It was eventually the winner for best drama film at the Golden Globes
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, but with Greek roots, Alexander Payne – whose real name is Alexandros Konstantinos Papadopoulos – did not follow his parents' wishes that he become a doctor or a lawyer. He studied History and Spanish Literature and then directing at UCLA. Having directed a total of five feature films, became particularly famous in 2004 with "Sideways", which, including, won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, making Payne one of Hollywood's most important directors.
Seven years passed until his new film The Descendants; a seven-year period during which the now 50-year-old Payne directed a few short films, a pilot for a TV series and developed a few projects that have yet to be filmed. Adaptation of the book of the same name by Cowie Hart Hemings, "The Descendants" takes place in Hawaii and tells the story of Matt King (George Clooney),wealthy lawyer and father of two daughters, who is forced to re-examine his life when his wife falls into a coma, after a sea accident. The balance in his life is completely turned upside down when he learns that she has been cheating on him. She begins a race to track down and confront her lover, while at the same time he is asked to decide whether he should sell the land he inherited from his ancestors. 20-year-old actress Celine Woodley, who plays his eldest daughter in the film and is nominated tonight for a Golden Globe (as well as Clooney, Payne and the film itself),was so impressed by her collaboration with the Greek-American director, who calls him one of her "five favorite people" on Earth. The truth is that most actors who have worked with him, including Clooney, praise Payne for the excellent conditions he creates on set, leaving the actors free to express themselves.
We caught up with Payne a while ago at the 55th London International Film Festival, where the "Descendants" participated - to later "open" the Thessaloniki Festival. Serious, concentrated, but at the same time kind and with a special sense of humor, spoke to us about his collaboration with Clooney – who is tipped to be in contention for the Best Actor Oscar –, his opinion on contemporary American cinema and of course his relationship with Greece.
After "Slant" and the huge success of the film, felt any pressure or anxiety about what your next step should be;"No, my job doesn't cause me any pressure. Being divorced put pressure on me (SS.: the 2006 divorced his wife, actress Sandra Oh, who played a supporting role in "Sideways", however, she became more widely known through the episodes of the television series "Grey's Anatomy"). But all these years, you know, I was not idle. Simply, both in life and in cinema, I don't feel the need to express myself, unless I really have something to say".
Your new film has already participated in many festivals. How do you feel about it?, in the sense that the film comes out relatively later in theaters; "I think festivals have amazing audiences, the most critical, but also the most generous ones. I especially love the Thessaloniki Festival, because he has supported me since I was a young director. And it is always a great pleasure for me to visit Greece, where I have my roots".
In most of your films, the place where the story takes place plays a very important role. "The Descendants" is set in Hawaii, which is not an ordinary movie destination. Was this a challenge for you?;“Being aware of the complex social web there, I thought that the film would be a "passport" to enter this very unique, admittedly, society. The basic story,how a man discovers that his dying wife has been cheating on him and decides to confront her lover, it could have been set in any place or era. But I find it very interesting that it takes place in Hawaii. Even if I do fiction films, I always have a documentary mood. THE,what is in the background – the landscapes in this case –,is affected by,what is in the foreground and vice versa. Especially in Hawaii,it's very hard to ignore the background. The feeling you get there is how grand nature is and how small you are. It's something that makes you feel humble.".
With whom, that is, Hawaii and the living conditions there influenced the film, the story and the characters; "Some critics have written about the film as having a very 'loose' and 'gentle' style. They are not wrong, in the sense that this is the atmosphere that prevails in Hawaii: business deals are made in bars by the sea, while the participants drink their drinks while wearing Hawaiian shirts. Such is everyday life there. That's why I found the contrast of how such a dramatic story unfolds in such an apparently idyllic and exotic environment extremely interesting.".
Apart from this contrast, what else fascinated you about history?; “Basically, it is the story of a 50-year-old man who is forced to grow up. The fact that his female cheats on him is the catalyst for this maturation. One of the main reasons I wanted to make this film is because Matt decides to meet his wife's lover in person and give him a chance to say goodbye to her while she's in a coma in the hospital.. That he continues to love her, even after finding out she was cheating on him, it's something that moves me. The times when it's hard to love someone, these are what interest me: the love, when it's hard".
