http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/features/elijahilluminated/index.php
by Brad Brevet
Relaxed, with a Starbucks coffee, wearing a cornflower-blue button-up shirt and poised with a cigarette in his hand, Elijah Wood is on the tail end of a long day of interviews that started around eight in the morning, but he is quite chipper considering it is seven hours later and three in the afternoon. This was a good thing to see since our interview was planned for an hour and I didn't want him nodding off on me. Now, I won't lie, I was a bit nervous to meet Elijah for the first time, but his welcoming mood set my nerves at ease.
Wood's fame has skyrocketed since his fabulous performance as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and since then he hasn't plastered himself in front of the world with blockbuster schlock, instead he has been featured in smaller roles for Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City.
The small role tale changes for Elijah as he will next be featured in a starring role as Jonathan Safran Foer for Liev Schrieber's writing and directing debut Everything is Illuminated. Based on the novel by Foer the film tells the story of Jonathan (Wood), as a young Jewish American, and his rigid journey to continue his quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather in a small Ukrainian town that was wiped off the map by the Nazi invasion.
In a movie filled with humor and emotion Wood brings just the right amount of quirk and heart to the role making Jonathan one of the more interesting characters brought to life on screen this year and I was happy to get the chance to spend some time with him discussing Everything is Illuminated, his past, present and his future...
Question: What was it that attracted you to Liev's script?
Elijah: Primarily because it is so different, but beyond the fact that it is so different from what I had done before and beyond the continued philosophy of trying to be a part of films that were very different from the last, particularly something like Lord of the Rings, which is so massive, the interest became even greater to be part of something different.
I really love the story, I love the script, and the opportunity as an actor to play this awkward, strange character and there were comedy elements that I really liked and I never really worked on anything that had those kind of comedic elements and the opportunity to work with Liev. I mean, I love the story, I love the character and then ultimately it was meeting with Liev that sold it for me.
His very strong perspective on what he wanted to do with the film visually, his ideas for the character, I remember we sat for like two hours yappin' about the film, talking about the cinematography for different parts and at one point we were talking about the character and one of the greatest references for him in his mind, the way he visualized the character writing him was the Chauncy Gardener character from Being There, which was a great inspiration, certainly not something that I consulted a lot, but in watching it and taking that in, it was a really great inspiration for the character, which is similar in the sense that he is very quiet, a bit of an observer and kind of has this whole other world going on that is very different from the outside world, sort of not comfortable amongst society, you know, doesn't really fit in so much, and yet there's also this kind of beautiful stillness to him as well.
Question: I haven't read "Illuminated"…
Elijah: I haven't either.
Question: Oh you haven't? Have you heard anything in reference to the translation from the book to the script? I know people are passionate about this story and have worries that it won't be done justice in movie form. Was that a concern on set; was that a concern of yours?
Elijah: That is true, the people that love this book love it with a passion. It wasn't a concern of mine, it may have been a concern of Liev's, but at the same time Liev adapted what he wanted to adapt out of this story, and I think he had a very clear vision of the story that he wanted to tell. I think he took relative liberty to a certain degree to simplify the story.
Now, the reason I didn't read the book, because I brought it with me to Prague, is because I started thumbing through it and I started to realize the structure of the book was really quite different from what Liev had adapted. So, based on that, I decided to stick with what his vision for the story was, and as a result of that, not reading it, not having met Jonathan until we had started filming, my choice was to just go with what Liev had written and the character he had conceived of in relation to the book.
So, unlike Lord of the Rings, which is a very, very strict adaptation to the book, always referencing the book, this for me, the book was almost irrelevant, not in a negative sense, not to discount the book necessarily, but it did feel like its own journey.
Question: And you met Jonathan?
Elijah: I did, yeah.
Question: And did you take anything away from that meeting, did you ask him any questions, was there any back and forth between the two of you?
Elijah: I didn't take anything away from that, I think it was interesting, some people until that point wondered if I had based my character at all on Jonathan the person, and I didn't. For me it was actually just a pleasure to meet Jonathan, having been a part of the process of adapting his book and from the perspective of watching someone who had written something being there on the set with these characters walking around, I was kind of fascinated by what the experience must have been like for him.
But I didn't really use it as an opportunity to ask him questions or to gain any further insight.
Question: So where did the character come from? Was it the script alone? Because you go out there with this one, he is not like the normal guy you would see walking down the street.
