance and part of his relationship with the other actors. He was never thinking about any of [the awards he has received] when he was doing it.
Do you think your background in graphic design affected the visual style?
My graphics are simple-sparse setting and sparse elements. Even though I come from these visual things, my focus was on the emotions of the character. People think of [music videos] as visually hyper, and mine are all kind of slow.
How did your background in music affect the presentation of music?
Music is such a big part of how I understand the world. I didn't just want a background score; I wanted the music to be present and part of the story. I wanted a film like The Graduate and Harold and Maude, where the musicians help provide an envelope to put the film into.
One thing bothered me-at the end Justin is accepted into NYU despite the fact that he lied on his application.
The curious question is whether he was really lying. I kind of like that-his success is complicated. I have a little trouble with the film being a little too happy ended. At the end when he's running though the streets, I almost wanted him to trip. The idea is, "Yeah, he made it, but his problems aren't over." I like things that aren't monolithically right or wrong; I like things gray.
The film has gotten a lot of attention. What has been the most memorable moment?
The most exciting thing was when I went to the paying theaters in New York and met the people that bought the tickets. It finally made it feel like this isn't a figment of my imagination for six years. All the hoopla makes me nervous. It's just a lot of sugar and caffeine-it's great, but it gives you a headache and is not longstanding.
Have you read any of the reviews?
I hate when reviews call it "quirky." It's like saying these characters are so weird I can't give my heart to them. It's a funny way to discredit someone-close to saying arty but with disdain.
How do you respond to those criticisms?
I wasn't trying to be new or avant-garde. I was trying to be true to me. People say, "it's just another coming of age film about suburban alienation," but I wasn't thinking about other films. Or the market. I was just trying to be very simple, a smaller goal done well.
What do you hope people take from the film?
Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio were so game to play adults who don't know what they're doing, and we're not saying that's bad. Hopefully people don't see it as- a film about a 17 year old. That cliff you're about to jump off of? That will be there many times in your life.
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