In The Beaver, Mel Gibson plays a man named Walter Black who has hit rock bottom. His wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) has just kicked him out of the house, and his eldest son (Anton Yelchin) is mortified that he and his dad are more similar than different… in all the bad ways. Depression is killing Walter, but after a drunken night of dumpster diving and a botched suicide attempt, Walter shows up back on his family’s doorstep with a beaver puppet firmly entrenched on his arm. Walter’s personality has been shoved aside—The Beaver is now speaking for him. And The Beaver happens to sound eerily like Michael Caine with a jaunty cockney accent.
“They have the biggest challenge in the world, marketing this movie!” laughs The Beaver’s director and co-star Jodie Foster. And here I am, sitting across from my idol, participating in a round table interview with the two-time Oscar-winner. In person, Jodie is as petite as the rumors say, but her genuinely warm personality fills the room, which helps put this admittedly star-struck fangirl journalist at ease. Padding around the suite barefoot, she sits down cross-legged on a cushy chair to chat with us about her film, her career, and, well, javelin throwers (more on that later).
I tell Foster that the film surprised me, as it was much darker than I expected. The first half has a fable-like comic tone, but at around the halfway point the movie takes a dramatic, sad turn, leading the story down a tragic path. In addition to clinical depression, the character of Walter is also suffering from a world-weary melancholy, Foster says. “Sadness, [is a] sort of universal phenomenon as you get older…” Foster states thoughtfully. “You know, your parents age, and your friends die at 25, and your children disappoint you. What do you do with all that grief? What do you do with it and how do you handle it?”
Indeed, I mention to Foster that I’ve told friends that The Beaver is a very different film than I expected from the trailer. “It’s really hard to capture the tone of this film in a trailer… incredibly hard,” Foster says. “The big challenge is getting people in the theater. Because if you’re getting people in the theater, and telling them that it’s a ha-ha comedy, they’re gonna be really disappointed when they leave. That’s not good for your movie. At the same time, if all those people that really want to see dramas don’t even realize it’s a drama, your real audience isn’t coming to see your film!”
The story follows Walter as he slips further and further from his old life, while attempting a last-ditch effort to reach out to his family through a surrogate personality that is the beaver puppet. Initially, his wife brings him back into the home, seeing a glimpse of her husband through the cocky, comic, and dynamic personality coming through The Beaver. But things get much worse before we, as the audience, are given a glimmer of hope that things will get better for Walter. “I tend to make movies about people in a spiritual crisis,” Foster says. “They are not people who go through a spiritual crisis and turn bad and go South and kill everybody at a 7-11. They are people who, by virtue of attacking this crisis head-on, and not running away from it, are able to come out the other side.”
To tackle this role, Mel Gibson, who has had more than his share of very public crises the last couple years, was required to hit comic highs and dramatic lows, playing essentially two distinct characters, Walter and The Beaver. It wasn’t a stretch for Foster, as director, to reach out to her longtime friend Gibson to offer him the part. “…I know both sides of him; I know that he can play the witty side. But you do need someone who can handle the lightness and the wit... who would understand the craft of descending, and could really bring something to the film about struggle… who has that inside of him.” Early reviews show that critics are almost universal in their praise for Mel Gibson’s work in the film. “I’m just so proud of the performance,” Foster adds. “It’s an extraordinary performance by him, and I’m so grateful that he trusted me enough to really give that much of himself to it.”
The Beaver is as much about Walter’s struggle with his depression as it is about his family struggling to deal with his mental illness. While considering actresses to play the grounding role of Meredith, Walter’s long-suffering wife, Foster didn’t have to look far. “I was really looking for somebody to anchor the film dramatically, and to be the eyes and ears of the audience in a way that Walter Black and The Beaver could not be. We know that Walter’s crazy. As a protagonist, he’s unstable. So he can’t really function as the eyes and the ears of the audience. I just had to find an actress who was age-appropriate, who I knew you’d really believe that they’d been together for a really long time, and I just was like,” (Foster sighs and laughs), “Why don’t I just do it.”
Doing double-duty as director and actor for the second time (the first was her directorial debut, Little Man Tate in 1991), Foster admits juggling the two roles is tricky. “It is hard, and it’s crazy… I mean, it really is crazy. Mel and I talk about that a lot, because he directed himself in his first film, and after he finished that, I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again!’ and he said, ‘I’m never going to do that again!’ Then he went off and did Braveheart!” she laughs. Still, after reading thousands of scripts, there is occasionally a story, like The Beaver, that will keep her up at night. She aggressively pursued producer Steve Golin, selling herself as the right director for the job. Finally, after another director dropped out, she got the movie.
