S-U-C-K-D
The lights went on. Wes Anderson said, “It’s not just executing. It’s about making the puppets seem alive.” Wes Anderson moved his hands like he was handling a small and delicate animal.
“We’re both forty,” said Wes Anderson.” They were discussing not knowing what they were getting into with stop-motion animation. How involved it would be. “We’re definitely used to getting everything together and doing it the way we want.”
“I’ve never been more confident than when I filmed [Bottle Rocket],” said Wes Anderson. And never been less confident than when we screened it. Up to then my attitude was Just wait ’til they see this.”
He described the screening of Bottle Rocket in Santa Monica where he watched people leave in groups. “People don’t go to the bathroom in groups,” he said. One audience response card said “S-U-C-K-D.” But he saw one girl taking lots of notes and thought, “This is our audience.”
Noah Baumbach said, “Peter Bogdanovich is our surrogate dad…. And he said one person is enough if they get it.”
Q&A
“You have to go to the microphone and look right at us,” Wes Anderson said pointing at the microphone at the front of the aisle that split the room into two flanks of seating.
“What scene did Bill Murray write you a check to complete?” said the first questioner. He was referring to a profile he had read in the New Yorker about the making of Rushmore.
Wes Anderson said, “The scene with a helicopter…. Bill Murray gave me a blank check and said—Wes Anderson lowered his voice—’Do the helicopter scene.’ Stupidly, I didn’t accept it,” he said. “I still have the check as a memento.” Wes Anderson talked about Bill Murray in a fatherly way. I thought, Peter Bogdanovich, Bill Murray and Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach’s two other dads.
Someone said, “A lot of success [in your films is due to] the reaction in the faces of the characters.”
For this film, to get “documentary performances from puppets,” Wes Anderson said he sent videos of himself to the animators in England making expressions that he wanted the puppets to make. “Unfortunately in my pajamas,” he said. “Early in the morning…to a large group of people in England.”
Noah Baumbach stuck his hand out and flipped it very fast back and forth. Wes Anderson made a nod like he remembered. He stuck his hand out too and did a similar motion but not as emphatic as Noah Baumbach’s motion. It was an expression that they had considered using, but did not in the end use.
“Can you tell us the pornographic line from the [Dahl] poem?” said the next questioner.
Wes: “Do you remember it?” He looked at Noah.
Noah: “I don’t remember it.” He looked at Wes.
Wes: “I don’t remember it.”
The crowd was a collection of many little disgruntled noises. The noises got more quiet. I looked to the right. Wes Anderson held a piece of paper. The crowd made no noise. He said, “What she needs is a belly full of hot cock.” The crowd made a unified fun-filled noise.
The next questioner said, “I’m interested in the idea of creative confidence…. Could be crazy, could be great.”
“There is no confidence that will match the fantasy parade in your head,” Noah Baumbach said.
They talked about going to different theaters and sitting in on screenings of their films to gauge how people reacted to the film. “We got a much bigger laugh in Paramus,” Wes Anderson said. I imagined them in Paramus, New Jersey surrounded by people with hair raised with hairspray. Wes Anderson’s hair is fine, chin-length and more brown than blond.
Squinting, Wes Anderson leaned over in his chair and looked quizzically out at the line of people in front of the microphone. Two people waited. He put his arm out and shook his hand at them.
A man said, “If it’s not Jacques Cousteau, who inspired the character of Steve Zissou?”
Wes Anderson said, “Jacques Cousteau.”
“I knew it,” the questioner said loudly. He curled over and pulled his fist to his hip. He sat down.
A woman with long blond hair said about Wes Anderson’s soundtracks, “They’re kind of the soundtracks of my life.” She put her hand in one jeans pocket and tilted her head. Her sentences, the matter of them, were mostly not in furtherance of a question. “My second question,” she said, “is all the art direction. Like with Steve Zissou how you see the cross section of the boat…”
Wes Anderson talked about Life Aquatic and motioned with his hand to the left and right. He said, “It’s why you’ll see some people here wearing red hats.” He talked about music. He said to Noah Baumbach, “What about Street Hassle?” [The song by Lou Reed that Noah Baumbach used for his film the Squid and the Whale].
Noah: “I was using the cello—”
Wes: “Bum bum bum bum bum…”
