ScreenCrave.com » Sam Mendes

New ‘Skyfall’ Image Shows James Bond Packing Some Heat

traviswoods — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:26:24 +0000

Last month, we reported on the first official picture from Skyfall, the 23^rd film in the James Bond franchise (and the third film in the Daniel Craig continuity). The picture wasn’t exactly action packed and didn’t reveal much, showing as it did the back of Bond’s head as he casually sat by a pool with his legs in the water; however, this new picture features a rough-looking James Bond sneaking and carrying a gun.

The picture shows a bearded Daniel Craig sneaking about with a small handgun in a darkly colorful environment. No word yet on what exactly is happening in this scene, but, given the last two films, it is more than likely something kind of brutal yet eminently badass.

Skyfall is set for release on November 9, 2012, and costars Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, and Javier Bardem. The film is directed by Sam Mendes, and is, thank god, not in 3-D (just thought I’d mention that, since just about every other movie being released this year is being saddled with that silly gimmick).

So what do you think of the pic? Do you have any predictions about what Skyfall’s plot will entail?

Source: /Film

First Picture of Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall

Damon Houx — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:45:18 +0000

Yep, that’s Daniel Craig, and Empire is reporting that this is the first official picture of James Bond in Skyfall, the 23rd film in the franchise. The film is due out November 9 later this year, and shooting is underway, so there’s plenty of time to speculate what madness Bond gets into in this adventure. The film is being directed by Sam Mendes and also stars Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, and Javier Bardem.

As for the content of the picture, perhaps this is setting up that it’s got a bunch of underwater action, like Thunderball or The Spy Who Loved Me, though perhaps Bond is being pensive after having killed someone (always a good bet). Or perhaps he’s hiding his embarrassment from having just peed in the pool.

Realistically, this says zero about anything except that Daniel Craig is in excellent shape, and at some point he feels the need to get in a pool. But pointless and useless speculation is the name of the game when it comes to a film as highly anticipated as this, so perhaps his legs hurt after having a skyfall. What a skyfall is will be revealed in the film, so there’s that to look forward to.

What’s your favorite Bond film?

James Bond Producers Reveal Details On Skyfall

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:42:45 +0000

James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and director Sam Mendes held a press conference in London yesterday morning to unveil the title of the 23rd bond film – Skyfall. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as the handsome and daring James Bond, along with Judi Dench. The new cast was also announced, along with plot details and shooting locations, and budget rumors. Everything you need to know about the latest Bond film, after the jump.

Although Mendes isn’t your typical action movie director, he mentioned that he’s all for the action here. “There will be plenty of surprises,” he said, and also added that “the action needs to be balanced with the drama.”

Javier Bardem officially confirmed what he’d been saying all along. The Spanish actor will be playing the villain, but not much else was said on his character. Also joining Craig and Dench (they will reprise their roles) is Berenice Marlohe, who’ll be playing the “glamorous [and] enigmatic” Severin, a.k.a. the new Bond girl. The cast also includes Naomie Harris, Ben Wishaw, Albert Finney, and Ralph Fiennes, but nothing has been said on their roles.

Skyfall‘s official plot was released via Twitter, mentioning that:

“Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the treat, no matter how personal the cost.”

Producer Michael G. Wilson slashed the rumors that their budget was being cut, “We’re on the same budget as the last film. We haven’t had to change anything in the script. In fact, we keep adding things – everything is going to be just as it was.” Not only that, but Bond will be filming on location all over the world – London, Scotland, Shanghai, and Istanbul.

Skyfall will hit U.K. theaters on October 26, 2012, and then the U.S. on November 9, 2012.

Are you excited about Bond 23?

Additional sources: Deadline, /Film

‘Bond 23′ May Be Called ‘Skyfall’

traviswoods — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:42:09 +0000

Hey, at least it isn’t Quantum of Solace (or Octopussy, The Spy Who Loved Me, or Die Another Day, for that matter), right? Well, it appears that the 23^rd James Bond film may finally have a title, and, in the tradition on vague, one-word titles in the Bond franchise, it could be worse: Skyfall.

While this is by no means confirmed, /Film has it that Sony “has registered URLs such as skyfall-themovie.net, jamesbond-skyfall.com, and others that lend credence to the idea that Skyfall will be used,” and, again, let’s just all thank God it’s not Skyfum of Quantfall or Quantsky of Fallace or whatever the hell. Seriously, that title was just ridiculous.

