Interview with Roxanne McKee - December 13th, 2010

Promoting: F

Venue: My house

Interview type: One-on-one (phone)

ViewLondon (VL): What attracted you to F and how did you get involved?

Roxanne McKee (RM): Well, I like horror films – I always have done. I've been keen on them since I was little – I actually used to love, like, all the Freddie films. I don't know – there's something about them, sitting on the edge of your seat and having a shock and feeling the adrenaline rush that's exciting, so to be a part of something like that, I thought would be fun. And it was, it was really interesting to get involved and have all the prosthetics applied. And yeah, it was just nice and it was just a small cameo role so I wasn't ... what's the word? It wasn't going to impinge on my time or anything like that. And it was just – yeah, it was lovely to be a part of it. And I thought it was a good script and that was it. And there were great actors involved as well, like David Scofield and Ruth Gemmell, you know – it's a privilege to be a part of anything like that.

VL: Had you been looking for something like that?

RM: No, I hadn't specifically been looking for horror. I had made a concerted effort to try and look for stuff that was just different when I came out of Hollyoaks, just because that was my reason for leaving Hollyoaks. Because I had a fantastic time there but I wanted to try new things and open up the path a bit for me and see what else was out there and play different sorts of characters. So when this came along it was just something interesting and different.

VL: How did the experience of working on F compare to working on Hollyoaks and other stuff you've worked on?

RM: It's - I mean it's totally different, because when you work on a soap you can do up to like twelve scenes a day, whereas when you work on a film you do like one scene. People don't realise how hard soap work is, so you've really got to give credit where credit's due – soap actors are learning twelve, thirteen, fourteen scenes of an evening and then going in the next day and doing them and then that carries on each day. Whereas with a film you work, say, over a two week period and you might be in three days. You know and obviously for me, with this, I wasn't – you know, it's a cameo role so I'm only in it a small amount, so the filming schedule's a lot lighter. But the nice thing and the thing that's similar is the meeting different crews and making friends with different people and, yeah, establishing friendships. The other thing is, with a soap you establish friendships and then you keep your friendships because you're there a couple of years. But when you're doing jobs sporadically, it's not quite the same – you establish these friendships and then you kind of don't necessarily see people so much again. You maybe see the actors but not always the crew or maybe you go on another job and they're there, which has happened with me recently, which was nice. But obviously you don't have that long-term friendship in quite the same way.

VL: You play the character in the gym, is that right? That prosthetic that you had to wear was pretty hideous. What was that like?

RM: Yeah, it was crazy. It was amazing. That was so enjoyable, because it was so different to anything I've ever had – I mean, I've had bruises applied (laughs) and arm bandages and things like that but never a full-on ripped-off jaw. So I had a whole head-cast applied and that was weird, sitting underneath that and not being able to breathe properly. It was amazing – it was an exciting, really exciting experience and I still have the jaw. But the bloody annoying thing was that when we were all finished up for the night after we'd filmed that scene, it took them a good few hours to remove everything off of me, because I had cuts all over my body, you know, this fake skin that had been applied. I mean it looked amazing – even for me to look at it, I was like, “Jesus!”

VL: It looked really nasty in the film, I agree.

RM: Yeah, well, you know that scene where I die at the end? I couldn't breathe. So I'm crying – because you have to keep your mouth closed, because otherwise you'd see my mouth. And then obviously that wouldn't work, for the fact that the bottom half of the jaw is hanging right down. So I had to keep my mouth closed and then cry and so I couldn't breathe! So I'm not breathing in that last scene. I don't think I've told anyone that yet. I'm not actually breathing. (laughs) So if everyone could really feel for me, that would be great!

VL: I was going to ask what was the hardest scene to film, but I assume that was?

