In reading about Jason Schwartzman’s extraordinary journey, I find myself utterly captivated by his unique blend of talent and audacity. Born into the silver screen dynasty yet refusing to be confined by its formulaic expectations, he has carved out a niche for himself that is nothing short of inspiring.
Despite kickstarting his acting career with a leading role as the nerdy schoolboy in Wes Anderson’s hit film “Rushmore” back in 1998, Jason Schwartzman continues to find ways to boost his spirit.
He comments that his work is challenging, acknowledging the periods of time that may elapse before moving onto a new position in his career.
During our conversation at the Berlin Film Festival this year, he shared that he’s constantly seeking advice but his one constant is never giving up. Essentially, his guidance would be: when I’m working on something, I strive to think of it as if it’s my first project. I don’t want to cling to old methods and how things were done in the past.
Nevertheless, this phase has been quite successful for the 44-year-old performer, who is also known as a musician. He’s put out three albums under the name Coconut Records and was once the drummer for Phantom Planet in the past.
In the previous year, he finished his seventh film with Anderson, titled Asteroid City; lent his voice to the villainous Spot in the exceptionally animated Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; and portrayed the slick host of games in the prequel to The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
“I’ve got to admit, I’ve never put in so much effort in one year before,” I find myself astonishedly acknowledging, taken aback by the overwhelming wave of activity that’s come my way.
Furthermore, this relentless workload hasn’t slowed down a bit. Now, he finds himself taking on the lead role in the comedy “Between the Temples,” working alongside seasoned actress Carol Kane. Subsequently, he’s set to collaborate with the esteemed cast of “Megalopolis,” the highly anticipated directorial comeback from his own renowned uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
Additionally, in early September, he’ll also be attending the Venice Film Festival. There, Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, “Queer,” will make its debut. This movie is an adaptation of William Burroughs’ novel, and Jason Schwartzman plays a significant role alongside Daniel Craig and Lesley Manville.
Initially, we have “Between the Temples,” a comedic film with a Jewish twist, written and directed by Nathan Silver, who previously gave us “Thirst Street” in 2017. In this production, Schwartzman has an opportunity to take on a significant role.
The character, Ben Gottlieb, portrays a cantor from an upstate New York synagogue who’s grappling with a spiritual predicament. He expresses, “At the core, it’s all about faith.” As someone whose role is to guide children in preparing for significant life events like Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, he’s currently struggling with his inability to support these occasions, which must be a source of great confusion for him.
Despite Between the Temples appearing light and breezy, the actor confesses it was quite challenging. In other words, it wasn’t a walk in the park; instead, it was tough because Nathan, one of the key points he stressed to me, was that my character speaks extremely slowly, even though not all of it made it into the movie. This aspect was quite significant.
In an unusual turn of events, the director’s instruction for me to ‘slow down’ felt quite uncommon, as such advice is seldom given. Over time, I found myself slipping into a slower mental state… it was quite disheartening. truthfully, I didn’t envision us creating a comedy; instead, my intention was to approach the project with utmost seriousness.
Instead of constantly questioning the director about whether my character is humorous, I prefer to inquire: “From your perspective, does the personality portrayed in this film bring humor? If this individual were in a room, would they evoke laughter from an audience?”
Schwartzman benefited from working alongside several talented female costars such as Caroline Aaron, portraying his character’s mother Meira, and Dolly De Leon, who gained acclaim in Triangle of Sadness, taking on the role of Meira’s partner.
In the 1970s American cinema scene, Kane was a widely recognized figure who earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal in the Jewish immigrant tale, Hester Street. As Ben developed a bond with Carla, Schwartzman also felt a strong connection with his co-star, Carol. “I do share a connection with Carol,” he admits, “and I could feel that bond with her.”
Schwartzman finds equal joy in his acting career as he does in his personal life, where he’s happily married to an art and design director, Brady Cunningham.
“I’m thrilled about going to work, as there’s no other place that feels quite right for me. At home, my days seem rather uneventful, but when I’m on a film set, everything changes – I feel invigorated and eager to be present. It’s not just the allure of a movie set, it’s the act of working in itself that I cherish. I find joy in any work environment, but I particularly adore the creative process of filmmaking.”
