Advertisement
Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris
Richard Linklater's muse offers her own quirky take on cross-cultural romance with her directorial debut, 2 Days in Paris
Comparisons between 2 Days in Paris, Julie Delpy’s feature film debut as writer-director, and her work on Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are inevitable. Each depicts a romance between an American man and a French woman that is rooted in talk—about love, politics, philosophy, romance… anything, really. Like the Linklater movies, especially Before Sunset (for which Delpy earned an Oscar nomination as a co-writer), Delpy’s film grapples with the difficulty of connecting with someone on a deeper level.
Though these similarities are undeniable, 2 Days in Paris—which Delpy also produced, scored and edited—has a goofy edginess all its own. The film tells the story of two mismatched, neurotic lovers, a photographer (Delpy) and an interior designer (Adam Goldberg) who conclude their European vacation with a stop in the City of Light to visit her off-the-wall parents. The film is lighter than air, but it doesn’t rely on the well-worn tropes of romantic comedy. Instead, it distinguishes itself by rooting its characters in the real world, forcing them to grapple with racist cab drivers, oral sex and Delpy’s father, whom she describes as a “perverted Santa Claus.”
Shortly before the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, Delpy spoke with MM about learning from Richard Linklater, her strategy for getting financing and her ambivalence about love.
-------------------------------------------
Daniel Nemet-Nejat (MM): The press notes describe your film as the opposite of Before Sunset. What does that mean?
Julie Delpy (JD): I had to trick people into giving me money, because no one has given me money for anything I’ve ever written before. So I made it sound like, “American guy, French girl in Paris” so people felt comfortable. That got me money from the financiers, but then I wrote something very different. I won’t say it’s the opposite, just different.
MM: Were you really able to get financing on a half-completed script?
JD: I got the financing in Berlin last year. It was basically a pitch and some written scenes. I was so tired of writing full screenplays and then not getting the money to make the movie that I was like, ‘This time I’m going to do it the other way around.’ It was much easier to write then; once you know you have the money, it’s exciting. You know it’s not going to be just a screenplay.
MM: What made you decide to cast both of your parents in the film?
JD: They’re both wonderful actors and I always promised myself that if I ever directed a film, which I have been planning on for a while, I would cast them. When I wrote Before Sunset, I wrote them a part in the end at the courtyard. When I write something in French, I kind of think of them when I think of people in their sixties.
MM: Did it create an added comfort level on set?
JD: Sometimes, but sometimes not. I think my dad’s great in the film, but he was resistant. (laughs) I would make him do takes over and over and he was like, “But that one was good. I’m your father, I know what’s good or bad.” No, dad. I’m the director, so you do as I say. It was fun—and tough.
MM: Was it difficult to direct yourself?
JD: When I worked on other movies and felt like I’d done a good moment in a scene, usually the director agreed. Not always, depending on how good the director was, but I’ve rarely been really wrong. Actors can sense when they’re good or bad in a scene. Then it’s a question of making sure you have it [on tape]. You have to add 20 minutes or half an hour a day for watching playback when you are acting.
MM: One striking choice you made was to run voiceover during the climactic argument between the two main characters. What was the reason for that?
JD: First of all, I started with the voiceover so I needed to end with the voiceover. Also, I think there’s something about big breakup scenes—everyone has heard them and it’s always the same issues that come up. For me, it was essential not to fall into that. I’d rather have something go at length about the relationship—kind of like looking at it from afar, almost like she’s outside of herself. She’s a photographer, she’s observing the situation more than being in it. I just didn’t want to hear another breakup scene.
1 of 3 |
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Reddit
YahooAdvertisement
COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by ed hardy on 7/17/09 at 3:43 am
This is great news. Best of luck for the future and keep up the good work links of london
- Comment by France on 7/30/09 at 5:32 pm
wow, wonderful news. Best of luck for the future and keep up the good work.
- Comment by adams on 1/30/10 at 4:25 am
thanks for sharing great news and i love paris
This story was published in the Summer 2007 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
Julie Delpy Goes a Little Bit Crazy in Paris
Order this issue | Subscribe to MM
posted 02.10.12
posted 02.8.12
posted 02.7.12
posted 02.1.12
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
