Interview Time!

[thehefner]

I have been interviewed by the great bagelofdeath. Let's see what she has to ask:


1) What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

I think it'd have to be the road trip (but if I survive my summer tour this year, that'll be to new winner). Someday, I'm gonna continue my road trip photo posts, and even throw in a video or two. Right now, I still need some time to decompress.

Someday, I hope to answer that question with "getting my Harvey Dent novel published by DC Comics."



2) What is the strangest food you really and truly enjoy?

Peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches. Don't judge me until you've tried it. Which you never will, and will judge me anyway. It's a family tradition, started by my grandmother (not surprising from the woman who'd eat a bucket of sweetened Crisco), carried on by Mom. I don't know what to tell you people, but it works. Although these days, I don't do the full sandwich thing anymore, instead making PB&MW mini-sandwiches with saltines for a quick snack.

Really, maybe I should have just said "pineapple and sausage pizza," but that would have been boring.



3) If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Do you think you have a good chance of doing this job one day?

A solo performer. By which I mean, a relatively-famous and prestigious solo performer with enough income to live comfortably (and also afford things like marketing, an agent, etc). I think I do have a good chance of attaining that some day, but I do worry that I'm not doing everything I could to get there. But so far, I've never felt anything quite so fulfilling as writing and performing my own work, and I want to keep doing it as long as possible. Or at least, unless the 2009 tour breaks my spirit entirely.

Ideally, I'd want John C. Reilly's life, where I could do my own thing, plus act on stage, in arthouse movies and frat comedies, and even show up in sketch comedy and animation.



4) Cast your ultimate Batman movie, knowing you cannot cast the same people in the same roles they've already played. So Liam Neeson COULD NOT be in your movie as Ra's Al Ghul, but could be Rachel Dawes. And your ideal Batman movie can be your novel IF--and only if--it includes all the villains. Basically I'm asking you to cast everybody in Batman. But in a roundabout way. SO DO IT.

Harvey Dent: Hugh Jackman
Gilda Lamont-Dent: Rachel Weisz
Bruce Wayne/Batman: Daniel Day-Lewis (with some of that Benjamin Button youthifizing CGI)
Lieutenant/Captain/Commissioner James Gordon: Josh Brolin
Christopher “Double-Down” Dent: Harry Dean Stanton
Vincent “The Boss” Moroni: Ray Liotta
Carmine “The Roman” Falcone: Robert De Niro
Carl Grissom: Al Pacino
Rupert Thorne: Paul Sorvino
Adrian Fields: Leland Orser
Dr. Rudolph Klemper: Sir Derek Jacobi
Dr. Hugo Strange: Sir Ben Kingsley
Jack Ryder: Stephen Colbert
Alfred Pennyworth: Hugh Laurie
Mayor Hamilton Hill: Scott Wilson
Detective Harvey Bullock: Brendan Gleeson
Detective Renee Montoya: Michelle Rodriguez
Willis Todd: Jason Lee
Butch Montrose: Ethan Suplee
Micky “Mad Dog” Pike: Nicky Katt
The Joker: Brad Dourif (with makeup and BB-CGI)
Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin: Kelsey Grammer (with the help of John Rhys-Davies' people from LORD OF THE RINGS)
Edward Nigma/The Riddler: Matt Frewer (BB-CGI)
Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow: Jeremy Davies
Selina Kyle/Catwoman: Rosario Dawson
Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn: Isla Fisher
Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy: Cate Blanchett
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze: Clive Owen
Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter: David Tennant
Waylon Jones/Killer Croc: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Ra’s al Ghul: Naveen Andrews

My apologies if I've horrified you by miscasting your favorite character. I don't entirely stand by all of these, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.



5) What item do you covet more than anything right now?

Honestly, this sounds strange, but for right now... I think I'm gonna have to go with that Gilda Dent drawing.

Comments

[gore-whore-5.livejournal.com]

I WANT TO SEE THAT BATMAN MOVIE. MAKE IT. MAKE IT NOW.

Also, you did not disappoint when it came to the Joker. My choice exactly.

Casting...

[american-arcane.livejournal.com]

Some interesting choices there.

Clive Owen as Mr. Freeze is brilliant. And Fisher as Harley... I like that.

Not sure if I agree with Hugh Laurie as Alfred... I've been very impressed with Michael Cain in the recent films.

Good news is, I'm pretty sure you could get Ben Kingsley to do a movie for you. That man will do anything, it seems. ;)

[droidboy010101.livejournal.com]

Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow: Jeremy Davies
Selina Kyle/Catwoman: Rosario Dawson
Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn: Isla Fisher

Yes... oh fuck yes.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

YOU.

Will you be able to make Wednesday's free show?

Also, two things you should see/hear if you haven't already:



and

Re: Casting...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I had a damn hard time with Alfred. Laurie's definitely not my perfect choice, but I just figured the hell with it. I considered Stephen Fry, but only for old school Alfred. But remember, the rules say I can't cast Michael Caine! I'm open to suggestions for him or any of them.

The more I think about Isla Fisher as Harley, the happier a place I am in. Making that connection is probably the only good thing to come from all those ads for CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC. She's addicted to shopohol!

