5.26.2004

Interview with Sean McKittrick

Sean McKittrick is Richard's number one partner in crime. His official title is Producer, but in reality his job is to help Richard maintain his sanity using whatever means necessary. Sean has been with Rich since the beginning and the two make up an extremely effective duo. We'd like to thank Sean for taking a little time away from his busy schedule (we want Southland Tales NOW!) to answer our questions. — Number_5

R-K.net: How did you meet Richard and what made you decide to start working with him?

Sean: Richard and I met our senior year of college. I was interning for Lucas Foster, a producer who at the time had a deal at Sony. His assistant, Sasha Alexander, introduced the two of us. She was acting in Richard's crazy sci-fi farce of a graduate film and Richard needed someone smart or dumb enough (I'm still figuring that out) to produce his film. (Sasha has since become a successful actress, most recently on Navy NCIS). I read his script and just laughed at its brilliant absurdity. We met at Jerry's Deli and quickly realized that we had the same taste in films, the same desire to do something original, and the same view of the world. uh, the same crazy view of the world. We also realized we shared a few very close friends, which kind of allowed us to trust each other from the beginning. Bruins and Trojans working together. it's total anarchy.

R-K.net: Did you study film in college or were you one of those people who failed out of a Mexican med school?

Sean: I took a bunch of film classes but I was a Physiological Sciences Major. It was basically Pre-Med. After spending a few years in the neurosurgical lab at the UCLA Medical Center, I realized life would be much more interesting if the fifty human heads in buckets of formaldehyde around me were on a movie set. I never actually applied to Medical School but if I did, I probably would have failed out of Back-Alley Upstairs Mexican Medical School. My heart wasn't in it. I had to make movies.

R-K.net: According to Richard, you were instrumental in helping him sign with an agency (CAA).  How did that all come about?

Sean: After we made our grad film, I went off to work in Development/Production at New Line Cinema as an assistant. Over the two years I worked there, I made a lot of friends all over town. When it was time to find an agent for Richard, I simply sent the script around to all my assistant friends at the agencies. Dave Rudy, who was then Beth Swofford's assistant, read it and loved it. He handed it up the ladder and a week later CAA was rolling out the red carpet for Richard.

R-K.net: Talk about the battle that you guys fought to get Darko made.  What were some of the things that studios or financiers told you during the "rejection phase?"  How tough was it to keep hearing no and still press forward?

Sean: My favorite comment from one studio executive was that the film was "unproduceable". Everyone kept saying it's a great writing sample but it would never get made. Most of them were trying to change it into a teen horror franchise where Frank The Bunny was prancing around killing teenagers. Others wanted to bring on an "experienced" director because Richard couldn't "handle directing a film this intricate". BUT HE WROTE THE DAMN THING! I remember meeting after meeting of people commenting on how young we were. You could see the rejection shooting out of their eyes like lasers from the moment we walked into their office.

It was definitely a very frustrating year and a half of rejection. It was tough to turn down the money but we were still fresh out of college and accustomed to living off of cheap beer and Top Ramen. And saying no to us is like adding fuel to the fire. There was no way we were going to give up on Donnie Darko.

R-K.net: What is your favorite story from the set (or during shooting)?

Sean: I love telling this story... We were three days away from shooting Grandma Death's first scene and nobody could find the woman we cast. We needed to do a bunch of make-up tests on her face because we needed to age her forty years. (NOTE: We need to be able to pull and stretch the woman's face, then add the make-up, let go and the wrinkles will form.) But this woman was literally missing. Not even her agent knew where she was. Then I got the call on set that she finally showed up but there was a problem and our key make-up artist was on her way from base camp. She walked up to me with a look of horror on her face. Apparently, Grandma Death was missing for the past few weeks because she was. HAVING A FACE-LIFT! Our make-up artist pulled out a Polaroid and said, "This is her smiling." The poor woman couldn't even open her mouth. I was shocked. We couldn't pull and stretch this woman's face to age her forty years when she just had a face-lift! Her whole face would have fallen off!

So we're standing there shocked and then Nancy couldn't contain herself anymore. She started laughing and none of us can hold back once Nancy starts laughing. We had a casting call the next morning and we (Nancy and I) picked the best three and brought tapes to Richard. He chose one on the spot. It definitely worked out for the best. We got a better Grandma Death and now we have this story.

R-K.net: What was it like working with Nancy Juvonen as producers? 

Sean: Have you ever seen Swimming With Sharks? She's like that but more vicious. Obviously, I'm kidding. Nancy is the greatest. Of all the people we've come across in this crazy town, Nancy is definitely my favorite. She has this amazing calming quality about her. She makes everyone feel comfortable and important which are perfect qualities for a producer. I'd work with her again in a second. Plus, Nancy sent us boxes of Top Ramon because we took only enough money to pay rent out of the budget. Now that's a good producing partner.

