Artwork by NEHW member Amanda Doughty
photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions
Actor and Comedian Dane Cook wanted to “share emotion and pain” he has experienced in his life in his new film, Answers to Nothing, which opened in theaters along with being available on video on demand this past Friday.
“With my comedy, I want to share my joy and positive experiences,” Cook said. “The main point of comedy though is people coming to laugh and enjoy themselves. What attracted me to this film is that I could relate to personal experiences in a different way. I can empathize with certain aspects of my character’s life.”
According to press materials, the film is “set against the backdrop of a missing girl case, lost souls throughout Los Angeles search for meaning and redemption and affect each other in ways they don’t always see. Ryan (Cook) and Kate (Elizabeth Mitchell) are in a strained marriage. They are trying to have a baby, but instead of bringing them closer together the difficulties are tearing them apart. Two strangers, sharing a home, they each lead private lives unbeknownst to each other. Ryan, grew up listening to the impossible romantic story of his grandparents’ courtship, but isn’t even sure he believes in love. He hates his mother for believing that his father is coming back, even though he left her 10 years ago, and he hates himself for following in his father’s steps of infidelity.”
Cook believes his character is “distancing himself from people and his emotions” even as his character is a confident therapist. He does believe his character is a “complex individual, but it is behavior we all do.”
“We show up every day to work and put on our game face, but people don’t know personal life circumstances,” Cook said.
As he filmed this movie, Cook didn’t want to let his fans down.
Being able to view his personal experiences in a different way attracted him to Answers to Nothing, Cook said. The film allowed him to tackle different philosophies, he said.
“You get to play pretend, but also share important moments in your own life.”
Actors are not always connected to their characters, Cook said.
“I understand some of the behaviors in feeling detached,” Cook said. “I lost both of my parents to cancer and when you experience something like that, you really hold onto those moments and hope you can grow from them … ”
The film, Mr. Brooks, led Cook to receive his role in his new film and his career grew from that, he said. Answers to Nothing director Matthew Leutwyler saw him in the film.
Cook made an audition tape for Mr. Brooks and received a call from Kevin Costner, who directed the film. Cook was told by Costner that was what they were looking for, he said.
Cook would love to work with Woody Allen, Jason Reitman, and Diablo Cody.
“I have met with Jason a few times and would love to play in his world,” Cook said.
He has met with Steven Spielberg, which he considers “one of the most poignant moments of his career.” Spielberg gave him some words of wisdom which has guided him in his life.
“I auditioned for [Spielberg] and got incredible feedback,” Cook said. “He is a big inspiration.”
He grew up loving comedic actors especially Gene Wilder.
“I really have a great respect for comedians that take on challenging roles, like Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple, Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting,” Cook said. “I know the pain that many comics have living within us. I love to see the way they can reach comedic audiences and then also [reach] those dramatic audiences and make them cry their eyes out.”
He thinks it’s great when a comedic performer can make people laugh and cry. He thinks “it’s magic” when that happens.
“I’d love to be able to do some of what I did in Answers to Nothing and some of what I did in My Best Friend’s Girl and create a character rich in all things good and bad that exist in us.”
Cook said if the role doesn’t come about, he may write it.
Cook has two independent films coming out next year that he hopes audiences will find. He is also working on a comedy for NBC for the 2012 television season. They are Detention and Guns, Girls, and Gambling. Detention is “a mash-up genre movie — it’s a horror, coming of age film” and Guns, Girls and Gambling stars Gary Oldman as an Elvis impersonator.
“I really look forward to people seeing that one,” Cook said about Guns, Girls and Gambling. It’s sort of a heist action film.”
This blog entry was found on author Alex Laybourne’s website by Publicity Committee member, Stacey Longo.
As writers, we seek the approval of others for what we do. We may say that we write for fun, or because we love it, and that is all true. A writer writes because they have to, but we publish because we want to share our work, and in doing so we hope for good great reviews and the respect of our peers.
If you talk to any successful person, they will invariably say that they have a wonderful family who supported them the entire way. Just watch any Oscar speech and you will see what I mean. This is also true, and say what you like about successful businessmen or actors. I cannot see another profession that takes quite the toll on friends and family as that of a writer.
We live in worlds inside our head, worlds that not even our nearest and dearest – unless they happen to be writers themselves – could ever understand. We are moody and brooding when writing because we want to write more or need to work out a particular kink in the mechanics or arc of the story, or we are grumpy and moody because we are not writing at that moment in time. We write down and take a sometimes perverse interest in the crazy things that happen around us because it could be a good story idea at some point down the line. Yet our loved ones stick by us. They support us every step of the way.
I have a friend who is really into these self-help books… or as I like to call them – common freaking sense. However, one point that comes across again and again is to surround yourself with people who love and support you. It is supposedly some big secret to success (sorry the RANT will stop and I’ll get back on topic now).
What got me thinking was, how can you tell the difference between support and tolerance. Those loved ones that smile and nod their heads when you talk about your writing or sit there plotting, writing and editing. Yet on the inside, just below the surface they are thinking… “You fool. Oh well, at least it keeps them quiet. Stops them from causing trouble”
Can you still count that as support? Are they a positive influence in your life? They support your writing, but when it comes to promotions, and you want to invest some money or a chunk of time during the day to promoting, they put their foot down and refuse. Where does that leave you?
I am lucky enough to have the important people in my life supporting me, but there are a few that I know merely tolerate my dalliances with the written word, and view my attempts to carve a name for myself as nothing more than folly. They are waiting for me to grow up, to start pushing myself hard in other avenues… whatever they may be… please, send all answers to me on a postcard, because I draw a blank here.
This post is dedicated to these people. The silent partners who suffer us writers and support our every step, without ever truly understand what it is we do, and why. It is also a swipe at those who merely tolerate our actions. You all know who you are, and fellow writers, you probably know who they are too. You may not understand why we do it, and you don’t have to. You should support us unconditionally. We are not asking you to do it for us, nor are we demanding you buy 500 copies of our book to make us feel good and give us a rankings boost. We are merely asking that you believe in us. Smile and nod when we talk about our work, even if it is just like the approach taken by John Wemmick with the Aged P in Great Expectations. We are the ones putting ourselves out there, you have absolutely nothing to lose.
Jason Harris Promotions 