RM: Yeah, the not breathing. And then also when I was crawling along the floor it was really bloody painful, because that was a – you know one of those sticky floors that you can polish? I call it a sticky floor – you know what I mean though. Sort of that shiny floor that you can polish. And I'm crawling along with obviously shorts on – so I've got bare legs and the blood is sticky and sweet, as well, actually – not that I was eating it, but it was obviously in my mouth. So when you're crawling along, you're sticking to the floor and your skin is almost ripping along the floor. So as I'm moving along, that genuinely is painful.

VL: Obviously, the scenes you did are one thing but do you have a favourite scene in the film otherwise?

RM: I do love Finlay Robertson – I just think he's hilarious. I think they all are – they were such a nice bunch of people. I was quite excited when I saw David Scofield and Ruth Gemmell as well, I knew. Let me think. I like the scene where Finlay is on the front desk and he won't let Eliza use the phone – or he lets her use the phone and then he's a bit weird and pervy with her. I find that really funny. I just find all his facial expressions really funny. So any scene with him. NOT the scene where the guy is in the wheelie bin and on fire – that's horrific! That's absolutely horrendous. What else do I like? There's another one with David Scofield that I thought was really good. Oh and I liked the one – you know the other one, the Scottish actor? I worked with him on Lip Service – I didn't actually work directly with him but he was on something else that I did. And I liked the scene with him walking through and shouting. Again, that comic element appeals to me.

VL: I thought it was really interesting that none of the deaths actually happen onscreen.

RM: It was an important part of the film as well. I think that was Johannes's intention. I don't know, actually – I think at the beginning, maybe he wanted that to happen and then he kind of realised, maybe when he was editing it, that it didn't need to happen.

VL: So did they film more of a death scene with you that didn't get used?

RM: No, they didn't. I think there was more – no, I remember Johannes saying that there was more – he didn't want to show the deaths but there was more violence. But certainly not with mine – I mean, with the jaw thing, I don't think you needed any violence. You could see the result. But I think there were more gratuitous moments than were shown, originally, but he chose to keep them out when he edited it because he felt it wasn't necessary and I don't think it was necessary. I mean it was good the way it was – he did a really good job.

VL: How long were you on the film for?

RM: Not very long. It was filmed over night shoots so – I don't know – you film over – you're booked for a certain period of time, say a couple of weeks and then you go in the odd couple of days over those weeks but I don't strictly know how many times I went. A few times, you know, whatever it takes to film a couple of scenes – it's not a huge amount of time.

VL: You don't really interact with anyone else in the cast, do you?

RM: No, I don't. No. Just Ruth and David. Ruth, to me, is one of those faces – she's a jobbing actress and she's somebody that pops up in lots of things and I think she's great. She was really, really nice as well – they all were. A lovely, lovely bunch of actors.

VL: What are you working on at the moment?

RM: I'm working on an HBO drama called Game of Thrones. I'm Doria, the kind of ex-courtesan hand-maiden – actually still kind of working as a courtesan, but you know.

VL: There's a lot of excitement around that. Is that the George R. R. Martin thing?

RM: Yes, it is and I've met him and he's lovely. And it's so exciting. It's so exciting to be a part of such a huge project. And the sets – oh my God, you've got to watch it. It's incredible. It's out of this world. It's amazing, so watch it.

VL: Have you got anything else coming up?

RM: So...no, because that's what I've been contracted to so I will hopefully have other things coming up. Maybe it would be nice to film something in hotter climates next year - that would be good. So I'll keep my fingers crossed and if you could say a little prayer for me, that would be great.

VL: Well, we'll put it in the interview and see if anyone has any Sahara Desert-based projects or something.

RM: Maybe the desert would be a bit too warm, but Morocco, maybe?

END

Interview with Henry Joost and Nev Schulman, co-director and "star" of Catfish - October 24th, 2010

Promoting: Catfish

Venue: The Mayfair Hotel

Interview type: Round table (but only two of us on round table)

ViewLondon (VL): If we accept the story at face value (and I assume we can), then what was it that made you think there was a story in the paintings by the little girl? I assume you'd seen My Kid Could Paint That?