The Sam Mendes-directed film is set for a November 9, 2012 release, meaning we’ll have a whole year to debate whether or not this is the actual name for the film, and then debate whether or not it’s any good. Honestly, I sometimes wonder why they Sony doesn’t just drop the hip, affected Bond film titles and just put some truth in advertising, and call Bond 23 something like, Daniel Craig Whips The Everliving Hell Out of Some Disfigured And/Or Handicapped Villain and His Various and Nefarious Henchmen While Occasionally Knocking Boots with a Model… Part 23.

What do you think of Skyfall as a title?

Classic James Bond Villain To Appear In ‘Bond 23′?

traviswoods — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:13:45 +0000

Oh boy—fans of the classic-era James Bond films just might have something to draw them to the upcoming (and currently untitled) James Bond 23, the third film in the Daniel Craig iteration of the long-running franchise: classic Bond super villain and arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld (you know, the guy that Dr. Evil was partly based upon) might be making an appearance in the Sam Mendes-directed film.

/Film reports (via WhatCulture!) that Bond 23 screenwriter John Logan has dropped a vague hint about Blofeld’s presence in the upcoming film:

Rather interestingly, during the talk last night Logan was reminded by an audience member of a quote that he said some ten years ago that, in his opinion, “Bond should always fight Blofeld”. When pressed on this he gave a wry smile and said “Bond should always fight Blofeld”.

The character, a long running staple of the early Bond films, has been played by Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, and Max von Sydow, with his first appearance in 1963’s From Russia with Love, and his final appearance in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. In the films, Blofeld is an evil genius and is the head of SPECTRE, a global criminal syndicate. And now that Javier Bardem has confirmed that he will play the villain in Bond 23, does that mean he’ll be portraying Blofeld?

What do you make of the Bond 23 news?

‘James Bond 23′ To Finally Begin Filming; Set For 2012 Release

traviswoods — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:47:04 +0000

After a long, long wait, spy film fans can finally rest easy—the as-yet untitled 23^rd James Bond film is set to launch production later this year, according to Coming Soon. As you may remember, the Daniel Craig incarnation of the franchise was in hot water when MGM went bankrupt last year, but, according Judi Dench (who has played Bond boss M in the series since the 1990s), Bond is back on!

Says Dench:

“I am going to do the next Bond in November…I don’t know the location yet but hopefully it will be somewhere nice. I can’t tell you much more but I do enjoy playing M as she is such a strong character. I like being bossy and my grandson thinks it’s cool that I’m in Bond.”

Whew—after the twin marvels of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, I was beginning to worry that the Craig-era Bond days were over. Not so, says Dench!

Further, Coming Soon notes that Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan will be scripting the 23^rd Bond film, which is set to be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road).

So—a Bond film starring Daniel Craig directed by the guy who made American Beauty and written by the guys who wrote the last two excellent entries? Sign us up.

What do you think of the James Bond 23 news?

James Bond 23 Officially On! Craig’s Back, Mendes to Direct, Release Date Set

Krystal Clark — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:41:33 +0000

After all the back and forth between MGM and EON Productions, the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise has been confirmed. It’s happening and everyone is finally on the same page. According to a statement sent out by EON, they’ve confirmed Daniel Craig to star, Sam Mendes to direct, and a new release date.

“Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, the Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will have a worldwide release on November 9, 2012.” Mendes will direct from a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan, while Craig will once again breathe life into the agent.

The reason it took so long for the film to get going was because of MGM’s bankruptcy and their failed auction of the studio. It’s the same reason The Hobbit was left in limbo, but thankfully Warner Bros picked up their slack. We’re still not sure who will distribute the new Bond film. More than likely the other major studios will end up fighting for it.

Sony could win out over the rest of the bunch considering they previously distributed Casino Royale, but Paramount also has a shot because of their close relationship with Spyglass Entertainment, who helped with the Star Trek reboot.

At this point we don’t care who distributes it as long as it gets out there. This has been going on for too long, and fans are ready to see Bond kick some ass and take names, while looking like an Armani model in the process!

Do you think James Bond 23 will go off without a hitch?