“Half the reason that I’ve made movies as an actor in the last 10, 15 years is really just to work with directors that I admire, and I look over their shoulders and go, ‘Wow. How did they do that? How did they do this? How can I tell the story with him?’ Whether it’s Spike Lee, or Alan Parker, or Martin Scorsese, or David Fincher—I think I learned more from David Fincher than anybody—[or] Neil Jordan.” She adds, “I look at actor-directors now that have the career that I wish that I had… I think of Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood… or Mel. People who had a strong identity, in some ways, as a mainstream, A-list actor, but they haven’t really chosen that path as directors. They’ve chosen a much more auteur style of filmmaking as directors, and, in some ways, weren’t tempted by becoming less of an auteur, because they already had an identity.”
I asked her if, as an actor, there was ever a type of role that she has always wanted to try, but she’s never been asked. “I’m a good bad guy, and I tend to play good guys all the time. But I’m a good bad guy,” she says conspiratorially. Pondering further, she then adds enthusiastically, “I’d like to do a movie—and I’ve felt like this for a long time—where I had to take six months and learn to do something. Learn to be a javelin thrower, or to play guitar, or speak Romanian… Some weird thing that I would learn to master, and it would take me six months to do that, and then I’d start the film. I’ve always wanted to do that, and nobody’s ever asked me!” she laughs.
For now, though, javelin training and Romanian language lessons will have to wait. What is the message that Foster hopes audiences will take away from The Beaver?
“If there was a message that I wish I had when I was, you know, 18, 19… 25… 32… throughout all of my spiritual crises—my [mental] screensaver is to be solitary, and to not connect. The only way for me to connect, really, is to make movies about it. It’s too difficult for me to share. That’s what art is: It’s connection, and recognizing that you don’t have to be alone. It seems like an incredibly simple message, but I think you really examine it through the film. Here’s a man who wakes up, and the first thing he says to the puppet is, ‘Leave me alone.’ And the puppet says, ‘That’s not what you want. You want just the opposite! You need a friend!’ That’s what he was looking for all along. To be intimately known. To be known.”
Moviepie: You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried reads like a lifetime labor of love. How long did it actually take you to write it?
Susannah Gora: Thank you — it was indeed a lifetime labor of love! I first saw The Breakfast Club when I was thirteen years old, and it changed my life. Here was a movie—a beautifully written, powerfully acted movie—about the very things I was concerned with as a young person: identity, wondering where you fit in, questions of coolness and conformity. Once
I saw that film, I was hooked—I discovered the others in the genre, like Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire, and loved them all. When I got to college at Duke in the mid 1990’s, I met people from all over America who loved the movies as much as I did, but more importantly, I discovered that we used the 80s youth movies as a prism through which
to discuss the larger issues in our lives: friendship, love, identity, even things like class distinction and politics. That’s when I realized, something deep is going on here in terms of these films and the effect they can have on people. One night, after watching two or
three of the films back to back with my friends in our dorm, the notion swept across my mind that one day, I wanted to write a book exploring the history behind how the films were made, and the great sociological impact the films had as well. That idea informed the kind of life I
wanted to live; it was one of the reasons I decided to become a film journalist. I got my book contract in 2007, and the book came out in hardcover in 2010. It’s been an extraordinary journey, a great honor, and a dream come true to be able to write this book.
Can you pick a favorite of the films you discuss in the book?
I’ve got to go with The Breakfast Club. In my opinion, it is the greatest youth film ever made. Many things make this film so special: including the powerful acting—which ranges from charming to haunting—the sparkling script, the passionate directing, and even the flawless editing. It’s also a deeply satisfying film to watch, as the characters reveal themselves to each other, and to us, in beautiful and unforgettable ways.
How would you say the course of your life has been shaped by these classic teen films?
In terms of the impact the ‘80s films have had upon my life, it is very real, and very wide-reaching. The concept that the Breakfast Club kids, though they were different, could all make such close connections with each other when they peeled back the layers of their exterior selves stuck with me, and as a result, in high school I really did make a conscious effort to make friends with kids from all different cliques, because I saw, in The Breakfast Club, how rewarding those connections could be. The dreamy Sixteen Candles helped shape my visions of romance, and I found the deep friendships shared in St.
Elmo's Fire and Ferris Bueller's Day Off very inspirational as well. And of course, the films have had a tremendous impact on my professional life. I decided to become a film journalist in large part because I hoped to one day be able to write this book.