Henry Joost (HJ): Uh, yeah. Actually, we hadn't seen it, but we knew of it at that point. It was really Rel [co-director Ariel Schulman], Nev's brother, who started filming and had the instinct to do that. I mean, I think it's a lot of reasons – one is that we're kind of full-time documentarians, like there's no moment in our lives when it's not appropriate to film each other and that's kind of the agreement that we have. So if anything interesting happens, it's okay and expected that one of us will film it. The other thing is that Rel always wanted to make a film about Nev, because he's just like a story-generator, you know, he's like a magnet for people and experiences and he has this way of living that we wish we could live that way sometimes. So I think he had this instinct that was like, 'Oh, this is probably going to turn into something because it's Nev', you know? So in the beginning, we thought, 'Oh, Rel's making a short film about Nev meeting this painter online and it'll be like a cute, short film'. And that was about it.

Nev Schulman (NS): Yeah, I mean, to his credit, it was pretty unusual. I mean, how often does a little girl from halfway across the country send you fan art? That was strange and interesting, so he thought, 'Why not film it for a little bit?' Whatever happened, it was obviously like -

HJ: Something's going on.

NS: Plus, I was also really excited about it. That's what I was talking about.

VL: So is the self-documentation still going on?

NS: Oh yeah. We filmed ourselves on the BBC this morning. We were on the breakfast show and then they kept us and we were on, like, just the news, I guess. But it was fun, because we filmed that stuff [shows off tiny camera with footage of from-the-sofa BBC interview].

VL: So how many hours of footage of yourselves have you accrued at this point?

HJ: Oh, God.

NS: How many hours? Oh, my God. There's probably more of me.

VL: What do you do with the footage?

HJ: Most of the time we don't even watch it. We keep it – we're all organised about it and we have it by year, by month on hard drives. Sometimes we thematically organise things.

NS: I also try to put, like, key words on things when I'm out with my camera.

VL: I see from YouTube that the story was picked up by the news networks in the States. What kind of impact has that had on the film?

HJ: Well, the biggest thing that we did was the news show 20:20 and that was a full hour about the movie and totally was full of spoilers for people who hadn't seen it. I think it had different reactions – one was that people who had already seen the film who just, like, couldn't believe it and were so interested in hearing Angela interviewed and stuff like that and there was lots of stuff that wasn't in the film that we gave them, that they used. And then other people were disappointed because they were like, 'What? How could you tell me the whole story in this TV programme?'

VL: Do you think the controversy generated over whether or not it is a documentary has helped you or hindered you?

HJ: I don't know. It's more people talking about the film, which is probably good. I don't really like being lumped into like a fake documentary category, just because it's not, that's not what it is. It's not Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch. And I don't know if that turns people off or turns people on, really.

NS: We like the idea of people seeing the film and being sort of raw and not expecting anything. But the whole kind of 'Don't find out anything about the movie! Is it a thriller? Is it a horror?' - that was more sort of the built-up ad campaign in the States, which, you know, has goods and bads. Certainly the good is that people are maybe expecting something completely opposite from what you get so you're kind of left even more surprised in a weird way.

VL: The film has lots of different elements at times, like, mystery, thriller, comedy and so on. Was that a stylistic choice?

HJ: That's just real life, I think. Real life doesn't follow genres, you know? I don't really feel like we had control over the tone of the film but the tone changed for us personally as we were through the experience. Like, in the beginning it was fun, then it got mysterious and actually got very scary in real life and then it kind of became profound and the jokes stopped.

VL: What was the approach to filming, especially with things like the phone calls? Are you just always there or does Nev say, 'Okay, I'm going to be making a phone call in five minutes – get the camera ready'?

NS: Yeah, sort of. Rel had basically said to me, 'If you're going to call Megan or if you're going to open a package - if I'm not there, call me and give me like 20 minutes to come or if I'm there, then let me know and I'll just turn on my camera. And you know, I didn't always do that, of course, because I talked to Megan almost every night. And then he would just get really close, because the speaker phone on the phone was not great. And then we actually figured out that if I used my cellphone with headphones, I could put one headphone in my ear and the other headphone on the microphone hole on the camera and that was the best way to record the conversation. So that was sort of a breakthrough.

