Interview: Buscemi’s tribute to Theo Van Gogh
Theo Van Gogh – the controversial Dutch director killed by an Islamic fanatic in November 2004 – had a project: to remake his trilogy on male-female conflicts in the US, shooting in English with an international cast.
His producer Gijs van de Westelaken has fulfilled this dream, handing over the three films to directors Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci and Bob Balaban.
Buscemi chose Interview for its fascinating and cruel confrontation between seductive soap star Katya (Sienna Miller) and aggressive journalist Pierre Peters (Buscemi).
"I was drawn to the bond between the two main characters and how a dysfunctional relationship develops between the interviewer and the interviewee,” said the actor-director, in Rome to present the film, co-produced by Dutch company Column , which is being released in Italy on April 11 on 50 screens by Fandango.
He approached the direction like an actor: "The original film paid particular attention to the acting and those who worked with him told me Theo loved actors very much".
For Buscemi, the best aspect about the project was working with a crew made up of van Gogh’s usual collaborators. "In that way,” he said, “I could relate more directly to his way of making movies. The simultaneous use of digital cameras, shooting in close-ups, and sequentially with respect to the story, allowed for a certain spontaneity in the acting and a fluidity similar to the dynamics of a play".
As for van Gogh’s philosophy, Buscemi says: "I never met him. I don’t promote his ideas but the best way to pay him homage was to try and make the best remake possible".
(Translated from Italian)
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