R-K.net: How was the experience at Sundance?  Was it thrilling to see your movie finally hit the screen, yet frustrating not to come away from the festival with a distribution deal?  Any particular quotes from distributors during this next "rejection phase."  (That's a lot of rejection phases.)

Sean: It was thrilling to see it for the first time with an audience at Sundance. The crowd loved it, gave it a standing ovation. Then the acquisition executives started shredding it. "It's too long and dark", "there's no audience for this film", "we don't know who to market it to," and my personal favorite. "I don't get it." Plus, I feel like we were ostracized for being the film with the big budget (Nobody believed we made it for 4.5 million) and for having movie stars. I really felt that most people wanted our film to fail because we actually pulled it off!

R-K.net: After the initial theatrical run fizzled out in America, what did you feel should have been done differently?  And do you think the Director's Cut in a theatrical release could make up for some of that?

Sean: Hindsight is 20/20 so it's hard to say. I think everyone felt we should have pushed the release because of September 11 th but at that point we were just happy it was in theaters. We didn't have the proper amount of time or money to prep for a release. I certainly hope the Director's Cut can make up for that but again I'm just thankful it's coming out in theaters. This has never happened before and it's very exciting that the film is finally getting the respect it deserves.

R-K.net: What's your opinion on the Director's Cut?  What do you think fan reaction will be considering there are people who have watched it dozens of times and quote the movie routinely on message boards and e-mails on the Internet?

Sean: I think the director's cut is a more complete film than what was originally released. It is Richard's original and expanded vision. I really believe the die-hard Darko fans will love it because we're giving them a film that is expanding on the ideas and moments they love. Plus, the puzzle pieces fit together in a much more interesting and impressive way because nobody was ordering us to cut scenes or subplots to make an arbitrary length of time.

R-K.net: Did they expand your role of "concerned parent walking into PTA meeting?"  And who played your wife in that memorable scene?

Sean: As a trained method actor (insert sarcasm here), I spent weeks in character. There was a subplot where my character breaks out into a choreographed dance with Sparkle Motion to 99 Luftaballoons but that was cut do to time constraints. My wife in the scene was one of our production assistants. By the way, I'm still waiting for my SAG residuals. I'm also in the Frank costume in the school hallway because Jimmy Duval was on another film that day. I don't know how he did it. I was only in that thing for a few hours and I think I sweat off five pounds!

Sadly, I think Nancy's performance as a "flight attendant with a pillow" was much more convincing. She's got serious Meryl Streep talent.

R-K.net: Considering you and Richard are such close friends and business partners, how do you feel you complement his talents?  And does he ever say, "You complete me" like Jerry Maguire?

Sean: For one, I'm one of the few people who understand how Richard thinks. He's got a thousand ideas a second and sometime he needs someone to figure them out with him. It comes down to trust and respect. I trust and respect Richard and he trusts and respects me. In many ways, he's the only person I do completely trust in this town. I constantly question him about everything in every one of his scripts. We have these daylong script meetings where I question every one of his words. If he doesn't have an answer for me, we change or lose it and vice versa. He knows that if I have a problem with something in the script, it's because I'm trying to make the story better. And he knows I always have his back. I will always fight to put his story on screen, not a corrupted version of it.

He signed "You complete me" once. Or maybe he was flipping me off. I don't know.

R-K.net: Although Richard's upcoming projects are pretty top secret, what little nuggets can you offer on Southland Tales and some of the other scripts?

Sean: For Southland Tales, just remember the character name Zora Carmichaels. She will be the greatest screen villain of all time. She would crush Hannibal Lecter. That's all I'll give for now. But know that Southland Tales is going to be legendary.

And watch out for Bessie and Into The Great Wide Open in the coming years. We're ensuring our place in hell after Bessie and ITGWO is our version of a comic book action franchise.

R-K.net: What is Pooh Dollar and do you think it could make it as a TV series considering all the reality/game show/voluntary public humiliation crap that litters television these days?

Sean: Pooh Dollar is a little film I made for my friends. It's self-explanatory. Pooh on a dollar in a public place with a hidden camera??!! You'd be surprised how many people keep the dollar. It's kind of a cult hit amongst our extended friends. I don't think Pooh Dollar could make it as a television series. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen. But when we have some disposable income, we're going to make Pooh II. It will be bigger and smellier than the original.

R-K.net: Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Sean: There it is, the Barbara Walters question I knew was going to make me cry. Damn you.

R-K.net: As Sean breaks down into sobbing hysterics, we would like to thank him again for the great answers. Hopefully readers will keep in mind when they see a Richard Kelly film that Sean has a giant hand in the finished product. And we really mean GIANT HAND - the guy can palm a basketball with three fingers. But even more important than that, we pray that readers will think twice the next time they see a dollar bill sitting on the ground. The guy that dropped it may not have been eating chocolate.