VL: But presumably Megan didn't know she was being recorded, so did you ever question the ethics of that?

NS: I think we never thought about that because the storyline had not evolved and there was no intention. We weren't making a film – Rel was just keeping track of this story as it unfolded, because he thought maybe, eventually, it would turn into something worthwhile, but no-one ever considered that this is where it would lead. He joked that he was going to be making a montage - a short film to show at our wedding, you know? In which case, she wouldn't mind that he was filming, it would be charming.

HJ: Or like we would surprise them one day with the film and Nev would meet Abby in real life and that would be the end of the film.

NS: Right. And I'd actually talked to them about us sending a camera to them, during this, so that they could be filming on their end. But yeah, we never expected it to go the way it went.

VL: Obviously you shot tonnes of footage, so when it came to the editing, what did you cut out that you hated to lose?

HJ: Oh, there's a lot. There's a lot of stuff.

NS: One of the frustrating things during the editing for me was that it certainly made me look like a total dope, in a way. And that I just sort of willy-nilly, blindly went into this thing and never stopped to think, like, 'Hmmm...maybe?' Which is not true. There were little things along the way where all of us said, like, 'Huh. It's good music, but...you know...okay' or 'The painting is really good, but...' but something would always come up, like Abby sold a painting and they sent me half of the sale price as like a thank you for all of my support. So I was like, 'They sent me money, so I guess they're not trying to scam me or anything like that'. So all along the way, if there was a question that I had or a concern, there was always either an answer or an overwhelming amount of new information that would distract me. And those things I wish we could have put in but when they tried that early on, as soon as you introduce a sense of curiosity or scepticism, immediately the viewers just assume like, 'Oh, I know where this is going', whereas if you just focus on the love story and you leave that stuff out, it allows you to kind of focus more on the love story and not on the feeling that something isn't right.

HJ: It was also just too complicated. It's one of those things where all of that information is much more interesting after you've seen the film, because in the beginning you don't really know why you should care about that stuff. But I think we're going to have some great DVD bonus features.

Interview with Jesse Eisenberg - June 21st, 2009

Promoting: Adventureland

Venue: The Apex International Hotel, Edinburgh

Interview type: Round table (with Gail Tolley and Amber Wilkinson)

Question: Although this is quite familiar ground in terms of subject matter, it felt really fresh to me and I wondered if you enjoyed it and if that was something that attracted you to the script?

Jesse Eisenberg (JE): Yes, the most appealing thing was how the characters were so authentically drawn. Because this could easily turn into a genre picture - like a broad comedy or a coming-of-age story - and it wasn't that. All the characters were depicted respectfully, even the smallest of parts seemed somehow three-dimensional.

Q: You were four or five at the time when the film was set, in 1987, so did you have to go away and look up the period?

JE: We did a lot of improvisation in the movie so I wanted to make sure that if I had to say something that referred to anything specific in the period that I didn't get any of the names wrong. So it was mainly practical research for that, as opposed to any kind of big sociological trends because that was less important and, because it is not that different from when we filmed it.

Q: Can you say a little about how the improvisation worked?

JE: I'm not sure how much actually stayed in, but we did so much because... at the time I thought: "It's because I'm so brilliant and he wants all my lines to be in", but in retrospect I think he probably cut everything we made up out and just let us improvise to create a naturalistic tone, so it didn't feel like we were just making, like, these three jokes in one scene and then going on to the next scene. Some stuff stayed in but, ultimately, I think his script probably won out. But I think the idea was just to create a naturalistic comedy - not having to hit jokes on the head. Every time there was a joke I said: "This is a little cheesy." He'd say: "I know, throw it away, just mumble it." So any time there was a joke I'd just mumble it.