Source: Deadline

Kate Winslet Confirms Sam Mendes Still Directing Bond 23

Krystal Clark — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:33:59 +0000

In a weird round about way we’ve received confirmation that the next James Bond film is still going strong. Back in November is was announced that MGM planned to release Bond 23 in 2012, which puts the production on a pretty short time table. Next month will be 2011 so they need to get the ball rolling. Luckily we know that Daniel Craig is still on board with the franchise, but there were some doubts regarding whether or not Sam Mendes would stick to his directing commitment. Well, according to the mother of his children (Kate Winslet) he will.

While speaking to the Daily Mail, Winslet had this to say about Mendes’ upcoming travel plans.

“Sam is doing the next Bond film, all being well, and we’ll all be in England if that happens,” she said. “It’s such a massive commitment for him and it’s not fair for him to commute backwards and forwards to New York from London. It would be impossible. The children will be there with me.”

We’re all for Mendes directing the film and we hope this is true. He’s a great director and this is an iconic franchise. It will be interesting to see what he does with it.

Do you think they’ll be able to get the next Bond out by 2012?

Sam Mendes Directing Wizard of Oz Prequel With Robert Downey Jr?

Anet Hovhanesian — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:46:42 +0000

Big-shot director Sam Mendes has landed a rebound project after Bond 23 was given the heave-ho. He’s moved on to bigger and better things or at least what he hopes will be better. Sources are reporting that he may direct a prequel to the beloved classic Wizard of Oz entitled, Oz the Great and Powerful based on the title character. Who could play a man so great, so powerful, so charismatic? How about Robert Downey Jr?

According to a vague tweet from Production Weekly sent out earlier today,

Sam Mendes is the front runner to direct “Oz The Great And Powerful” by Mitchell Kapner, with Robert Downey, Jr. circling to play the Wizard.

We wonder when Downey’s going to find the time to film this movie? This project must be scheduled for a late 2012 or 2013 release because Marvel’s The Avengers is set to start production in February.

The adapted story for Oz the Great and Powerful was written by Mitchell Kapner and will be produced by Alice in Wonderland’s Joe Roth. Kapner based the script on a collection of influences from L. Frank Baum’s original books as well as some ideas of his own creating a story that shows “the wizard as a charlatan who’s part of a traveling circus but goes on a similar odyssey as Dorothy when he mysteriously lands in Oz.”

What do you think of a Wizard of Oz prequel? Is Mendes the go-to guy for this film?

Source: /Film

Sam Mendes To Direct The Next James Bond Movie

Krystal Clark — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:34:03 +0000

Just yesterday we heard about the uncertain future of the James Bond franchise, and within 24 hours the tide has changed. According to the Heat Vision blog, the next film is being fast tracked into production and has taken on an Oscar winning director. Close sources are stating that Sam Mendes has just been tapped to helm the latest Bond installment.

Sam Mendes is in negotiations to take on the next Bond film, which will have Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007. Plans for the film are moving forward despite the monetary issues that MGM has been having as of late. The studio is currently up for sale and awaiting purchase, which fueled rumors that Bond’s future was in danger. The latest news from the trades state that Mendes will take on the latest film that’s being scheduled for a 2011 release.

The screenplay will be written by Bond regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, along with Peter Morgan who penned Frost/Nixon. This will be the director’s first major action flick besides his 2005 film, Jarhead. He’s coming off the mellow project Away We Go, which only grossed about 10 million dollars domestically last year. This is a major move on the studio’s part, because MGM’s future is still up in the air. The only thing we know, is no matter who produces the next Bond movie it will be a hit. There’s a reason it’s one of the longest running franchises of all time.

What do you think about Sam Mendes directing the next James Bond movie?

Movie Review: Away We Go

Mali Elfman — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:30:17 +0000

Why you should see Away We Go:

Sam Mendes directed it and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it get nominated for some awards.
Both Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski are brilliant in the film and unlike you’ve ever seen them before.
It’s completely honest and yet hilarious in unsuspecting ways.
It’s a great date movie if you’re trying to get a girl to think you’re deeper than you are.
If you’re already deep, that it’s inspiring and throught-provoking

Why you should not to see this film:

Because you just LOVED Wolverine and have to see it for the 19th time.

Keep reading for the full review….

This film has one of my favorite lines, “go away now.” It’s simple and may not seem like much, but it will…

Away We Go is a new film by Sam Mendes, which stars Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, in a real life comedy about a couple who are about to have a baby and set off to find a place that they can call “home.” On their journey they visit a number of old friends and relatives in different places. As is commonly the case with Mendes, he quickly dissects each relationship in front of us showing us how no one is without their faults.

