[Julia's] saying that she's going to do one of the great contemporary dramas. That's not like I'm going to put myself in 'Into the Woods' or something, |
[Miller's hesitation had to do with the sheer amount of stuff in the movie, stuff he thought would undercut what he calls] its deeper aspects. ... the friendship we all had was actually very helpful, because we'd gotten past the getting-to-know-each-other period a long time ago. Sometimes it can go awfully wrong, but in this case it didn't. |
[Shooting began in November in and around Winnipeg, Canada, standing in for the farming community of Holcomb, Kan., where Perry Smith and Dick Hickok, in 1959, murdered all four members of the Clutter family.] Capote ... We made this film in the context of little time, little money and an actor who was in anguish, because that's what the role calls for. The hardest thing was asking for a 16th take. And then asking for a 17th take. And then asking for an 18th take. Philip had his head in his hands, literally. The way this film was shot, the camera is unflinching in the way it scrutinizes Phillip. There was nowhere for him to hide. |
[The film puts Hoffman under a microscope.] I was drawn to the part because it shows Capote before he became a fool, ... It's a difficult line to walk. He starts the journey not knowing what is going to happen. It's a classic tragedy that has to unfold. I don't think he's aware of it. Something gets sparked and sets his imagination flying. He goes where it takes him. He needs to finish. He knows he will be a huge success. In the fourth and fifth year, he starts to want the two men dead. I didn't crucify him in my mind. |
A really, really bad one. |
a self-awareness moment. All of a sudden everything he has done comes flashing into his mind, a self-criticism that is unbearable. |
Actors are responsible to the people we play. |
Actors can't act alone. The only way to act well is when you know the other actor has your back. And these actors had my back and I hope they know that I had theirs. |
As a producer, as someone standing outside the film, we knew that the story wasn't going to shine (Capote) in the best of lights. What happens to him, and it's not pleasant, begins his downfall. This guy dies at 59, without writing another (long-form) book. So that's the story. We're just telling the tale of the events that got that ball rolling. |
As an actor, it's nerve racking. But when I'm wearing my producer hat, I think, 'Hey, this is great. If the film gets nominated, it will be seen by way more people.' |
Be proud, Mom, because I'm proud of you, and we're here tonight, and it's so good. |
Being unemployed is not good for an actor. No, it isn't, no matter how unsuccessful you are. Because you always remember getting fired from all the restaurants. You remember that stuff very, very strongly. |
But because of his intelligence, his wit and his insightfulness and his kind of all-consuming warmth, that would go away. |
but then the way he stands, the way he walks, all these things are going to affect all that stuff. |
Especially at the end when he starts showing the letters [from Smith], and you can see that he is really damaged, that this has changed him. |