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Health & Fitness

Seven Psychopaths - an interview with writer/director Martin McDonagh

From director/writer Martin McDonagh comes one of the funniest most disturbing movies I have seen in a long time, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. Here's an interview with Martin about the film and the cast.

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS:

An interview with director Martin McDonagh 

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

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Opening in theatres this Friday from director/writer Martin McDonagh comes one of the funniest most disturbing movies I have seen in a long time. Its name – SEVEN PSYCOPATHS and it is a title that tells the plain truth.

It’s a story of Marty (Colin Farrell) who is in a slump writing a script. Wanting to help is best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) who clearly has a few great ideas. Billy’s friend, Hans (Christopher Walken) are in the dog-for-money business (which is a nice way of saying dog-nappers). Hans is married to Myra (Linda Bright Clay) who is in the hospital. Billy nabs Charlie’s (Woody Harrelson) dog Bonnie and the gangster doesn’t take it so well. Now the chase is on as Marty tries to write a script, Billy protects Bonnie and Hans is on his own journey.

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SEVEN PSYCOPATHS is by the same director that brought the 2008 film IN BRUGES, also with Colin Farrell. That film was nominated for an Oscar and received accolades from BAFTA, BSFC, British Independent Film Awards, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

So when I get the opportunity to sit down with this very talented man to talk about his latest creation SEVEN PSYCOPATHS, my first question is:

What the **** is wrong with you man? <laughing> I love films that are twisted and films that are kind of disgusting but when you put the two together!

I’m just pandering to my audience.

Now we have a new title for you, Mr. Pander-er!

I’m just getting it all out there. I just see this film as a comedy not as a violent film. It’s filled with funny jokes. Why do people think I’m sick?

I walked out thinking you were brilliant, but twisted and that is the highest compliment ever. We have become so jaded about films lately that its nice to come out of one and say, “now I have to see that again” because we were laughing so hard.

There are a couple of good jokes in there that are completely missed because people are laughing, I know.

What goes on in a brain that makes you think “I can pull this off”?

In the comedy and the blackness? Its only my second film so for me I was more scared that I would be able to pull it off – just doing it properly. I don’t really worry about the mix, darkness and sadness because I’ve done that in my plays as well. I was more worried about pulling off how to do a car chase and to work with so many great actors that you don’t know anything about and having to direct them. It’s more those fears than anything else. Certainly, in the script stage I know the comedy, I’m confident in those things.

You trust your own humor?

I trust the sickness in me.

I love that – its awesome.

We seem to share that!

I know, it’s almost like the secret is now out. You’ve allowed us to express our twistedness and be okay with it because everyone else in the audience gets it – and gets it quick. It’s okay to laugh at this craziness and join in with us.

You can go back to the rom-coms next week so for now join us!

Thank you for that. How did you convince Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken to do this?

It’s my dream team. For me it was. I would sit there and have a chat with Christopher and at the same time I’d be thinking ‘this guy is in my film!’. The same with Tom Waits as well. I have loved Christopher since I was young. I was lucky somehow. They probably liked what you like. Something off, dark, twisted and not the usual comedy there.

But you put Colin in a role I’d never expect him to play.

That innocent and loveliness, even though he has the alcohol problem, he’s the hero.

I think Sam said it best in ‘you’re Irish’, we’re good. The craziness was coming out of Sam Rockwell. Colin gets to be the cute, sweet guys instead of a crazy one this time!

I like that. You usually would think that someone of Colin’s talent and star power wouldn’t go for something mellow. I think he’s great in it.

When they’re on the road and the guy confronts Walken with a gun and he says, “No!” can you imagine anyone else doing that but Christopher Walken?

No, absolutely not, no one else could get away with that. I think on the page its more edgy but when he says it is hilarious and edgy at the same time.

He scares you!

He’s scarier without the gun than the guy with the gun is. I don’t think anyone else can play what he does in that part. No one of his generation is still doing the hard work like he does. It’s so unexpected and it’s unexpected that he’s not the crazy on in the film. There is a craziness to his back-story. He doesn’t play the crazy, edgy and dangerous but he is the scary Quaker.

Its that quiet calm. All of them have it except for maybe Woody who gets crazy about his dog Bonnie. Even when he shoots people in the face he’s calm. I love that you make the audience inhale at something shocking yet a second later bust up laughing at it.