Elijah: He's weird! Yeah, Jonathan's weird and very neurotic and practical, awkward…
Well, it was kind of both Liev and my own interpretations of the character based on conversations that we had and his visual concept of the character with the suit and the glasses, trying to make him somewhat awkward and ways to do that, and it was all kind of conversations that we had, it was kind of a mix of both of our concepts.
Question: How often do you consult the source material or do you always decide to stick to the script?
Elijah: My perspective has always been… I guess, I've never really consulted the source material for one reason or another. I've always kind of stuck to the script and used that as the guide to move forward with the character and see it through.
Question: Did your quirky character from Eternal Sunshine inspire you to take on a role where you could be quirky and a bit strange for an entire movie?
Elijah: The process of trying to find a script, and the process of trying to find the next role and the next film is relatively organic and it's kind of difficult to actively look for a specific type of role. Specifically like quirky material or strange material because to a certain degree you are at the mercy of whatever is available. Basically if I read something and find it interesting and just respond to it on whatever level, be it a small role in Eternal Sunshine or something like this that is an extension of a character is slightly weird but over a whole film it just happens to be what is available at the time and what I was passionate about.
It's not a plan, but the greater plan is obviously just to want to be a part of different things and also challenge myself as an actor and constantly put myself into roles that are different from the last. I think one of my favorite things about being an actor is simply to be a part of someone else's vision, to help facilitate a vision for a film. Illuminated is a great example of that, wanting to be a part of Liev's vision and another great example of that is Eternal Sunshine. I would have done anything to be a part of that movie because I am such a huge, huge fan of Michel Gondry and think he's such a visionary and Kaufman as well as a writer. I wouldn't have cared what it was to be a part of that and for me sometimes, that simply is a concept that is more gratifying than specifically a type of role or a type of film, it is just to be a part of an interesting artistic vision.
Question: Is a blockbuster film something you ever look for or is it always the material alone you are drawn to?
Elijah: Always the material. Obviously it would be nice to make money, but at the same time to compromise any kind of belief in what I love or do, I can't really see myself doing that. You know? I would rather not work and do something else than be a part of films I don't believe in, or blockbusters, but there are those films that come around, Lord of the Rings is one of them, where it actually manages to service both needs. It happens to be something that is both financially successful and massive on one level, and also artistically gratifying and incredibly written and beautiful on the other level, but those are just really hard to come by.
Small films tend to be what I am attracted to, but that just happens to be what I respond to.
Question: How did you manage to go from being a child actor to an adult actor; did you strategize?
Elijah: I didn't, the one thing that comes to mind is that I was always aware, especially at like 15 and 16, of trying to continue to take roles that would allow me to grow into adult roles. In the evolution of my career the one thing that I can say has been, at least one thought in my head in regards to moving forward as an actor, has always been to find roles that would help progress my age.
Question: Would you be open to doing television again?
Elijah: I am not opposed to it.
Question: You should be on "Lost."
Elijah: To do a cameo in "Lost," I would love to do that, it would be a lot of fun.
Television is getting really interesting. I think, I hope we are in a phase now where people are getting kind of tired of boring same old, same old fluff. I think people are tired of their intelligence being insulted to a certain degree and there seems to be more and more shows that are really well written with actors from films being a part of them and it's definitely becoming an interesting trend. It's exciting because there are some really interesting shows on television now, and even extending off of cable I think networks are starting to feel like well cable's the most popular so we have to up our game as well, which is exciting because it's definitely creating more opportunities.
I am a huge fan of "Six Feet Under," I love that show, to have been a part of that would have been really great.
Question: Was the set of Illuminated as lively as it seems it would have been just based on watching the movie? It looks like you guys would have had so much fun.
Elijah: It was quite hilarious at times, it was a lot of fun to make this film, but it was difficult too. We had a really ambitious script and a lot of the more ambitious material didn't make the film; a lot of dream sequences, a lot of fantasy sequences both from Jonathan's perspective and Alex's (Hutz) perspective including one from the dog as well, which is very funny, all of which will be on the DVD. There were a lot of these sequences, and the film, as well, is relatively ambitious given the schedule that we had.
So as fun as it was, and it was a blast, it was hard, it was really hard because we didn't have a lot of time.
Question: How long was the shoot?
Elijah: I was in Prague for about two months, it was about a month and a half of filming.
Question: How much traveling was involved? Did you do as much traveling as you do in the movie?
Elijah: We did, it was all in the countryside and outdoors. It was all like an hour outside of Prague.