Q: There's some great performances in the film. I wonder if you could tell me a little about working with Kristen and Ryan Reynolds?

JE: Well, Kristen, I was so shocked when we started working because she was 17 at the time and I didn't know how a 17-year-old girl would be able to play such a character that seems so dark and mature and jaded and cynical but also warm. She was just, like naturally so perfect for it. And Ryan Reynolds - they condensed his schedule into two weeks - so it was two weeks every day with him and it was great. He's also a very funny guy, in terms of improvisation, he also likes doing that. He's great for the part, too, because you want to hate that character but, again, what you were saying about all the characters being three-dimensional, it's hard to hate that actor - he's so charming and seems like a genial guy, so it makes that character more authentic.

Q: The director said it was partially based on his own rubbishy summer job, so, inevitably, we have to ask you what was your most rubbish summer job and did you draw on any of those experiences for this?

JE: I've never been able to describe anything I've done as 'rubbish' because we don't use this word, but I've done a million shitty summer jobs, er, I mean jobs, but most of them were acting in awful things. The only thing really similar was when I was 15, I acted in this thing and then I got too old for it so they had us do the lighting for it and stuff. And we all hated doing the play but it was a really good bonding experience because we hate what we were working on so we had to find something redeemable, so we ended up enjoying each other's company that much more.

Q: You've talked about the improvisation being cut out a lot, was there anything cut out that you really hated to lose?

JE: Yes, my favourite scene... this movie takes place during the Iran-Contra scandal and there was all this funny stuff and he cut it out. I liked it because my character was interested in the politics of the day and I was trying to talk to the other people at the park in the parking lot one night, and everybody was standing around drinking, I said: "Did you guys see this, I can't believe this stuff." Talking about being fed up with Iran-Contra because it was a huge scandal in the States and they're just like "Okay". I loved that scene because it was a perfect indication of that culture clash and now it's cut. So I was upset. But... all the kissing scenes are in. That's good.

Q: In the past you've worked with veteran actors. You're the lead here, how does that responsibility feel?

JE: It feels good. But you feel the pressure but at the same time it was good because it just felt like we were all playing real characters, it didn't feel like: "I'm supposed to be a leading person therefore it must be A, B and C." It just felt like, play this character normally and it will come out well. I hope it comes out okay, I've seen the movie but I hope that plays okay, it's not like a typical movie, I think, where people are expecting certain things that maybe the movie is not offering them. I didn't feel the same pressure that I would feel if like... like, Ryan Reynolds just came out in a movie called The Proposal, that was a romantic comedy, I didn't see it but if it was like that kind of movie then I'd feel more pressure, because it's romantic comedy and it's very clear what you have to be. But this was not very clear, so I didn't mind.

Q: The character that you're playing is a little bit younger than you are and it's all about first love. Did you find yourself tapping into those things, was it harder to act 'younger' than yourself than older?

JE: In some ways I felt the character was more mature and experienced than I was. Because I've never had a real job like this for an extended period of time. He's also trying to reconcile being naive in the world and being educated and being really smart and having these goals for himself - lofty goals of going to grad school and travelling to Europe and being a travel essayist. But I feel like personally, like, I want to do like these great things but then you're, like, doing a silly movie or auditioning for some stupid movie. So I feel that conflict all the time, but I think everybody feels that way. Like I want to be a novelist and yet I have to go to the set and do this stupid thing today. But everybody has that, the difference between what you feel you deserve to be doing and the thing that you're actually required to do, or hired to do.

Q: You mentioned a favourite scene that was cut, do you have a favourite scene that's in the film?

JE: I only saw it once, and I tried to look away because I'm embarrassed to watch myself, but the scenes I like the most are the quiet, talking scenes with Kristen because those felt like the most sincere parts of the movie to me, when I was filming it, at least.This feels like the heart of the movie, this sweet relationship. They're not the funniest scenes but they felt like the most enjoyable for me.

Q: I thought the scenes with the other actress were just as sweet?

