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The self-obsession and superficiality of the 60s created Valerie Solanas, misandrist revolutionary and subject ofI Shot Andy Warhol.
(See below.)
Your films take on highly controversial figures, but always through the remove of a period piece.
Ive always been interested by people in history, particularly women.
Because womens lives in the 20th century changed so extraordinarily, even just in my lifetime.
I was a little younger than the Manson girls, but not that much younger.
Another world, in some ways.
Im interested in how the variable of the year she was born affects a woman.
Ive been thinking about how times of instability make young people so prone to strongmen.
When youre young and unformed, as we all are, youre uncertain of your own beliefs and direction.
For people suffering from unsureness, thats so seductive.
The more uncertain the time, the more apocalyptic it is.
Were in a slightly more apocalyptic time now.
Three for three.Theres nothing original or revolutionary about these groups, and thats always how they sell themselves.
Matt was perfect, though.
Hes done a lot of music videos, so he knows how to get a live performance.
We approached it like shooting a live performance.
I trusted Crille to be in the right place at the right moment, and he always was.
In both instances, its through assuming the viewpoint of a newcomer.
I saw that they madeAmerican Psychointo a musical.Matt Smith was in it!
Is that how you got him onCharlie Says?Yes, in a weird way.
I was immediately interested.
The other key scene, though, is when the music executive comes to hear Charlie play.
He had people digging holes and filling them up again, just to strengthen their minds.
You recently went to TV to doAlias Grace.
Some filmmakers talk about doing small-screen work to put together some money or traction for getting a feature made.
I wouldnt say this was any harder, but Im actually grateful to Quentin [Tarantino].
I never worried about that.
I know him, love his movies, Im sure his is great.
But the thing is, Im sure its a great movie about Hollywood in the 60s.
And thats cool, my dad was an actor in Hollywood around that time, its a fascinating world.
Tarantinos going to run with his aspect of it, and Im running with mine.
Its a huge story with so many points of entry.
Youve made all these movies about radical figures.
Do you have any radical beliefs yourself?I think Im much more like the doubting version of Leslie.
Im attracted to revolution and radical things, but as a person, Im just not a joiner.
The voice of doubt is strong in me.
At the same time, though, Im very sympathetic to this.
I sympathize with religious people, I fully get it, but Im not religious.
I cant imagine being able to say, I believe this and no competing theories.
Ive enjoyed going to church, but I cant believe one thing and no others.
Im sympathetic to radical politics, but I couldnt join any ideology that says its the only way.
That ambivalence comes through in your movies, which never really condone or condemn their central figures.
Until now, withCharlie Says, which is pretty straightforward about how malevolent Charlie is.Youre not wrong.
What we did take a stab at do was make him as human and pathetic as we could.
Thats his origin story, horrible early life full of abuse and neglect, loveless childhood.
Theres no great mystery.
you could see exactly why Charlie Manson became who he was.
Hes be doing great, even better than he was in the 80s!
Hes prospering: big hedge fund, deregulation, no taxes to worry about.
Patrick Batemans life would be fabulous.
But the battle is constant.
Wonderful periods of revolution always eat their children.
Youve even seen this in feminism, women turning on each other.
That jumped out at me fromI Shot Andy Warhol, that Valerie Solanas was a hardcore TERF.
It was so focused on gender equality, and the definition of gender, that trans issues confused them.
But thats what I loved about the relationship between Valerie and her trans friend Candy.
Thats the kind of confusing human nature stuff that interests me.
