Behind The Scenes

“Excuse me, Mr Spielberg?”

by Jenny Aluning on July 6th, 2009 · posted in Behind The Scenes, Entertainment, Movies · No Comments

It is impossible to think of movies and not think of Steven Spielberg. He has produced and directed some of the most iconic movies in the lives of the last two, maybe even three, generations of movie goers. His films span all genres. From horror (‘The Poltergeist’, ‘Gremlins’ and ‘Jaws’), to science-fiction (‘E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, ‘Men In Black’, ‘Deep Impact’), to action/adventure (all Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park movies, ‘The Goonies’ and ‘The Mask of Zorro’) and to drama (‘The Colour Purple’, ‘Empire of the Sun’, ‘Schindler’s List’, ‘Band of Brothers’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’). Surprisingly, Spielberg has also dipped his toes in animation, bringing to us: ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, ‘Tiny Toon Adventures, ‘Animaniacs’, ‘The Land Before Time’, American Tail’ and much more.

Looking at that list above, it’s obvious Spielberg has also spanned that divide of incredible box-office takings as well as critical acclaim – no other director/producer can put that into their resume. So it is no wonder that there is a fascination into knowing the mind of this amazing man. Recently, Steven was kind enough to agree to a grilling from some of his peers. It opened a window to a down-to-earth man with a sense of humour who delights in his family and in his work. Here are some of the fascinating results:

What was the first film you ever saw? – Liev Schreiber

‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, Cecil B. DeMille. It frightened me into a career as a filmmaker because I was traumatised by the train wreck and by all the high-wire acts….I never had a train set until I saw ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, but when Hanukkah came around, I asked my dad for a train set and he bought me a small Lionel starter set. I began crashing my trains just like Cecil B. DeMille had done in the movie…

Why do all American directors have beards? Is it something you learn in film school? – Michael Sheen

…I know a lot of American directors who don’t have beards – Robert Zememckis, J.J. Abrams…If you’re going to get up at five o’clock in the morning somewhere in the world, you don’t have time to shave. If you get to sleep seven minutes longer in the morning by not shaving, maybe that’s the reason directors need to have beards – to get to the set on time!

Who do you like best – me or Nick (Frost)? – Simon Pegg

I like Simon more than Nick, no question.

When you were making ‘Jaws’, were you aware that you were making one of the single greatest horror movies of all time, or were you just trying to survive it? – Wes Craven

I was just trying to survive ‘Jaws’. All of us were. We were in survival mode every day on that picture. It was a physically dangerous production. Conditions at sea were often intolerable and, as we know from legend, the shark was not always working….The film was actually turning out quite well, but you couldn’t see that because the problems of bringing in the production upstaged everything.

Which strength makes your best movies great? – Ron Howard

I don’t sit in judgement of my own pictures, whether they’re great, good or lousy. The one ingredient I bring to all of my films is the ability to listen to anybody who has a good idea on the production…And I just think from a young age my parents taught me probably the most valuable lesson of my life – sometimes it’s better not to talk, but to listen.

I was watching E.T. again last week and bawled my eyes out. I just wondered how you managed to get that performance from Drew Barrymore? – Jessica Biel

I think the question should be, “How did Drew Barrymore get the performance from me?” Because Drew was a blonde hurricane on that film. She was the centre of inspiration for all of us because she brought such a purity of heart and soul and passion to a character that wasn’t that far away from her real life. Because of that, I owe Drew a lot for just allowing (writer) Melissa Mathison and myself to come up with dialogue that we never would have come up with if Drew hadn’t been there to write it for us.

What’s your favourite Italian restaurant? – Robert De Niro

Giorgio Baldi’s in Los Angeles. I love Italian food and I love Giorgio’s by the ocean. I usually have the branzino.

Please can I have some tips on balancing work and family? – Darren Aronofsky

…I’ve been fortunate that my wife and kids have been very tolerant of my penchant for going abroad to make pictures. A couple of time they have actually done their schooling away from Los Angeles with private tutors on foreign locations. There is no trick to balancing a family. It is something you have to really pay attention to. My feeling is, if I have to make the choice between film and family, I would choose family.

If you weren’t a filmmaker and you had to do something else – anything else at all – what would you choose to do? – Ben Stiller

I think I would want to be a film composer, just like John Williams. Always have.

I wonder if there will ever be a movie we can look forward to from you that really stems out of your own personal life? – Francis Ford Coppola

I think most of my movies are personal movies. I think the most personal movie I’ve ever made is ‘Schindler’s List’. I think the second-most personal movie I have ever made is E.T.. I also find ‘The Colour Purple’ to be a personal film for me.