Articles

CINEMA: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE KAUFMAN

February 26 2003
Clarín.com
by Pablo O. Scholz (This article was roughly translated from Spanish.)

"I do not become position". He does not speak well of his experience with Clooney, with the script of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

In person, nobody would give an euro for him, and nevertheless he is one of the most prestigious and evasive scriptwriters of the moment. In slippers, wore-out jeans and with pullover of the last century, Charlie Kaufman receives the interviewer in a suite of the Four Seasons in which, seated in the armchair, he is more uncomfortable than Charlie Kaufman, the protagonist of Adaptation, when he speaks of his work as scriptwriter.

Kaufman, a New Yorker of 44 years who pretends thirty, is surprised by the call of films in Argentina. " People, in the last act, the last 20 minutes, when all is taking by another rail... did they like it? "

Well, to half it enchanted and the other half....

Yes, it happens the same everywhere. Some get angry with the last part of the film.

Then, what can you say to those who did not understand why this amazing turn?

I do not mean to say anything to anybody. Perhaps it is a tactical error from us. We want people to live their experience and if that experience is what the hell are they doing!, it's fine. I am not going to tell them to enjoy it.

Was Susan Orlean surprised when finding out that it would be adapted? How was the connection with her?

I never connected myself with her. I did not know her. I saw her for the first time to the ending of the shooting. All who appear in the film, they had to approve it. I know that she likes the film, I do not know if she liked it as a script. The same happened with Robert McKee, the professor of scriptwritting, and John Laroche, the thief of orquídeas, and the agent of Hollywood. They are all the real characters in the film, with the exception of me.

There is a drug scene, that surprises because one does not know what is true, what is fiction.

Exactly, what it is certain and what is not, it's not something that I mean to say.

Charlie Kaufman, the character, fears that Hollywood corrupts him. And you?

Yes, I am scared. I had luck to work with respectful people. It is always something that scares: as a writer, to lose the control.

How do you see the industry and the films that are made at the moment in the United States?

I do not see much cinema. The last year, films with very good critic were released. I see films at home. I have a small daughter and it is not easy for me to leave. I don't like to call baby sitters. In fact, there wasn't much that interested me. I cannot explain why.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is very different from the type of film that you do.

I did not participate much in that film, so it is not really my style.

There are many fantasies in the character, I saw your hand in this, but I do not see your hand in everything.

It was part of me. It was more than a typical situation of Hollywood film. And the script... Obvious, there were modifications. There are rewritten parts. The intention the director had (George Clooney) was different from mine. The style, the goals are different. It was not the perfect alliance.

The Oscar is important or irrelevant?

Is it important? (He thinks) In fact, no. It is amusing to be nominated and to obtain a trophy. When one is within this activity and sees how it works, it becomes less... It is as if everything was noticeable, marqued and political and has to do with companies selling their films. That's how it feels. It is not exciting. But, it is amusing to gain an Oscar, it has to do with those things that one saw as a child.

Are you member of the Academy?

Yes. They nominated me for Being John Malkovich and they invited to me to enter.

And did you vote this year?

Yes. I have something in mesh.

Can you tell me something of your new script, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

There is an intervention that allows to erase memories in the history of the brain. The fiancèe (Kate Winslet) of the protagonist (Jim Carrey) made them erase. She does no longer know who he is. She wants to know nothing with this relationship. In a while of panic, he decides to take the same intervention. Most of the film is developed in the brain of him, while they are erasing her memory by memory. What it is seen is how the relationship unfolds, from the end to the beginning.

We'll see what happens in the brain... ?

Yes, everything is in his head, you see the memories. It will seem that one sees the relationship but as if it worked backwards. And you see how she and the memories begin to disappear.

Talking about memories, did you see Memento?

I must say it to you. We took this idea in 1998 and due to the circumstances I had to make the Adaptation first, and later we started the posproduction of Human Nature. Eternal... is commercial and viable, but it took me three years to write it. And when it had been two years, Memento is released . Curse. I lost heart pretty much. But Memento has to do with the mystery, this is another thing. We will see.

When you wrote on you for Adaptation, did you think about Nicolas Cage?

With the personage of Charlie I thought about me. I do not think about actors when I write, with the exception of John Malkovich, who I wanted to be interpreted by himself.

Was it easy to convince Malkovich?

No. It was not easy to convince him. When Spike Jonze spoke with him the first time he said: " if it wasn't about me, I would like to play any personage ". He was brave to accept the role.

Do you see yourself in a future directing your own scripts?

I hope to try. It's a bit intimidating to me. The effects would overflow me. The films can be in the edge. But in terms of personages and history, I do not want to be conventional.

(Source)