Too true. But man, Kingsley as Strange would be fierce.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Dear lord, you don't know how much I wanna. For Dourif Joker alone... oh hell, all of it, who am I kidding.

[tamburlaine.livejournal.com]

Yo, hands off Jeremy Davies. WHAT DID I SAY.

Isla Fisher would make such a fun Harley Quinn. zomg. And Brad Dourif could be anything, anywhere, and be fantastic. Everyone's creaming over the idea of David Tennant playing The Riddler. What say you?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Okay, okay! Creepy twitchy squirrel man is all yours!

I dunno. I mean, I could see it, I'd have no problems there. I'm just hesitant about it because it's such a damn "fandom" choice. These are probably the same people who were creaming over the idea of Crispin Glover playing the Joker. In what goddamned universe?! You might as well cast Christopher Walken! I'm not saying I wouldn't love to see either one, and they might well create as legitimate interpretations of the character as Heath did, but regardless, what the hell?

That said, I'd kinda rather see Kevin Spacey. I seriously wish he'd been able to play Lex Luthor straight, but if he played that Lex as the Riddler, I'd be a happy camper.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Like, also, these are the same people obsessed with the idea of Kristen Bell as Harley. I haven't seen enough of her to judge, but I don't know if she could possibly pull off the crazy delightful awesomeness of Isla. I tried to think, "What actress is funny, talented, pixie-like, and would go 'Wheeeeeeeee!'"?

By the way, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to track down this beer:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/224

Good luck.

Casting.

[the-mithril-man.livejournal.com]

I like most of those, or at least i was thinking "he didn't think of him/her".Rosario Dawson as Catwoman.... I need to be alone now.
As for me:
Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn: Amy Adams
Detective Harvey Bullock: Chow Yun-Fat
Edward Nigma/The Riddler: Neil Patrick Harris
Bane (Not on your list but I like him): Glen Jacobs with someone else doing the voice
Bruce Wayne/Batman: Alec Baldwin (From back when he was in The Shadow Movie)
The Joker: (Work with me here) Ron Perlman

Re: Casting.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Neat choices. Neil Patrick Harris would be utterly awesome, in particular.

... I'm trying to work with you on Perlman, but I just ain't seeing it. At all.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

Clive Owen as Freeze? I am interested, but I would like more explanation please.

Other than that I agree with most of your suggestions, I think. Fisher would be particularly awesome as Harley, and in general should be in more movies that don't make me want to throw up, and your Bullock and Montoya picks make me want a Gotham Central* movie. I would pick Jon Hamm** as Bruce and (since I'm looking at Mad Men actors) Christina Hendricks as Ivy. I aaaalmost want to say John Cleese for Alfred.



*Also, a quick trip to wikipedia tells me that we came this close to have a Gotham Central TV show, but it looks like it didn't go through. Why is life so unfair?

**Although ever since Nathan Rabin suggested in one of his Year of Flops that he would be a good pick for the title character if Sam Raimi ever gets to make a new movie for The Shadow I have not been able to get the thought of how awesome that could be out of my head. MAKE IT HAPPEN RAIMI.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

His voice and manner are very cold, deadpan, but with a sense of something else behind it. Pain, sadness, regret, definitely a guy who's seen and done a lot of shit and left his humanity in the cold. Plus, I like the thought of Mr. Freeze as a badass near-unstoppable stalker, ala the Terminator, Jason, and Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem could make a great Victor too, actually...), and Owen can certainly do "unrelenting."

Life IS so unfair. GOTHAM CENTRAL is to perfectly prime for TV. What the fuck.

OOOOH, I haven't seen MAD MEN yet (and I'll keep Hamm in mind when I do), but based on the teeny weeny little things I have seen, yes, yes, oh god Hendricks as Ivy, yes. Although after seeing BENJAMIN BUTTON, I would absolutely still stand by Cate. Good lord, she's never been hotter than in that film.

And I was actually considering Cleese too! Maybe I didn't go for it because of the James Bond connection, it being too close. But hell, I think he'd be better than Hugh Laurie.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

Ahh, yes, I see what you mean now. Yeah, Owen is really good at playing those types of characters. Makes me wish that Freeze was a serious possibility for the next Batman movie, even though he is probably too sci-fi (although TV has taught me that there apparently is such a thing as a liquid nitrogen gun, so who knows?) and the whole "man driven to madness and villainy after the death of his beloved" thing is probably too similar to events in TDK. Also, there is probably a limit to how much sexy one can have in a movie.

(Speaking of Chigurh and unstoppable machine-like men, I read a blog post a few months back comparing him to Rorschach that I found really interesting (and I tend to agree with the author's conclusions, and listening to how Moore reads Rorschach supports this I think).)

I think that if you had asked me, before mentioning Owen, my pick for Freeze would have probably been Jeffrey Donovan, of Burn Notice fame. He can definitely do the whole "detached to an unsettling extent" thing, and even though his character on BN is the good guy, he does lean towards the machine-man thing. Every now and then an episode will push him further into that territory and the result is usually more than a little unnerving, especially since for the most part it's a fairly light-hearted show. Plus, even though he's a pretty good looking guy, he still looks slightly alien-like, which has to help when playing creepier characters.