JE: Margarita Levieva? She's also great because that character could have also been, and in someways is, the hot girl at the park. But on the other hand she has her own thoughts and her own goals and they're not typical of that kind of character. So even a character like that that could so easily have been this stereotypical thing becomes a fleshed out character.

Q: Where do you place this film in relation to others? Do you see it as being more part of the American independent scene or do you see it as being more like Superbad and those sorts of movies?

JE: I saw the movie as an independent movie - and that's how it was made. It was not made for a lot of money. The only difference was it was made with a distribution company - Miramax was going to put it out. But in terms of the way it was made, shot and cast it was all independent. They didn't have to cast famous people, we didn't have a lot of time to shoot it, we didn't get paid any money. It was made like an independent movie. The best part was they didn't look over the director's shoulder. I would never have been cast in the main part if this was at a major studio, so he got to make the movie that he wanted to make because the Superbad movie was so popular. So I see it as an independent movie, it was done like that.

Q: You talked about your favourite scenes – what about your least favourite scenes? You seemed to get drowned every ten minutes. You're in the swimming pool in one scene and get covered in water in another. How long were you shooting that for?

JE: Oh yeah, that was the worst thing. We filmed, like in November, end of November, beginning of December, even, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and they made fake rain. And when you make fake rain in movies, you have to make the drops bigger, because little drops, like real rain, don't show up on camera. And it was so freezing, it was torture. And then we had to reshoot it because it didn't come out good or something, it didn't look like New York City or whatever. But, yeah, it was terrible. I don't know why it has to rain at the end of every movie, because it's so hard to do that. I've been in many movies where it's rained and it's just torture. They try to put on scuba gear underneath but it doesn't work.

Q: Had you seen [director Greg Mottola]'s other films? Had you seen The Daytrippers?

JE: Yeah, I saw that a long time ago, because I knew this actor in it, Campbell Scott, so I rented the stuff he was in. And I really loved that movie and then when I read the script I didn't know anything about Superbad, because it was before that. I felt like, 'Oh, this is great and it's from that great director' and then when Superbad came out, I understood why they would let him make this movie, because that movie was so popular, they trusted him more.

Q: So was that part of the appeal of taking the role, was to work with Greg?

JE: No, I just liked the script, I mean, yeah, that was like an added thing, but I never really think about that because I don't really fully understand what directors do, so I can't – I mean, I do, but like everybody does it differently, so it's like, you know, if they've made a movie that's successful, doesn't always mean they'll make something that's good again. But I think he's proven he has like a really nice handle on it.

Q: So it's script first for you, then?

JE: Yes, absolutely, yes. Also, the best director can't make a movie good. I mean, I've read scripts that, like, my agent is saying, 'So-and-so, like, the greatest director is going to make this', and I'm like, 'But it's terrible' and then it always comes out terrible. And that happens all the time, I mean, good directors make bad things. I mean, not that my opinion is always what happens, but I always agree with my opinion later down the road, like, when the movie comes out, even if people like it. Well, it doesn't matter, but yes, if the script's not there, usually it's hard to make anything good out of it.

Q: Just to follow on from that, have you ever been really wrong and gone, 'Oh, I wish I'd made that movie after all'?

JE: No, even with movies that are successful, I still feel like, 'Yeah, I hate it'. I know Greg too, he got offered some movies that turned into, like, huge movies and I'm like, 'Oh, don't you regret it?' and he's like, 'No, I still think it's terrible'. I mean, the only thing is, like, I've not done movies that have become very successful and then it would be easier to make the movies that you want to make, because you're a bigger name. But then if you did something stupid, you wouldn't want to be in that, so, anyway...

Q: Apparently Greg used to be an actor. Does that come through with his approach to film-making?