The process of researching the book must have realized quite a few of your teenage dreams. Was there a particular hero or heartthrob you were especially thrilled to meet?
Everyone I spoke to was lovely—I felt so lucky that they shared their stories with me. In particular, it was an amazing honor to be able to interview the incomparable Molly Ringwald. She was at the heart of these films, and I felt so grateful that she shared her fascinating, surprising, and beautiful memories with me. And I also loved getting to interview Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Matthew Broderick, Rob Lowe, Jon Cryer, and Andrew McCarthy—I found all of them to be exceptionally intelligent, funny, thoughtful and warm. But if I had to pick my favorite, I'd probably have to say Judd Nelson. I have always been a great admirer of his work, and he is a terrifically smart, kind, witty and lovely person.
Did doing such in-depth research on these movies taint them for you in any way (i.e. at any point did you have too much of a good thing)?
I was a bit nervous about that going in, but I found instead that learning so many meaningful things about how the films were made, and about the people who made them, only made my respect and affection for the films that much greater.
The book has been out in hardcover for a year now, can you tell us a bit about the response you've gotten from readers?
One of the most extraordinary parts of my entire journey with this book has been the wonderful response that I’ve gotten from readers, something that makes me feel humbled and proud. I receive amazing emails from people telling me that my book has touched them deeply, and has reminded them of just how important these films have been to them, shaping their lives in countless ways. Some of these emails, in which readers let me know that my book has allowed them to tap into powerful truths about the movies’ important role in their own lives, are so emotional that I end up in tears by the time I’m finished reading them.
And some of the emails just make me feel really happy and proud—like the one from a woman who told me that my book brought her so much joy, she allowed herself to read only a chapter a week so as to stretch out the experience! It all just validates what I’d known in my heart all along—that these movies changed people’s lives, and the impact lives on
and on.
Thanks, Susannah!
For more information about You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried (a true tour de force of 80s pop culture), please visit www.bratpackbook.com.
Openfilm.com is an excellent new venue for the work of beginning filmmakers. We checked in with Openfilm CEO Dmitry Kozko to learn how the site can help new talent get started in the film industry:
Moviepie.com: Do you think the Internet has made the film industry more accessible to newcomers?
Dmitry Kozko: Absolutely! The Internet opens doors to newcomers. Aspiring filmmakers can now connect with the film industry community from anywhere. In addition to networking opportunities, sites like Openfilm offer exposure opportunities that were never before possible. The high-definition video streaming capabilities of the most advanced Web sites allows work to be seen in the quality it was meant to be seen in by a virtually unlimited audience This gives newcomers an easy and affordable way to test their content and when they are ready a platform by which to distribute and monetize their content. They also benefit from receiving feedback from a large and vibrant community of film professionals and fans – something the Internet can uniquely support.
Moviepie.com: The fact that Openfilm members can vote on their favorite videos is a huge boon to anyone who posts a film. Is the Internet beginning to force Hollywood to recognize popular phenomena and audience demands?
Dmitry Kozko: We think a vibrant independent film community is vital to the motion picture industry, which has a tendency to be slow to change and rely on proven formulas. We see fostering grassroots filmmaking and providing a creative stimulus to commercial filmmaking as complementary goals. Our chairman, James Caan, and our other directors, including Robert Duvall, Mark Rydell and Scott Caan, agree with this idea and that is why they are devoting their energies to our site. We want to stimulate and celebrate independent film and build links from the independent film community to mainstream Hollywood.
Moviepie.com: What role can screenwriters and actors play in the Openfilm community? Will they also have the opportunity to post their work and find venues for their talent, even if they are unable to submit a completed film?
Dmitry Kozko: Filmmaking is the most collaborative art form and we have the goal of creating a platform that will provide career advancement to practitioners of all necessary roles of filmmaking. Very soon, we will be announcing our first actor’s competition. It’s designed to give budding actors a chance to realize their ambitions, just as our $1 million Get It Made competition is helping to bring recognition to aspiring directors. In addition to large cash prizes and industry exposure, winners of these competitions receive productive feedback from Openfilm’s board members and advisors, who are some of the industry’s leading actors and directors. As for screenwriters, we are testing several concepts right now, so stay tuned for those exciting developments.
Moviepie.com: Openfilm has the potential to be an ideal place for filmmakers to network and collaborate. Do you anticipate the development of a strong online community on your site?
