Por the promotion of Gone Girl, his new film, David Fincher was recently in Paris. The time of a Master Class outstanding at the MK2 Grand Palais, producer of, among other things, The Strange story of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, and Millennium: men who don’t like women, and delivered to a few students from La Fémis and the Ecole nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière gathered for the occasion. The whole after they have released 22 minutes of the highly anticipated Gone Girl… Here are a few excerpts transcribed from this event.
In the extracts that we have been able to see, and in your films more generally, we realize that we should never rely on appearances. This is on purpose?
I would say yes. For Gone Girl, it is in working with Gillian Flynn, whose novel has been tragically reflected by The Appearances, that I realized the importance of the multiple paths to follow. His book and his script of 300 pages have been real sources of inspiration. Especially when it had to represent all the narcissism and self-centeredness of the character of Nick, who is played by Ben Affleck. As to the merits, the film highlights the way that people, and especially our neighbors, have to show the best of themselves, the best version of their personality in public.
You have worked a lot the tone and the style in Gone Girl, right?
Indeed. At the base, the film has everything a thriller a little absurd, but I wanted to make a social satire on arrival. And it was a coherent choice of actors, since it’s all I needed, which do not have cold eyes, and which are capable of being several people at once. In particular, as regards the character of Amy (aka Rosamund Pike).
Some of the choices of actors were still risky? I think of Neil Patrick Harris, known mainly for his comedic talent.
Strangely, I found that Neil was absolutely perfect in the role of the type all the time sarcastic. I find that it works well. And if you speak to Tyler Perry, it is true that those who have read the book… Who has read the book? (A few hands go up in the audience.) Well for those who have read the book, it is true that the character that Tyler Perry plays may be confused because in the book it is not supposed to be black. But here again, I found that it worked wonderfully.
This was not too hard to work with Neil Patrick Harris?
I have to say, it is true that it was sometimes a little complicated. Especially because it is very expressive, and that sometimes I was obliged to tell him “No ! Don’t do that with your eyebrows !” But by chance, he is an actor really talented and professional, which knows when its body collapses. And above all, he knows how to improve, how to improve his game and his performance without being told at every moment what to do.
When we think back to the Millennium , or that we just keep what we’ve seen Gone Girl, you realize that the women in your films often have the upper hand on the man in the relationship. It is a personal choice?
In the case of Gone Girl, there is a real questioning it. When one looks at the character played by Ben Affleck, Nick, one soon realizes that there is ultimately only through the eyes of women, and so, yes, there is the effect of domination by women. But I would not say that it was a personal choice.
”Gone Girl is a thriller absurd and social satire !”
Your experiences there inspired the design of the marriage in Gone Girl ?
No, I think not. In particular, because in Gone Girl, the vision of marriage is pretty black. I think what really inspired me, it is the hope that our neighbors are not really the same as those that we can see in the film.
The story seems very well built. Should we expect big changes compared to the book?
Well… If you care for the character of Ben Aflleck, you should know that it is not different from what was written on the basis…
We talked a lot about a project series with James Ellroy for HBO these days, you can tell us a few words? And more importantly, why you interested in television?
For the project, at the moment I can not say anything. But on television, it is obvious that it is a place of creation necessary. This is the only place where you can dissect a character entirely, the explorer as it should. And all this time spending only$ 5M and not 50 !
Have you ever had to hear about it, but Netflix had just landed in France. That is what you think of this new economic model, this new way of watching tv?
The first thing I will say is that there is no need to fear Netflix. Contrary to what you may read, this are not bad guys, they don’t just distribute and sell films or series that have already been produced by others. They do not make money on the backs of others. They produce the content, as House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. They are doing a good job and then, you and me, the guys who work there are super cool ! So no, I do not see an evil eye the arrival of Netflix anywhere.
How do you see the future of television?
I think that the future of television has to go through a full democratization of the box [“screen”], regardless of the box it is. I know that, as a producer and director, I’ve really done my job when the viewer doesn’t feel the time and this is something on which we bosons all currently. The idea that the viewer should not watch a movie and stop because it is too long. And for that, the tv is a good alternative.
Gone Girl comes out October 8, at the cinema.