Question: That scene with the sunflowers was phenomenal, that location must have been great!
Elijah: They built, they planted that sunflower field in advance, and they timed it out, it was fucking incredible… [laughing] They timed it out with the shooting schedule so that it would be in full blossom and our shooting schedule had to revolve around that particular shoot day. We had incredible production designers.
Question: Did Liev remind you of any other directors you've worked with, or were there certain things that were different?
Elijah: I think he was extremely unique, because he, himself, is a very unique individual. He brought his own kind of energy to the film, his neurosis, and he is actually quite hard on himself.
You know as a first time director you are sort of required to have great confidence in what your vision is and clearly know the story you want to tell and how you want to tell it. So, if you don't, if you have any insecurity, it can be very difficult and he was very clear, to the point where he worked himself into the ground and was very hard on himself, but he was fantastic.
To work with someone who is such a brilliant actor on a movie that is really specific, in terms of its performances and the characters, was wonderful. It required somebody that could really articulate the process and could articulate well to other actors because it is so reliant on those characters.
Question: The press notes had Liev describing you and Eugene as a couple of head-banging guys and listening to a lot of music on set. How much does music play a part in your life?
Elijah: We were listening to a lot of music, Eugene and I, sharing a lot of music. Music happens to be a huge part of who I am. I take music with me everywhere I go, it's a great release; it's something to listen to in the trailer; it's a way to get your mind on something else. I think it's healthy.
I am trying to start a record label, just kind of in the process of starting a really small label.
Question: Any kind of music you are particularly interested in?
Elijah: It would be non-genre specific, my taste is so varied I think it would be difficult for me to settle on one specific genre, I think I would probably get bored of it. I listen to so many different types of music, it would just be whatever I thought needed to be heard.
Question: I heard you are a Smashing Pumpkins fan.
Elijah: Yeah.
Question: Where you excited when you heard Billy Corgan might be trying to get them back together? Do you think it will even happen?
Elijah: Excited? I think I'm curious more than I am excited. I think the Pumpkins had their time and it was amazing, I hope one day they get the credit they deserve, they were incredible, but I don't think they went out very well. I don't love their last record, they didn't go out with a classic Pumpkins record, they went out with, frankly, an overproduced sort of saccharine record that sort of echoed the Pumpkins, but was way too high concept, and way too Billy Corgan ego driven.
So, I don't know, the idea of them coming back is exciting on the level of pure curiousity.
Question: Are you a fan of Corgan's new stuff?
Elijah: Not really, I think Zwan touched on old Pumpkins material, but it didn't really give us anything new. Very pop driven, kind of alright. I think that the new record is very New Order, which is fine, but I don't really want to hear Billy Corgan doing a record like that and there isn't really any fire behind it, so… I don't know, I think he is a brilliant song writer and I think he always will be, but sometimes I think he gets in the way of that.
Question: Is there anything you and Eugene bonded over? I heard you made a connection together through music.
Elijah: We traded a lot of music and I made a blues mix for him, and it was great, we had a great influence on each other. That is definitely one of the places we bonded the most. In fact recently he's been like we gotta sit down and trade again, I got some stuff I gotta give you, which is just great.
I remember having a really interesting conversation with Eugene and Liev once… [laughing]… Eugene, ohhhhhh sometimes he can be maddening. One night we were having this conversation about David Bowie and Iggy Pop and he was trying to say that… he was trying to do this thing like, "Bowie would be nobody without Iggy Pop and that Iggy was the man," and I was like, "Listen pal, I think you have it the other way around." [laughing] "Iggy Pop as a solo artist would not have ever been what he was if it hadn't been for Bowie."
So we would get in these great, total music fans, arguments frequently and it was always really funny, but I just love when he gets off on one, because it just gets to these ridiculous heights where it's just like… [laughing]
Question: Your character in Illuminated is a very family driven character, how much of a role does family play in your life?
Elijah: Huge, huge... Massive, I mean my family is the most important thing in my life. It's what I come home to; it's my base; it's my strength; it's everything, and I think family becomes even more important the more you are away from home because they are your greatest connection.
I happen to be extremely close with my family; my mother, my brother, my sister as well, we are all very close and stay in contact very frequently and we are each other's own solid base. I wouldn't be the person I am without that and I don't think I would be able to deal with what I deal with in my life and travel as much, and work as much, and be comfortable if I didn't have that.
Question: Looking into the future, what is coming up for you?