It’s not surprising, considering Schwartzman had the unique opportunity to witness his uncle Francis direct Megalopolis, a film he’s been deeply invested in since the 70s during Apocalypse Now production. He shared, “It was quite an impactful experience.” Then, he shares an unusual story about Coppola, during the shooting of a specific scene, coming up with an impromptu solution that left many crew members puzzled.
In that instant, an idea sprang to life, and honestly, it seemed preposterous. People were quick to doubt, exclaiming, “That won’t work! I can’t fathom it.” But he persisted, pleading, “Give me a chance to give it a shot.” And surprisingly, it succeeded. Later on, I inquired if this was his usual approach, and he admitted, “I’ve never attempted anything like that in my entire life.”
The near-future story of an architect who dreams of building a utopia, it split critics when it premiered in Cannes earlier this year. But Schwartzman, who plays one of the residents of Megalopolis, was still bowled over by his uncle’s free-spirited nature.
In a conversational tone, “I exclaimed, ‘That’s incredible… at your age… you’re diving into new experiences headfirst.’ Given his reputation and years of experience, it was truly inspiring to see him defy expectations, facing skepticism from some who said, ‘It won’t work,’ but refusing to conform to the usual way of doing things.”
Day after day, I found myself observing him immersed in utterly bizarre circumstances, and I couldn’t help but think, “I aspire to emulate that spirit.” This isn’t only about his approach as a filmmaker, but rather, the way he lives life as an individual.
Indeed, Schwartzman was born into a family deeply rooted in Hollywood. Not just his uncle, but also his cousins like director Sofia Coppola and actor Nicolas Cage are part of the industry. His own mother, Talia Shire, gained fame as Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series alongside Sylvester Stallone.
Initially, Schwartzman wasn’t prompted to step into the spotlight. He admitted, “I hadn’t realized I could desire acting. It was somewhat ingrained in my upbringing… However, I never watched movies and thought, ‘I could be up there,’ because the kind of films I saw during the ’80s… I didn’t watch Lethal Weapon and think, ‘This movie is incomplete! Me!’ Who would have such thoughts?”
Initially, Schwartzman was an avid movie enthusiast, as he himself put it. “As a child, I was captivated by films. I adored going to the movies. I particularly enjoyed comedies.” Later, during his teenage years, his fascination expanded to include more ‘unconventional’ films such as Phantom of the Paradise, Bugsy Malone, and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Yet, music remained his most cherished passion. As a youth, he had a compact portable stereo system, often referred to as a boom box. “It allowed me to carry it into any room,” he said. “There was something about that independence and self-expression that attracted me to music… creating sound on your own terms.”
Everything shifted when he stumbled upon the Rushmore script. “Prior to that moment, I hadn’t read a script.” His mother even took a peek at it, leaving her impressed. “Then I fell ill with the flu, and she visited a video rental store and borrowed three movies for me: Dog Day Afternoon, Harold and Maude, and The Graduate. These were films I had never watched before. My mother suggested I watch them as preparation for my audition.”
“I vividly recall an instance; I was watching The Graduate, and there’s a scene early in the film where Dustin Hoffman is in his room, and Mrs. Robinson enters. In particular, he knocks on a table, and that gesture struck me as if it were a record being played. It evoked such a unique sensation… I find myself wondering how one could recreate that feeling on a vinyl record. That sense of nostalgia, I can relate to it.”
As a movie buff and music enthusiast, Jason Schwartzman has hinted at the impending release of a fresh album. He’s been holding onto a stack of songs for quite some time now, and he found himself in a creative slump. He questioned whether these songs should ever see the light of day again. However, it seems that passion has won over doubt as he’s no longer hesitating to bring these pieces to life once more.
Following their recent reunion with Ben Kweller, a musician he’s known since his youth, they are now considering collaborating. This situation reminds him of Carol in the film, suggesting that Ben will help produce a record for him – illustrating how people can unexpectedly reenter one’s life.
“Without my recent connection with Ben, I might not have created another album; it seems like this encounter ignited a dormant creativity in me.”
Between the Temples opens in cinemas on August 23rd. Megalopolis is released on September 27th.
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2024-08-23 13:34