Although you may be quickly drawing parallels to Mendes’ recent drama, Revolutionary Road, I assure you, that this film is completely different. Yes, both films are centered around a couple in the process of change, but everything else about them is completely different. For however dark and serious Revolutionary Road was, Away We Go is equally light and funny. In this film, the story focuses on a couple truly in love who team up to fight the world instead of one another.

This film wouldn’t have been as strong as it was without the stellar performances by Maya as Verona De Tessant and John as Burt Furlander. Maya is truly beautiful in this film, inside and out. She leaves the humor to her amazing supporting cast of Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Jim Gaffigan, and gives an amazingly strong and endearing dramatic performance. John who we’re used to seeing as the level headed, Jim from “The Office,” is zany and uncontrollable, and shows us a whole new side of him as well.

The love in the film is real, from an awkward and yet realistic sex scene between Maya and John which kicks off the movie, to the struggles that other couples have along the way; every relationship is weird in it’s own way, and none are without their faults. The truth about love is that it’s not perfect, and Burt and Verona are no exception, but it’s how all these different people deal with their imperfections that make them both interesting and hilarious.

What I loved most about this film, is that almost everyone walked out of the theater in silence, not because of the subject matter, but because the film leaves you in a near dreamlike state and makes you wonder about who you are and how your surrondings effect you. We always think that we live somewhere, but the truth is that the place often defines who we are and what we do.

After the film, not only was I ready to pack my bags and head out on an adventure, but I couldn’t help but wonder, would I be the same person in a different place, surrounded by different people? Would I ever be free enough to pick up everything and find the place that is right for me, or will I just make do with my surroundings?

Overall, this is sweet story that brings out the crazy in everyone. Everyone has their idea of what the perfect family is, what parents should be like, and what makes a good couple, but sometimes the best anyone can do, is just try to be good for someone else. Mistakes are made and no one is perfect, so why not sit back, and try to enjoy the weirdnless in life for an hour and a bit?

Check Away We Go, in theaters, June 5th. And for a chance to win the soundtrack and free tickets check out our Away We Go Caption Contest!

Check out Away We Go in theaters today, June 5th.

Exclusive Interview with Sam Mendes

Mali Elfman — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:30:13 +0000

I walked out of Sam Mendes‘ new film, Away We Go, starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinki feeling awe-inspired and in desperate need of travel. I have long been a fan of Mendes’ work, so a chance to sit down talk to him one on one about a film I truly loved was a wonderful experience.

Mendes is was how I expected him to be. He takes his time to really think about what he wants to say and how he wants to say it. A good director is a good story-teller and I was more than willing to sit back and let him tell me his stories. He is thoughtful and thought provoking all at once.

Being around him, you get the feeling that he is, in many ways, an artist, who uses the medium of film (and stage) to tell stories, although himself in a variety of ways.

Check out what he had to say about his new film below…

When I walked out of this movie I was reminded how much traveling effects who you are. In a different place you can be an entirely different person. How did the locations help you with the story and what they meant to you?

I think you’re right. I think travel takes you out of yourself and makes you more aware of who you are under the surface of the relationships that become a little dull or a routine. For me, the travel aspect of it, it’s smoke and mirrors. When you are making a film you don’t really travel to those places; you travel and also make a movie there. Your experience of it is very odd. Now, I wish I could go out and enjoy the locations that we shot it, and treat it as a tourist, but you spend the whole time trying to look for ways of expressing the place in film. You don’t walk through the desert and see the sun come up and enjoy it the way that you would like. It’s more like “The sun’s coming up, let’s shoot!” You know? You don’t see it in a way.

What made you want to shoot a film that kept moving?

The on the road movie aspect of it, there is something beautifully simple about a road film, and I’ve always loved that as a genre. You set off on a journey from A to B, and you know you are going to meet certain people that you are going to pass through in order to get somewhere else and there are chapters within it. I think everyone secretly wants to go on a road trip and see what they discovers.

It is a mythic landscape; we live in a country that has this huge landscape. You really can get lost in America. I remember that time when they were looking for Bin Laden, and someone on CNN said, “I don’t know how you think you’re going to find this guy in a cave in Afghanistan, you know there’s like 40 people on the CIA most wanted list, and 30 of them are over in the states and nobody can find them here, so how the hell do you think you’re going to find him.” And you forget how vast the country is, and how completely untouched so much of it is. And how alone and yet, released you can feel in this landscape. That is sort of part of what the film is.