JE: I think he was an actor in a Woody Allen movie, because his wife was Woody Allen's assistant. I think Woody Allen needed to have somebody play a movie director, so I think he asked him, but I don't think he acted. He's like an extremely shy guy, so I don't think he would ever act. But he was the most sensitive director I've ever met, like, to actors. As I said, he was letting us improvise and I think that, in retrospect, that was just to make us comfortable, I don't think it was for new ideas. And so I think, yeah, he was really sensitive and I've met directors who were actors and sometimes it's like they really do want to be actors so that kind of colours it like they're a little bitter, so I've seen that side too, so I don't think it necessarily makes them more sensitive. But he also once told me he thinks acting's such an emotionally difficult job and it is – you have to be in like an emotional state for fourteen hours a day, even if it's a light scene, you're still emoting, somehow. And so he always expressed a sensitivity to that and it comes through in the movie, all the characters are seen to be dealt with sensitively, even if they're doing something bad.

Q: The film was at Sundance and Edinburgh. How's it been to take the film on the festival circuit rather than go straight into release?

JE: I prefer that. Like, I did a Sony movie that's coming out in October and it's like a big movie and we're already doing publicity for it and I don't really like that. I mean, not that I want to go get lauded at film festivals, but I like that movies have to prove themselves at film festivals and then when the movie finally does come out, it's already kind of over some hurdle, whereas like a bigger movie, there's so much money and resources behind it that the movie's quality is somehow secondary, so when they put the movie out, it's almost regardless of its own merit.

Q: And how do you find the interaction with the people at festivals, going to the screenings, doing the Q & As and so on?

JE: Yeah, it's okay. I mean, I don't really like talking about myself, even though that's what I'm doing now, but you do it because you're supposed to promote the movie. So I could live without it, quite frankly, I'd prefer to just be acting somewhere, doing something else or whatever. But, yeah, it's nice. It makes you want to do good movies though, because if you have to talk about it so much, you know, you hesitate before you do something bad.

Q: Having said all that about choosing roles based on the script first, are there actually any directors you'd particularly like to work with?

JE: No. No, because, erm, no, because I feel like if somebody's really great, I don't want to be in their movie, because then I'll just feel like I'll screw it up. I don't want to screw up somebody's movie.

Q: Why would you think you'd screw it up?

JE: I don't know, I hate myself in movies, I feel like I've ruined all the things I've done, but I still like doing it, so I don't know... I don't know, I feel conflicted, but like, I don't know, if there's somebody like Steven Spielberg, I wouldn't want to screw up a Steven Spielberg movie. I mean, not that I want to screw up Greg's movie either, but he chose me, I didn't pursue it like, you know, actors pursue Steven Spielberg or something, so I felt like it's his fault if it's bad.

Q: I was just thinking you'd be perfect as the lead in a Woody Allen movie, as the kind of Woody Allen substitute character.

JE: I love Woody Allen, he's the greatest. As I was saying, Greg's wife was Woody Allen's assistant and Woody Allen saw the movie and sent Greg an email, saying how much he liked it. He said, “I imagine the box office receipts will be in inverse proportion to its quality”. (laughs) That's very funny.

Q: So, hypothetically, if Woody Allen had a script he said was perfect for you...?

JE: Yeah, I guess so. No-one ever says no to him, I guess, right?

Q: How does it feel when you get a plaudit from someone you respect like that?

JE: Yeah, it was great. I was shocked, like, I can't imagine Woody Allen sitting there watching another movie, just watching something and paying attention to it. But, yeah, it's like a great honour.

Q: What's your next project?

JE: I'm supposed to do a few movies but the one that I think is most likely to happen is called Midnight Sun and it's about these two young guys at Columbia who got recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb, in New Mexico. And it's a true story, it's like this incredible, very tense story. And there's an English girl in it, playing my wife – Felicity Jones. So it's like the three of us are the main characters, going to New Mexico and starting to work on this project. It's really an interesting movie and the Pentagon is letting us film at Los Alamos. It's written and directed by Chris Eigeman, from Metropolitan.

Q: It'll be nice to see you play someone who's married too, after so many coming-of-age movies.

JE: Yes, I've finally tied the knot.