Elijah: There's a couple of things kinda on the horizon, nothing's properly set up yet.
Question: Anything you can talk about?
There may be a music biography coming up, something that scares the shit out of me. It's someone I am extremely passionate about, and yeah... That's coming up, but that's way in the future.
There's actually a movie that I am pretty sure will happen called Bobby, it's kind of just starting. Emilio Estevez wrote a script based on the day that Bobby Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel and it's basically this really fantastic ensemble cross-section of people from all walks of life at the Ambassador Hotel on the day that he comes to give his speech and was shot, just a fantastic script. Great homage to the hotel, to that time and obviously to that man and kind of what happens to these characters as a result of that happening, and it ends with his speech, it's really extraordinary.
Question: Did Emilio approach you for this role specifically?
Elijah: Yeah.
Question: What will your role in the film be?
Elijah: Well, it's a man who is marrying a woman who is actually in love with his brother, but he is marrying this woman just so that he can avoid the draft during Vietnam and he ends up falling in love with her, and they end up falling in love with each other.
It's like a tiny little snippet of life, I mean all of these stories don't really relate to a greater picture, it's just these snippets of life at that time in America, in the Ambassador Hotel.
Question: And the script is just phenomenal?
Elijah: It's really, really excellent. It's an ambitious script, I mean it's a huge cross-section, it goes down to the wait staff and what's going on with them, and he gets it from all sort of classes, it's really interesting. The people that manage the hotel and what they're going through leading up to this speech, and then he gives the speech and was shot and then the aftermath and it ends with the speech kind of trailing off.
And it's really interesting because the speech is incredibly poignant for today's world, extremely relevant, I mean it was relevant than, there was obviously social and political strife then too. It was during Vietnam, coming out of the Civil Rights Movement and it was like two or three days previous that Martin Luther King had been shot, but the speech definitely echoes a lot of that, and it is all about us as Americans and as people across the world who need to stand together and to unite our visions and we can overcome this stage.
I mean, I was reading that speech and I was like... Fuck, we need to hear this kinda shit now! So, I actually think it could be a really important film to illuminate an American perspective and an American ideal that doesn't really exist anymore... very interesting.
Question: Would you ever like to get into directing or writing at all?
Elijah: Producing and directing I would love to get into. The idea of taking something from a concept and building it from the ground up and creating a movie out of that, and putting all the right pieces together I think would be really gratifying, that creative process over a long period of time.
So, I would love to produce and I would love to direct at some point. I feel like, in some ways, like I have been going to film school for 16 years, which has been amazing. I've had the good fortune of working with some incredibly talented directors and some amazing actors, and I have learned so much about the industry and the filmmaking process that I would love to, at some point, put that into practice.
Question: How important is it for you now to have people recognize you as Elijah Wood now and disconnect you from the fame Lord of the Rings brought and people seeing you as only Frodo?
Elijah: It is interesting to be a part of something so massive, especially over three years, because more often than not you are recognized for that one thing, but it never scared me. Going into it and then, consequently, as the movies were released the notion that I would become forever connected to that film never scared me, because the concept for me was as long as I continue to work and as long as I didn't rest on that film and constantly try to portray roles that were very different that people would see me in a different light and obviously if people went and saw these movies that were different that would help, but I never conceived of it being a problem as long as I continued to work.
Question: Speaking of Frodo, is it true that when you met Jack Nicholson he asked you how the Lord of the Rings trilogy ended?
Elijah: Yeah, yeah, he wanted to know how it ended because he walked out before the end. It was the most surreal thing.
I'm standing backstage at the Golden Globes because I had to present and Jack Nicholson is back there and Dustin Hoffman is back there. So I am standing in this room already with these two amazing people and I am standing there and then all of a sudden I hear this question come from Jack and I'm like, "Yeah? Jack?" [laughing]
And he said, "So what was the ending?" and I was like, "Well what do you mean?" and I went into my theory on the end and I was like, "Well, you know I think it is sort of a metaphor for death and I think he, in some way, he's kind of going to heaven when he goes off in the boat."
Then he was like, "The boat?!? What are you talking about?" and I was like, "You didn't see the ending?!?!?" He goes, "No man, I was out in the car waiting for the kids!"
I asked, "Why didn't you stay?"
"There were too many endings!" and Dustin Hoffman is listening in, laughing his ass off, and there is me trying to explain, oh god, it was fucking weird.
Now you tell me, is there any better story to end an interview on?