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Since Little Man Tate, has anything changed for you as a director? Also, is it the same or is it harder to get something made today?

JF: Well, yeah, it’s way harder to get something made today for sure. That’s a given. Especially quirky, smaller movies. People say how the film business changed and it’s changed along with the economic trends, the global economy changed – everything when it comes to making movies. I’m really looking to the impact of the next few years of internet technology and I think it is going to change things in a really positive direction.

Did you always intend to co-star in the film?

JF: No, not at all. In fact, after Little Man Tate, I said that I am never doing this again (laughs). Mel and I were always making jokes about that, because he did The Man Without A Face and I said to him, “Don’t ever do it again, don’t ever do it again.” “He’s like, I know, I know.” And then he does Braveheart and he’s in every scene with full on make-up and extensions. So that was like a crazy, crazy thing for him.

...The reason I did it was because when I brought on Mel I needed someone sitting across from him and someone very specific for him. I was concerned about finding someone who could carry the weight of the drama and who would understand not to play into the comedy elements. As somebody who has held a film together before and tell the story from the beginning to the end, as the audience’s point of view. So I thought who is that going to be? And I felt as if Mel and I know each other so well, that there is such a real compassion between the two of us that I knew that people would believe that we were married onscreen.

Mel and you are both friends who are actors and directors, so when you work together with him, how is that relationship?

JF: It’s great. I knew this because I already worked with him on Maverick. He is the most beloved actor I ever worked with out of everybody. Maybe Chow Yun-Fat too, the two people, I love the most. It’s a lot of no-nonsense, he comes having done whatever work he has to do, he works it out before he steps on set. He’s genial and fun, he’s able to walk in and out of character very quickly, so there is none of that weird stuff. We have just the perfect working style together. I remember that on Maverick, right before the clap came in, we’d be like, (whispering) “Yeah, yeah, wait, did you take two Advil?” (laughs). Those would be our conversations and then hear “Go! Action!” and start the scene and we would end it the same way, jumping back into the conversation we just had.

He likes to work fast with two-takes, like me, we have done films that are two-take movies. I love David Fincher and I would do anything for him. I will do his 110 takes and never complain, but it’s not my way. My way is that I like the spontaneity. I like to bring everything to the table in the beginning and have everybody prepared enough to get it on camera. I know that as time goes on of course it gets less and less spontaneous as does he, but Fincher doesn’t like spontaneity so….

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