What was it like working with young actors?; Celine Woodley had no previous film experience, while Amara Miller, who plays the little daughter, they were not actors."The character of the little daughter was much bigger in the book, but I felt that far more important was Matt's relationship with his eldest daughter. That's why I put a lot of weight into the casting for the role. I wanted an actress with great inner strength and passion, but also vulnerable. When Celine came for the audition, I knew within the first two minutes that she was the one I would choose in the end".
In Hollywood it is increasingly difficult for films dealing with "unpleasant" subjects to find financing. You encountered such difficulties with the "Descendants"; "The truth is that 'Descendants' is somehow an exception in the field of Hollywood. After I edited the book, I showed the script to the studio and shut down George Clooney, with whom we wanted to cooperate for a long time, for the lead role. He is amazing. If he believes in a director or a script, will take on the role, even if his salary is lower than,what usually, as was done in this particular case. We often get asked if I'm worried about casting a very famous actor for a role, because the audience has associated him with something specific and so the acting may not be naturalistic. But I don't think Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau are less naturalistic in Antonioni's Night because they were big stars of the time.".
What was it that made George Clooney suitable for you for the character of MattKing?; “The fact that, despite being a star, I see something human in him, a man like all others. In other famous American actors I see simply an excessive ambition for success. But George doesn't hesitate to tarnish his image, to make fun of herself and play roles that challenge her. It has, I think so, characteristics and qualities that Mastroianni also had. They are both irresistibly charming, funny and intelligent. This I think is the main characteristic of big stars: that it is,show and remain human".
What do you think of contemporary mainstream American cinema?; "I could say a lot of negative things, but I think it would be ingratitude and hypocrisy on my part, because I am someone who can make his films. If I didn't have this possibility, then yes, I would be frustrated and angry. American directors have a great influence on the world cinema map. Most of them, Nevertheless, they don't make purely American movies, but "cartoonish", which can be easily sold and consumed everywhere. But I am interested in the national cinema. The Greek movies, for example, must concern the Greeks, to talk about Greek topics and to look Greek. One of the reasons why we love cinema,you know, it's because we want to see ourselves reflected in it. The more specific a film is, the more universal it ultimately is.".
As a spectator, what is it that you like about cinema; "Movies for me are like a magic carpet that takes me to places and emotional worlds I would never have known otherwise.. One of the main reasons why we like cinema is because it conveys experiences and because through it we can be transported to other places., other times and to "live" or see different ways of life".
As a director, you give more weight to dialogues and script or image; "I don't discuss the image! Before I decide if I want to tell a story or adapt a book, what I wonder first is whether this particular story can be told with pictures, if it's cinematic".
In "Descendants", the presence of music is very strong. How much weight do you put on your film's stomatal lining?; “I am very proud of the music in the film. It's the first time I haven't collaborated with a composer, but I thought it necessary to use only Hawaiian music. Together with my partners, listened to endless hours of Hawaiian music. We isolated the songs we liked and considered whether they fit the film, and how well they could support both comedy and drama in the story, "passion" in the ancient Greek sense of the word".
One of the themes of the film is the relationship of people with the land and their heritage. There is one particular scene where Matt expresses his views, that is why he talks about the course of his ancestors. Do you agree with what he says?; "This scene worried me. I was afraid she would look too "Hollywood". But I hope it's true to his character and the emotional journey he goes through and that viewers don't end up taking it as preachy.. In a movie, the last thing I want to do is send a certain message".
What is your relationship with your origin?; Your ancestors, your Greek roots have played a role in shaping your character; "Look, the city that has defined me is Omaha, where i was born. Naturally, Nevertheless, I am also influenced by my Greek roots. I am American and my parents were born in America, but my grandparents came from Greece. And as you will know, the Greeks of America maintain their Greekness much more than,what other peoples. Being raised as a second generation Greek has definitely influenced who I am. Many times they ask me at home: "You are ultimately American or Greek;”. I am an American, but my Greek roots, Greek culture exists in me. I think it's very good for an artist, especially for a director, to have multiple roots. It allows him to be a participatory observer of the contrasts around him and to be able to see things from different perspectives. To live the situations, but at the same time to maintain a distance from them – something that, now that i think about it, it is necessary not only in art, but also in life".
* The interview was published in BHMagazino on 15 January 2012
Source : tovima.gr