The Quick Rap: Three Questions for … Director Jason Reitman!
Only his second feature, and tyro director Jason Reitman, who already made a name for his (already famous-son-of-Ivan-Reitman-last-name) self, is back at it again–making the critics wag their toungues, at his latest outing Juno.
Starring Ellen Page, the indie-flavored comedy charts the trials of a glib, nonchalant teen, Juno, who’s gotten pregnant by her unassuming best friend Bleeker (Michael Cera) and decides that finding prospective adoptive parents is a mission she’ll take on for unborn fetus.
Juno sets her eyes on the Lorings (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), who–not unlike the one that Jason Reitman grew up in–live in a picture-perfect house with plexiglass enclosed tchotchkes and with framed family portraits of everyone dressed in white. However, the Lorings have a major crack in their foundation, that Juno soon discovers.
Hollywood.com: Can you talk about the film’s very special writer?
Jason Reitman: Diablo Cody is an absolute genius and I was floored by her writing. All I wanted to do was capture the feeling that I felt the first time I read the screenplay. Stanley Kubrick said, “The trick is always trying to get that fierce feeling the first time you read something.” That was it with this screenplay. There were all of these wonderful surprises, this humor, this warmth–and directing this movie was an exercise in trying to capture those feelings and let the film say those things.
HW: What was the casting process like on Juno?
JR: It was inspiring! It was inspiring for me, my cinematographer, and my editor. I basically took the four actors, Ellen, J.K. Simmons, Michael [Cera] and Olivia [Thirlby] and I brought them down to Panavision and shot about 45-pages of script in one day in front of a black background; two sides, two sizes. I edited the whole thing together and showed it to the producer, showed it to Diablo, showed it to the studio and said, “This is the cast I’d like to use.” And they said, “Okay.” It was love.
HW: The rapid-fire teenage dialogue felt so authentic, can you talk the work you did as a director to achieve that feel?
JR: The trick is how do you make this film which could so easily feel like we are winking at the camera the whole time, and make it feel very authentic and real–by working with fine actors who can take this dialogue, which is unusual, and make it feel sincere and authentic.
[IMG:R]Bonus Question:
HW: Thoughts on Ellen Page‘s Oscar buzz?
JR: At the end of the day people have to love the movie. They have to be kind of struck by it and Ellen’s performance is striking. You can’t help but look at her and feel sort of the same way you did about seeing Jodie Foster when you saw her in Taxi Driver … You see so much promise from this young girl. You have to look at Ellen and think, “What other actor could you have cast in that role?” She is just one of a kind … I’ve worked with a lot of actors, and none of them hold a candle to Ellen Page.
Juno opens in theaters December 5th.