Every time they went to a new place, the people in each place was completely different. Were you able to relate to in one of them in a different way?

You bring your own associations to every story, but these where properly original characters written by original writers. I didn’t try to draw them from my own experience; I tried to render them as written and unlock them in a way, you know, I haven’t met anyone quite as extreme as Maggie Gyllenhaal characters’ about her parenting, but she has elements of certain people that I know. And so you bring little things in, but really you are trying to create original characters that stand on their own.

What was it like to have to jump from Revolutionary Road to this film Away We Go? Why did you make this film so quickly?

I needed to make this film After the bleakness of Revolutionary Road, I wanted to make something that was closer to how I felt about love. Although I’m very proud of Revolutionary Road, and loved making it. It was a very unflinching view of the world- very tough. And here is a much more hopeful film; full of joy and very funny. And it just felt absolutely right that I should go from one to the other. Sort of the flip side

It is in a way it is a similar story to Revolutionary Road; A husband and wife dealing with having children, and what are they doing with their lives. And yet it is completely and entirely different. Was it similar for you to shoot, or was it a complete new thing?

There are all sorts of echoes around. Certainly obvious ones: A couple wanting to change their lives as in the case of Revolutionary Road, can’t, and here they can. A couple that fall out of love or at least can’t stay together even though they love each other, and here they fall deeper in love. But this is the big difference: Revolutionary Road is about a couple who turns in on each other, and this is about a couple who unified and are looking out at the world. There is the usual traditional thing that you find in a romantic comedy of somebody that in a crisis and their going to split up, and then he finds through the rain to find her, or the other way around- whatever, none of that. It’s about them looking out at the world. It’s about togetherness in a way and what that means. So that is the big difference.

But in every other respect, the challenge for me was to break –I’ve done this in every movie as much as I can– to break the patterns that I got into in a previous film. Revolutionary Road was a very still; meticulous style of film-making. But the movie I did before that Jarhead was, you know, completely unplanned in a way and much looser.

Here I wanted to be loose and warm.I wanted warm tones and colors in order to feel human, and I wanted to tell a story that was just seemingly effortless; an unconventional story structure. There’s not quite nowhere we are headed and find somehow magically to arrive there at the end. And I also wanted to– And I worked with a new crew, I worked with a new cinematographer, a new editor. I didn’t work with my usual composer. I used songs. It’s one of those things- deliberate. “Wake up, do something totally different!” And it was really, really enjoyable.

What was behind the choice of not using Thomas Newton?

I didn’t feel I needed a score. I wanted a singer songwriter. I wanted something mellower, and I wanted to feel like– Music is a very sophisticated manipulation in movies. I didn’t want any level of manipulation in this film. I wanted to have a freedom from that. I didn’t want to be steering the audience in a particular direction. The music for me brings a kind of melancholy to the film that might not be available with a score because of the voice and the lyrics. I just felt like I would give it another level.

Was Thom mad at you?

[Laughs] No he’s too experienced. I just told him, “I’m doing a movie with songs.”

Every place that they went they had dinner…

[Laughs] Or a meal!

And always soup?

That’s true! Very observant.

Did you could classify them by what type of soup they were eating. Is the way one sits around a dinner important to you?

Well I didn’t write it. These guys wrote it and they wrote dinner scenes, and I really liked the fact that they stopped in every place and looked across the table at someone. And I shot them in a very similar way, deliberately, and then everything else was different. The location was different, the lighting was different, the colors were different, but the way we shot them was quite similar. I wanted for that to sort of form a spine through the movie, of the dinner scenes.

I made them eat soup, and they ate soup on three different occasions. I don’t know why, it just amused me that they had to keep eating soup! Beyond that it was really because that’s way Dave and Vendela (the writers) wrote it. And I always liked it.

I read that John was the only one that you were thinking of, for this role, nobody else. Is that true?

Well yeah. He was the first person I thought of. You obviously go, “oh what about him” and you think about other people. I’m not crazy. But he did come into my head when I read this for the first time. And I’ve worked with John before in Jarhead, before he did “The Office,” so I’ve known him a long time, and I thought he was really special then. And when I read that kind of description; the sort of gangly, loosely, and a bit crazy. That’s actually like John in life, but it’s a clean-cut image that I needed to get rid of. As an actor, I felt he had to do it. So yeah, he was the first person that came into my mind.

