Waiting in the lobby of the Townsend Hotel for my interview with Scott Cooper, I can't help but notice the drastic differences between my current setting and the hotels portrayed in his new film, "Crazy Heart."
"He's ready for you now," a PR representative said to me, quickly jerking me out of my daydream, and he escorts me to Cooper's lavish suite. It's four days before the Golden Globes.
In four short days, Cooper's film, "Crazy Heart" will win Golden Globes for best song in a motion picture, and Best Actor in a Drama, everything the film was nominated for —but he doesn't know that yet.
Cooper is fresh off a screening of his film at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak the night before, and I'm his last interview of the day. Amidst small talk, I sit down on a mildly uncomfortable couch in the sunlit suite on the second floor of the hotel with a fresh-faced Cooper. An enlarged poster of the film on a strong wooden easel stared me in the face, a daunting espresso-contraption stood by the door, and Cooper sat in the chair adjacent to me.
"How do you tell a story in 10 days, with not very much money, in three states with 10 musical numbers — one which was live in front of 12,000 people," Cooper said. "Those were big challenges."
Funny, I would think the major challenge would be getting the film off the ground. For a first-time director, Cooper was able to sign on acting talent like Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell, but according to Cooper, this project wouldn't have come together whatsoever without the help of another actor in the film — Robert Duvall.
“I'm an actor primarily, and we met on Warner Brother's epic called 'Gods and Generals,' and from that point forward we became close friends," Cooper said. "We shared the same taste in literature, actors and movies, and we developed what's become a nine-year mentorship."
While not necessarily having the screenplay written yet, Cooper has had his film idea for years. He wanted to tell the story of Merle Haggard, a country idol in Cooper's eyes, and an inspiring story to be displayed on screen.
However, due to legality issues and a slue of ex-wives, having the rights to tell Haggered's story was next to impossible, so a friend introduced Cooper to the book, "Crazy Heart."
“I couldn't tell his story, but then I found the book and figured I could tell a fictionalized story of him, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings," Cooper said.
Prior to optioning the script in 2005, Cooper nervously sent his screenplay over to Duvall to read first, and waited on his response.
His mentor's reply was so positive that Duvall even signed on to act and produce, a move which just snowballed the film into motion.
"When a script circulates in Hollywood with his name on top of it as a producer and actor, everybody wants to get involved," Cooper said. "When that happened it was like having 'The Godfather' on your side."
Character development
Not knowing any better, Cooper said he over-prepared for his directoral debut on the silver screen. With detailed shot lists, attention to costume direction and music, Cooper created the world of Bad Blake, a washed up country singer, playing gigs at local bowling allies with $10 in his pocket and an alcohol addiction controlling his every move.
While Cooper paid great attention to scrupulousness, the effort itself was to achieve the feeling of complete genuineness.
"I really wanted the picture to have a very authentic feel. I wanted you to feel like you actually were a fly on the wall, living in these hotel rooms and in the juke joint and in the bed of his truck, and I didn't want anyone to recognize any artifice," Cooper said.
Although he prepped ahead and pre-recorded Bridges and Farrell singing their musical numbers, he opted for the live performances to further the veritable feel of the film.
The unconventional choices, authentic music numbers and inspired casting are just a few nuances to "Crazy Heart," which is now looking onward to a pack of award shows, but Cooper insists, it's not about the accolades.
"I don't want the movies merits to rise or fall based on oscar nominations," Cooper said.
And while he didn't know what the Golden Globes would bring as we sat in the suite of the Townsend Hotel, he was assured that his cast and crew were more than deserving of whatever may come their way.
"I just knew that between action and cut I was getting performances as good as I've ever seen," he said.
Be the first to comment on this article!