Good! Did you like the Sam Rockwell shoot out in the cemetery. That’s freaking fantastic because he’s so good in it.

I can’t look at the poster of SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS without cracking up, seriously. How did you get the studios to jump onto this, I mean weren’t they a little scared?

Cool! I think some of them were and I think there was one that wouldn’t do it. The others thought it was too dark and such. There is one that wanted to go down that dark road. My thing was more about not wanting any interference with the script and how it was made. So if they come aboard they just sit and be quiet.

The eighth psychopath?

Exactly! Unless you do that, the audience wouldn’t have a chance to see what you have. There wouldn’t have been the action, the sick jokes and I think luckily having done the plays before and made IN BRUGES so my work was a little known. Unless you say that stuff they will keep tapping on your shoulder saying ‘change this – change that’.

Do you like the benefits of being both the writer and director?

Completely! I think luckily the last one, the biggest thing was not screwing it up. With IN BRUGES I made not have had a lot of money but people liked it a lot. That’s what I go for.

Its not that you’re being maliciously sick in the film. Every sickness has a purpose right? <laughing>

Absolutely. We do think alike!

The cast looked like they were having a blast.

They were, I can tell you they absolutely were.

Was there a lot of adlibbing going on?

I write in a way that sounds like they are adlibbing anyway. Sam, in a lead up to a scene will start to adlib and then do the scene as written. On the next one I think I’ll be a little more free about that stuff. They were all having a good time though and everyone loved working with Chris, Sam and Colin.

I would nervous being in Christopher Walken’s presence!

I was at first. I did a play with him and Sam and that was six months together. Doing this film I got a chance to know him a bit more. It takes time for him to know you. He’s a dream and absolutely loves Colin and Sam. I mean this is a film about good friends and you know they love each other and that comes through.

How long did it take you to write this? I mean it’s a movie within a movie within a movie, a lot of things going on?

A couple of months I think. I just whipped it out. I’m kind of hyper than I’m really lazy.

Did you see this in your head before you put in on paper?

No, from page one I just kind of had a short story idea and then the idea of Colin’s character and like his character says ‘I’ve got this title but I don’t know where to go but I don’t want it to be about violence, I want it to be about peace and love’. So to get to a place of peace and love you have to go through edgy, dark and messed up.

What led you to go from one thing to another…dog-nappers? Really?

You have to have fun in the writing of it and know exactly where you are going. Then you can also be surprised by what happens. I’m as surprised with what Sam is doing on the page and in the scene and I think if the writer is surprised so will the audience. You get to a point in the desert and Sam is there, the car is there and then BOOM and now you are on the next scene. So I thought what would I do in that situation and that’s how it keeps going.

So are you in a room by yourself for a few months laughing yourself silly?

Each day I will have kind of forgotten what I wrote the day before and I’d re-read it and because I don’t know what’s happening next I’ll laugh.

Most of the things you’ve said people have thought at one time or another?

You’re right when you said it’s not malicious. I’m really not a malicious person. I don’t think the characters should be the writer either.

Sam’s character isn’t crazy. He just wanted things to go a certain way.

Isn’t that insane?

No <laughing>, crazy is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. He didn’t do that.

Very true! Come on, he’s a little bit crazy. I mean he shot that poor beautiful girl in the stomach, that’s got to be a little nuts right? <laughing>

He was helping her out, what’s the difference between Sam’s character and Woody’s right?

Be we think Woody is psycho!

I don’t think Woody is psycho, someone stole his dog. If someone stole my cat we’d have problems too!

That is true, you have a good point. So there aren’t any crazy people in this film? <laughing>

Nah, misunderstood geniuses! If people took the time to understand them things would be different.

That is so true! <laughing> I like the way you think.

What’s with the rabbits in the film?

There is a unnecessary large amount of rabbits aren’t there. I asked for 100 rabbits and they said it takes 1 person for every four rabbits. So I said give me 50 rabbits so I got 5 rabbits.

Why did you need that many rabbits?

Because I wanted that many rabbits!

With that said I believe Martin McDonagh should have as many rabbits as he likes, as all geniuses should! It was so much fun talking with him about the film as this writer/director has a wicked sense of humor, isn’t afraid to laugh and knows now there are twisted folk just like himself out in the world who will be clamoring to see SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. Be one of them and don’t miss out!

 

 

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