And Maya, I so use to seeing her do much more comedy. She is so beautiful. How did you see through her comedy exterior and know she could pull this off so well?

Yeah, I did. I mean, I never met her, I just saw her on SNL, but I loved her as a comedian, obviously. But I didn’t know she had it in her. It was one of the writers of the film, Dave Eggers, that said, “have you thought about Maya Rudolph,” and I said, “okay, I’ll meet her.” And I met her, and she came in and she read. And I turned to Dave, and said, “Well, that’s it, that’s the character!” But she didn’t push at all, she just was. She’s brought that unto the screen and really for me, it was just about making sure that the balance between them was right because John is use to being the guy in The Office, that when all the crazy things are going on, he kind of turns to the camera and goes, “Look at these crazy people.” Cause he is sort of sea level, and she is like the crazy person. Basically, high definition caricature comedy or whatever, however you want to put it. And I had to sort of re-balance it because he, of course, in the movie he is the crazier character, and she is the calm, still center of the movie.

That’s why I needed to rehearse them for a couple of weeks, I needed them to sort of shift over and make them comfortable in areas that they are not use to being in. Off camera they got along like a house on fire, and they made each other laugh the whole time and they are very, very similar in their sense of humor which was great. John was very admiring of Maya’s work, and that really helped, you know other things, lucky things. Maya had a baby so she knows how it feels like to be pregnant, and had recently been pregnant. So that feeling, both external, how you walk, how you sit, how you feel, your self-consciousness, your embarrassment about your body, all of those things. And also what happens to your heart during that period, you know what I mean, those things were still available to her. Not to say that you can’t act being pregnant if you haven’t been, but it just added another dimension that self-ness of worth that she brought.

Even for me, you know, I had the highest regards for her she even blew me away. I think she’s just magical, I think they both are. They both are amazing. Because the movie is about a couple as a union; they are one really, looking at the world. And that is sort of what is so moving about it.

The sex scene at the beginning, was not necessarily graphic, but extremely realistic. Was that awkward for them or did you shoot that at the beginning?

We shot it right at the beginning. I made a decision, which was that sometimes it is good to just confront those things at the beginning. And once you’ve done them, it’s like, there’s nothing left to be embarrassed about, you know what I mean. If you wait until the end, let’s wait a couple of weeks ’til they’re comfortable with each other, it hangs over people, you know, “oh shoot we’ve got to do that scene in the beginning.” So I did it, and self-consciousness goes out the window. You’d have to ask Maya, she’s very funny about it, she’s like, “I can’t believe it’s two days into my first movie, I’m playing a lead role and he’s going down on me.” I thought it was fantastic, and they were great, but that was also because we rehearsed a lot and I prepared them for it. They felt pretty relaxed.

I don’t know if you can talk at all about any future projects? I saw that you had two in possible pre-production?

The dreaded IMBD that lists, and it’s all about five years out of date. At one point they listed that I was going to co-direct The Phantom of The Opera with Shakur Kapur.

Did you just think, “I am?” Do you ever have to make any phone calls?

I think I said “What?” But, no, basically two movies and two plays and I’m just coming up for air now, and having the summer off. And I’ll kind of work it out, but I’ve learned not to predict anything and do something that surprises me.

Do you like to approach film the same way that you like to approach theater, because normally you rehearse more in theater, but you like to rehearse a lot with your films as well.

I just tend to factor in working with the actors in my pre-production. I rehearse for a long time, and yes, it feels comfortable to me, and that is how I like to work. I find it easier to work with actors when I am shooting, when I rehearsed with them first. You save so much time. They know what you want, and you learn about them, and how they work.

Do you prefer one of the other, theater or movies?

When I finished the play, I’m desperate to make a movie, and when I make a movie, I can’t wait to get back to the theater. It’s very nice to have the option of doing both.

It doesn’t happen very often.

No, I mean, one day they’ll take the money away, but for the moment I’m all right.

You’re going to keep going with it….

Until they say, Stop!

Sam’s new film, Away We Go, starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinki will be in theaters this Friday, June 5th! And for a chance to win the soundtrack and free tickets check out our Away We Go Caption Contest!

ScreenCrave.com » Sam Mendes

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