USA: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill talk improvisation at "Cyrus" premiere
Record ID:
219896
USA: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill talk improvisation at "Cyrus" premiere
- Title: USA: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill talk improvisation at "Cyrus" premiere
- Date: 19th June 2010
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 18, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JOHN C. REILLY POSING FOR PHOTOS ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN C. REILLY ON WHY HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE ROLE, SAYING: "Well, Mark and Jay Duplass drew me to this script and this role. I mean, they wrote it for me. And they said, 'If you want to do it, that's great. If you don't want to do it, we're not going to make this movie.' So, the pressure was on from the moment I got the script. And then, you know, I liked their other films. And I knew that they worked in an improvisational kind of way. And I like to work that way. So, it worked out. We had a great time together." JOHN C. REILLY POSING FOR PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN C. REILLY ON THE ART OF IMPROVISING, SAYING: "Yeah, you definitely feel pressure, you know. You don't have the lines to hide behind. If you're not really doing the script, you kind of have to dance as fast as you can. But, it's a good kind of pressure, you know. And it forces you to be honest in a way that sometimes with a script you can get away with a little more kind of hiding behind the character. This one, it really caused all of us to really have to be there in the moment, which is good." MARISA TOMEI POSING FOR PHOTOS MARISA TOMEI TALKING TO A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARISA TOMEI ON FEELING BOTH PRESSURE AND FREEDOM WHEN IMPROVISING, SAYING: "Both. I mean, these two guys were really seasoned with that, so. I mean, I've done it. I would say more like finessing, or throwing a line out here or there. But not like 'Let's just totally throw away the whole scene and see what happens.' But I found it pretty liberating." WIDE SHOT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS AND PAN TO MARISA TOMEI POSING FOR PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARISA TOMEI ON THE DIRECTORS EFFORT TO CAPTURE AUTHENTIC MOMENTS BETWEEN PEOPLE, SAYING: "They're really interested in how relationships work, and the really hard moments that happen in relationships. They don't shy away from them. They don't cut out of them. Or the movie doesn't end as soon as two people get together. These people are together, and trying to work their way through to communicate to each other in a better way. And those are hard scenes to write. So they don't run away from that. And their also really awkward, like we are also in life. Just all kind of fumbling our way around and they see the humor in it." JONAH HILL POSING FOR PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JONAH HILL WHETHER THE ROLE WAS A GOOD FIT FOR HIM, SAYING: "I don't know if it was a good fit for me. I think it's very different than me as a person, and it was just a challenge to just play someone that I'm nothing like, I guess. You know, I've done it before. I don't think I'm very much like my character in 'Superbad.' But my character in 'Get Him To The Greek,' I think is probably more similar to who I am as a person. And Cyrus is nothing like me. Thank God!" JONAH HILL TALKING TO A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) JONAH HILL ON IMPROVISING, SAYING: "A lot of the bigger comedy movies I've done, we do an incredible amount of improvisation and I really love that kind of environment. I think it's creatively exciting to be in a place where people are just coming up with new ideas and trying things that might work and might not work. And it's all about experimentation and then just choosing the good stuff." CATHERINE KEENER POSING FOR PHOTOS
- Embargoed: 4th July 2010 13:00
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- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA4J9JVML17XYHHK1NY6FGNIDZ4
- Story Text: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill hit red carpet ahead of the "Cyrus" premiere in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday (June 18) night.
"Cyrus" is the new comedy by the indie film directing team of Jay and Mark Duplass.
The film tells the story of a lonely divorcee who finds the woman of dreams only to discover she has another man in her life: Her teenage son Cyrus.
Reilly leads the cast.
He talked about why he was interested in the role.
"Well, Mark and Jay Duplass drew me to this script and this role," explained Reilly, 45. "I mean, they wrote it for me. And they said, 'If you want to do it, that's great. If you don't want to do it, we're not going to make this movie.' So, the pressure was on from the moment I got the script. And then, you know, I liked their other films. And I knew that they worked in an improvisational kind of way. And I like to work that way. So, it worked out. We had a great time together."
The Duplass brothers required the actors to rely heavily on improvisation.
Reilly shared his thoughts on utilizing this acting style.
"Yeah, you definitely feel pressure, you know. You don't have the lines to hide behind. If you're not really doing the script, you kind of have to dance as fast as you can. But, it's a good kind of pressure, you know. And it forces you to be honest in a way that sometimes with a script you can get away with a little more kind of hiding behind the character. This one, it really caused all of us to really have to be there in the moment, which is good."
Tomei said she experienced both the pressure and freedom of improvising.
"Both. I mean, these two guys were really seasoned with that, so. I mean, I've done it. I would say more like finessing, or throwing a line out here or there. But not like 'Let's just totally throw away the whole scene and see what happens.' But I found it pretty liberating."
The 45-year-old Academy Award-winning actress also talked about the directors' approach to storytelling.
"They're really interested in how relationships work, and the really hard moments that happen in relationships. They don't shy away from them. They don't cut out of them. Or the movie doesn't end as soon as two people get together. These people are together, and trying to work their way through to communicate to each other in a better way. And those are hard scenes to write. So they don't run away from that. And their also really awkward, like we are also in life. Just all kind of fumbling our way around and they see the humor in it."
Hill commented on playing a character who resembles nothing like him in real life.
"I don't know if it was a good fit for me. I think it's very different than me as a person, and it was just a challenge to just play someone that I'm nothing like, I guess. You know, I've done it before. I don't think I'm very much like my character in 'Superbad.' But my character in 'Get Him To The Greek,' I think is probably more similar to who I am as a person. And Cyrus is nothing like me. Thank God!"
Hill, 26, also weighed in on the art of improvising on set.
"A lot of the bigger comedy movies I've done, we do an incredible amount of improvisation and I really love that kind of environment. I think it's creatively exciting to be in a place where people are just coming up with new ideas and trying things that might work and might not work. And it's all about experimentation and then just choosing the good stuff."
Catherine Keener also stars in "Cyrus." She posed for photos and walked the red carpet but did not stop to talk with reporters.
"Cyrus" opens in limited release in North America on Friday, June 18. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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