Curtis Hanson
Curtis Hanson
Curtis Lee Hansonis an American film director, film producer and screenwriter. His directing work includes the psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, the neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential, the comedy Wonder Boys, the hip hop drama 8 Mile, and the romantic comedy-drama In Her Shoes...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth24 March 1945
CityReno, NV
CountryUnited States of America
ask blossom character dealing fear hiding insulting life literally meet powerful quiet rich shirley talk unresolved
When you're dealing with someone like Shirley, it's a little insulting to ask her to come in for a meeting. But I wanted to meet her first and talk to her about the character, because there was a very big 'if' on it for me. Shirley is such a powerful presence, personality and talent, and she has used that power effectively over a long and rich career. But I wanted to know she would be able to put a damper on all of that and go to a very quiet place to play this character who is literally hiding from life, who has put a lid on everything because of her guilt, her fear and her unresolved issues. If Shirley could go to that kind of a place, and then blossom as her character's life broadens, I thought it would be very exciting.
character boys important
Here [in Wonder Boys] I had this group of characters where you didn't know which were the important ones or what direction they were heading.
book character opportunity
The challenge was the opportunity. When I read the first draft of Steve Kloves' fabulous adaptation - I hadn't read [Michael] Chabon's book at that time - what I was immediately captivated by was this group of characters that were at once so engaging and so messed up.
character boys special
I thought, "If I could bring these characters [Wonder Boys] to life and lead the audience to react the same way I did, this could be a really special picture." Then I read Michael's [Chabon] novel and got even more enthusiastic about it.
character boys wonder
When I first went to Pittsburgh, I had never been there before, and we hadn't even decided to shoot there yet. I just went to see the location of Michael Chabon's novel. Once there, I became aware that Pittsburgh is a "wonder boy," in the narrow sense of the term, just as the human characters are.
character thinking reason
From my point of view, when I was thinking about the prospect of [Michael Douglas] in this part, I wondered if he would go all the way with it. The reason I was concerned is that, oftentimes, actors - especially movie stars - when they're playing a character who might be perceived as unattractive or eccentric, will wink at the audience while they're doing it.
struggle character independent
On the surface, Wonder Boys seemed like such a departure from L.A. Confidential - it's funny, it's contemporary, and so on - and yet at a certain point, I had a feeling that reminded me how I felt when I was shooting L.A. Confidential. I analyzed it for a while, and thought about how emotionally involved I was with the characters. Then I realized that in both movies, there are three main male characters and one female, and all of them are struggling to figure out what they're doing with their lives, independent of each other.
character gay men
Movie stars exaggerate certain things to let the audience know they're just playing a character, as if they're saying, "Look at me, I'm not really an old man, I'm just playing one." Or "I'm not really a homosexual, I'm just playing a gay character. Or an alcoholic. Or somebody who's mentally impaired." They often do it very successfully and win awards for it.
character interest
I look for characters that interest me, and a story that keeps me involved and makes me want to know what happens next.
conflict good great shoes symbol time
The shoes are a great symbol of the conflict between the sisters. Haven't we all at one time or another wanted to be in someone else's shoes? To have their advantages, their good fortune.
challenge excited life shirley therefore took
I think Shirley took it as a challenge and therefore was excited by it, because I think that's what makes her life exciting,
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With millions of people watching poker weekly on television, it was important to capture the authenticity of the game and its players. To that end, the poker tables in 'Lucky You' are primarily populated by poker players, not actors pretending to be poker players. Our stars trained for months in order to convincingly play side by side with top poker professionals cast in fictional roles.
burden care childhood feels gave literally reasons responsibility weight
One of the reasons I wanted Toni to play the part was...she would put on the burden of weight, ... The weight of responsibility that someone feels who literally gave up her own childhood to take care of her sister.
actress against challenged far female fence horses keeps knocking push shirley trying wild work
Shirley's his female counterpart. They're wild horses knocking against a fence post, trying to push and see how far their work can take them. I think being challenged as an actress keeps Shirley young.