Yes, watch Mad Men, it is a good show! That said, I still need to finish watching the first season. But seriously, how can you look at this motherfucker and not think Bruce Wayne?

The reason I was hesitant towards John Cleese was in part because of his James Bond role, because that part, as well as some of his more recent film roles, tended to be more of a silly buffoon characters. But as viewing even a handful of Monty Python episodes can tell you, Cleese is very good at playing humorous, yet authoritative characters. Chapman was too, and he would have made an excellent Alfred if he was still with us today.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

That Rorschach blog post is pretty neat, and yeah, I definitely agree that he should be an unrelenting stalker like Chigurh. Again, man, now I'm thinking of Bardem as Fries, that pleases me. Although as a fan of BURN NOTICE, I would be interested to see Donovan. He really is poised to be great, and I'd like to see him in other roles. I worry that he's a bit too... reedy for Victor. Part of how he's a great spy is how no one is intimidated by him the second he walks through the door. Freeze should chill you to your soul before he even hits you with his gun.

But no, no, there really is no limit to the amount of sexy in one movie. If I had my way, I'd have Jackman, Day-Lewis, Weisz, Fisher, Dawson, and whatsername from MAD MEN. A thinking man's sexy cast. Must make this movie now. NOW.

Yes, very well, I shall make MAD MEN a priority when I have the time for TV again! But I think BATTLESTAR GALACTACA has taken priority, and I still wanna/needta watch THE WIRE and THE SHIELD.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

Yay, fellow Burn Notice fan! That show and Psych constitute my two-pronged bad mood attack.

It's interesting that you would say that about Freeze, because I've never really considered him a physically imposing character exactly, and what makes him so scary is more in his demeanor, his voice/the way he speaks, etc. And I see hints in Burn Notice that Donovan could play that character type very well, like that scene in the recent Scammed Sick Kid Dad episode where Michael almost went at poor Sam, or every time he smiles without it extending to his eyes.

It is great to see how well Burn Notice is doing, and I hope that Donovan goes on to more prominent film roles. I almost went to see The Changeling in the theaters because he was in it (and the lovely 1920s costumes) but decided against it. I'll have to Netflix it when it comes out on DVD.

But no, no, there really is no limit to the amount of sexy in one movie.

Are you sure man? 'Cause after looking at the previews for Wolverine Origins I am starting to think that there is a balance between Quality of Film and Amount of Sexy, and one suffers if you have too much of the other (and vice versa). Or maybe that only applies if 20th Century Fox makes your film.

Yes, very well, I shall make MAD MEN a priority when I have the time for TV again! But I think BATTLESTAR GALACTACA has taken priority, and I still wanna/needta watch THE WIRE and THE SHIELD.

Swap out The Shield for the 2nd season of Rome and our TV priorities are pretty much the same (though I need to see Deadwood too). If we weren't on opposite sides of the country we could have viewing parties!

[bitemetechie.livejournal.com]

Rosario Dawson as Catwoman? You, dear boy, are full of madness.

But, since I just rolled out of bed and can't think of any better choices that don't involve bending the space time continuum to my will so I can snatch actors from other eras, eh, I'll let it slide. In fact, most of the casting choices that I have in my head rely on yanking people circa nineteen-eighty-something...except for Ron Perlman as Killer Croc. Because really...Ron Perlman as Killer Croc. Have you seen City of Lost Children? -flail-

(What that has to do with him playing Croc, I don't know, but dude...SEE. IT. NOW.)

And you will survive the summer tour with your spirits intact. We'll see to it. Really, can you stay mopey with us around to bicker for your amusement? Can you?

Now, I have to go stagger around and continue unpacking. If I'm conscious enough for it tonight, I'll dive back into the novel. I could really use that to help unwind right about now :)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I'm open to other suggestions, but Dawson has so far been met with approval by others!

I actually would have cast Perlman, but didn't he already voice Croc for the Animated Series? I mean, the final season with the shitty revisions and the boring green non-idiotic Croc? That would go against the rules as established by Miz Bagel.

And indeed I have seen CoLC! I remember thinking it was a gorgeous visual marvel, but the story didn't wow me at the time. I think I preferred DELICATESSEN.

Whee! Oh, hey, your last thoughts on the book have inspired me to plot a serious reconfiguration of the chapter you're working on. For one thing, Grissom's being cut entirely, methinks, and I want that chapter's tense goal to initially be "How will Two-Face take down Thorne?" and start from there. It's hard to describe, but just bear with the version you have for now, and know that I've got a stronger take on the way!

Same for Fields' entire subplot and the "Untouchables" section, I've plotted out much stronger arcs for them both. Once the Monologues have calmed down for a bit, I'll get to work on 'em.

[darkestnova.livejournal.com]

Hey, some of your casting matches our casting! Yays.

Also, since the untimely death of Lappy, we find ourselves without novel to read. This saddens us. Observe the sadness.

[darkestnova.livejournal.com]

Croc is dumb! The boy is on my side!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Nooo! Should I resend it to y'all?