Dmitry Kozko: We’ve already fostered a strong online community, which continues to grow. The independent filmmaking community is using our social networking tools to come together, to engage with one another, to offer feedback and encouragement. In addition to supporting this type of dialogue, we also have dedicated chat sessions, which enable our community to interact with respected and seasoned industry professionals. Recently, Academy Award nominated director and renowned acting instructor Mark Rydell conducted an Openfilm Live webcam chat for members. Earlier this year, our premiere online chat James Caan conducted for film festival representatives was exposed to millions of viewers. And we have plans to add more collaboration tools.
Moviepie.com: What words of wisdom or encouragement would you offer to someone just starting a career in film?
Dmitry Kozko: It’s not a new formula – persistence and passion and hard work. Very simple; great passion and commitment will be projected in your work and it’s a matter of time until the “right eyes” notice you. Continue to better yourself, don’t stop producing content and don’t be afraid to let your work be seen by everyone. You never know when opportunity will knock. Find places like Openfilm.com to get in front of the right people that can make a real change in your career. Like our chairman, James Caan says: “Openfilm is that right place and that right time.”
Moviepie.com: Thanks Dmitry!
For more information and advice, be sure to keep checking Openfilm.com for new web chats, contests, and opportunities.
Openfilm board member James Caan and CEO Dmitry Kozko
In The Beaver, Mel Gibson plays a man named Walter Black who has hit rock bottom. His wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) has just kicked him out of the house, and his eldest son (Anton Yelchin) is mortified that he and his dad are more similar than different… in all the bad ways. Depression is killing Walter, but after a drunken night of dumpster diving and a botched suicide attempt, Walter shows up back on his family’s doorstep with a beaver puppet firmly entrenched on his arm. Walter’s personality has been shoved aside—The Beaver is now speaking for him. And The Beaver happens to sound eerily like Michael Caine with a jaunty cockney accent.
The story follows Walter as he slips further and further from his old life, while attempting a last-ditch effort to reach out to his family through a surrogate personality that is the beaver puppet. Initially, his wife brings him back into the home, seeing a glimpse of her husband through the cocky, comic, and dynamic personality coming through The Beaver. But things get much worse before we, as the audience, are given a glimmer of hope that things will get better for Walter. “I tend to make movies about people in a spiritual crisis,” Foster says. “They are not people who go through a spiritual crisis and turn bad and go South and kill everybody at a 7-11. They are people who, by virtue of attacking this crisis head-on, and not running away from it, are able to come out the other side.”
The Beaver is as much about Walter’s struggle with his depression as it is about his family struggling to deal with his mental illness. While considering actresses to play the grounding role of Meredith, Walter’s long-suffering wife, Foster didn’t have to look far. “I was really looking for somebody to anchor the film dramatically, and to be the eyes and ears of the audience in a way that Walter Black and The Beaver could not be. We know that Walter’s crazy. As a protagonist, he’s unstable. So he can’t really function as the eyes and the ears of the audience. I just had to find an actress who was age-appropriate, who I knew you’d really believe that they’d been together for a really long time, and I just was like,” (Foster sighs and laughs), “Why don’t I just do it.”
We loved Susannah Gora's book 
here at Moviepie.com, and in honor of the book's paperback release we caught up with this fabulous author for a bit of Q & A:
In terms of the impact the ‘80s films have had upon my life, it is very real, and very wide-reaching. The concept that the Breakfast Club kids, though they were different, could all make such close connections with each other when they peeled back the layers of their exterior selves stuck with me, and as a result, in high school I really did make a conscious effort to make friends with kids from all different cliques, because I saw, in The Breakfast Club, how rewarding those connections could be. The dreamy Sixteen Candles helped shape my visions of romance, and I found the deep friendships shared in St.
Elmo's Fire and Ferris Bueller's Day Off very inspirational as well. And of course, the films have had a tremendous impact on my professional life. I decided to become a film journalist in large part because I hoped to one day be able to write this book.
Everyone I spoke to was lovely—I felt so lucky that they shared their stories with me. In particular, it was an amazing honor to be able to interview the incomparable Molly Ringwald. She was at the heart of these films, and I felt so grateful that she shared her fascinating, surprising, and beautiful memories with me. And I also loved getting to interview Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Matthew Broderick, Rob Lowe, Jon Cryer, and Andrew McCarthy—I found all of them to be exceptionally intelligent, funny, thoughtful and warm. But if I had to pick my favorite, I'd probably have to say Judd Nelson. I have always been a great admirer of his work, and he is a terrifically smart, kind, witty and lovely person.
