Tom DiCillo Recalls Johnny Suede

by Tom DiCillo | Published February 7, 2008

(Page 3)

Before shooting we had some difficulty in specifying Johnny’s wardrobe with the costume designer. The character was fixated on the late ’50s. I wanted clothing that came from that era but didn’t want stuff that was strictly nostalgic. I wanted costumes that made the character visually different and unique but with an understated elegance.

Nothing worked. So, the day before shooting Brad and I went through my closet and pulled out every piece of thrift store gold I’d accumulated over the past 10 years. Luckily, everything fit him. All my favorite, one-of-a-kind, deeply personal, irreplaceable stuff.

We shot the film in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which back in 1990 really was not a place anyone was too eager to build a Starbucks in. Two weeks into shooting the assistant director came running up and cried, “Someone left the wardrobe van unattended and all the costumes have been stolen!”

A day later they found the guys who’d stolen them. My relief was brief—about five seconds actually. The police informed us that the thieves had apparently liked Johnny’s clothes so much they were not returning them. The cops advised us if we wanted to continue shooting in Williamsburg we should accept these “terms.”

So, all Johnny’s wardrobe had to be faked. Copies of everything we’d already shot Brad in were hastily made. Although we couldn’t afford the rare, original materials, on film the pants, shirtjacs and sharkskin suits all looked perfectly fine. At the end of the shoot the costume department gave me the copies as a gift. I took them home and hung them in my closet. One day I actually tried to wear one of the shirts. A week later I threw everything away. 

The film was accepted into the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. It was the first film festival I’d ever been to. A buyer from Miramax saw the film and urged Harvey Weinstein to do something he’d never done: Buy a film without seeing it. The buyer convinced him that Brad was going to be a star. The deal was clinched when the film won Best Picture.

A month later, when Harvey was sitting in front of me at the Toronto Film Festival, I saw another distributor lean forward and chuckle into Harvey’s ear, “Well, I hope you like it.”

I think Harvey really did like it. We had a test screening in New York City a few weeks later. He sat beside me, turning and grinning when the audience broke into laughter and at the end he gave me an emphatic thumbs up.

Then the cards came in. The results were not to his liking. Harvey then endeavored to fix the problem. His plan was to cut 15 minutes out of the film and put a voiceover on. I told him that if he showed me where the 15 minutes could be cut while maintaining the film’s narrative logic then I would consider it.

This idea was soon jettisoned in favor of the voiceover. I wasn’t happy about either idea. The film had just won top honors at a major European festival. I didn’t see any reason why this version (my original director’s cut) could not be presented to American audiences.

But this was my first film. And it was my first lesson in how murky the waters of “negotiation” can be. A voiceover was added to the film. I cringe every time I think of it, especially knowing that after going through all that, it had absolutely no effect on the film’s performance. 

Some people saw the film. Some people even liked it. Someone liked the name so much they started a clothing line without even offering me 10 percent. I’m the first one to admit the film has a few of the inconsistencies of a first film. But it is my first child and I will always cherish it. I still think Brad’s performance is startlingly brave and astute. I still think Catherine Keener is as magical in the film as anything else she’s gone on to do. If you rent it, check out the scene where Yvonne teaches Johnny about the “watermelon seed”.

I think the story of a young man’s gradual realization that he has no idea who he is, is still valid and engaging. Which is why I’m so thrilled that this version being released on DVD is the original Director’s Cut, heretofore never seen in this country.

Minus the fucking voiceover.

Go inside the mind of Tom DiCillo at http://www.tomdicillo.com.

COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by Vivian Stamps on 2/08/08 at 9:24 pm

Brad was wonderful as Johnny Suede.  Smile! How is that for loyalty?  I love him because I see someone beautiful inside and out.

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