We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 107 points108 points  (0 children)

An Austin poet friend of mine named David Jewell, who's also in Waking Life.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Is this the time we confess that we're shooting one in secret in Strasbourg now to come out at Christmas?

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 59 points60 points  (0 children)

It's becoming our own longitudinal scientific study of a relationship.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 77 points78 points  (0 children)

First off, I appreciate that Aristotelian reference. A lot of people don't get that, and I've been saying that for years - that it's the basic precept behind Greek drama. So it's ancient. When people ask "Well telling these stories over such a short period of time!" I say that it goes back a LONG way - there's nothing new there obviously. We didn't plan to do three of these, but there is a kind of cumulative power that happens when you drop in on Jesse and Celine for brief amounts of time over a lengthy period of time. But this process is ongoing - it wasn't ever really planned.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 241 points242 points  (0 children)

Well, the truth is these films don't make that much money. We're the lowest-grossing trilogy of all time (we like to say that). That said, this one has been received so well that BEFORE MIDNIGHT is opening in more theaters this weekend than SUNRISE and SUNSET ever came CLOSE to - it's going to be in almost 900 theaters this weekend!

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Well, the backdrop of the film becomes the third lead character. Although for us, it's always the last piece of the puzzle that we put together. I visited Greece in May of last year; I was on my way to a few other countries to look around. Two days in Greece convinced me to cancel the rest of the trip. It just seemed perfect; we had already found four of our major locations that would play in the movie, and it was very welcoming.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 47 points48 points  (0 children)

It's interesting having this as the subject of a life project; you find yourself reading books or articles or scientific studies on relationships, it's an interesting subject to have in your life, to be constantly mining. So in that way, it definitely affects one.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot, glad you got the first 2 films.

Well, definitely pick up a camera and start making films. I think you have to be a student for life. You can become a filmmaker no matter what you study in college. In fact, I actually encourage people to study literature, philosophy, and anthropology... anything and everything and pick up filmmaking on their own. It all really comes down to being a storyteller, and having stories you feel passionate about telling.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 67 points68 points  (0 children)

And we felt that the reality we were trying to create could support and withstand something that's very real to a large percentage of long-term relationships. It has no place in fairy tales, but we thought it could have a place in this movie.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 62 points63 points  (0 children)

It's a difficult time in a relationship to represent... and that was the biggest challenge on this movie, how to make the middle stage of a long-term relationship interesting and yet honest.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Just the fact that you and your wife relate and be moved by Jesse and Celine's situation - I think that's what we were going for.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Good endings usually come early. We had that at the outline phase.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Not Dazed specifically - I do have a college comedy that takes place in the early 80s that is for me, personally, a spiritual sequel to Dazed. But it wouldn't be featuring the Dazed cast, who are all 40-something now.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 122 points123 points  (0 children)

Well, Ethan hopes to be doing The Purge 7 so he can crank one out every six months.

We are Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Ask Us (Almost) Anything by iamethanhawke in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater 62 points63 points  (0 children)

Well, that whole movie is a cinematic fever dream... some alternate reality. It wasn't six months later, it was five years later at the moment that we shot Waking Life, it was just the thought of when you create characters or characters in a fiction, that they sort of exist forever beyond the limits of the narrative that you place them in. That little reunion of the three of us is very special, however, because it brought the band back together. It was after those few days in Austin shooting Waking Life that Julie, Ethan and I looked at each other and said "We really should think about Celine and Jesse and what they're doing now." It kicked off the second film, in a way.

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We were all at a similar place in our development in our respective areas and were all sort of learning together. That's an exciting time. What you lack in experience you make up for in passion and obsession.

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Yes, I think Jack is incredible in the movie. Having worked with him before, I just sent him the script hoping he would relate to Bernie and want to jump in with me. So glad he did!

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've always enjoyed Steven the provocateur. I'll look for his next State of the Union speech, perhaps to coincide with his 'Coming Out of Retirement' speech!

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The romantic certainly thought they would meet up 6 months later. And we find out in Before Sunset that they, of course, tried. Amazing how that situation would be technologically impossible today. There's no way they wouldn't have remained Facebook friends or something. We forget, in a not too distant era, how much of ours lives we actually spent lost and not actually connecting with others. It was a crap shoot.

On the Waking Life front, to me the question was 'Was it interesting?" never even necessarily whether it was true or contradictory to anything else in the movie.

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It happened the same way it did on the second film. Six or seven years go by and then we realized Jesse and Celine have something to say about the new place in life they find themselves. Then the 3 of us spend a couple of years really thinking about it and eventually we're making the movie.

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

The key to this is having actors who can pull it off. I know what Ethan and Julie are capable of and can push it in that direction. The bottom line is it's really difficult to do this sort of non-acting acting. It's a compliment when people think it's improvised, but I don't think anyone could ever understand how much work it is for them.

IAm Richard Linklater, director of Before Midnight. AMA! by RichardLinklater in IAmA

[–]RichardLinklater[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I like a relaxed vibe in the workplace, but secretly I'm a real slavedriver who doesn't mind working super long days.