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Q: After the seriousness of Mysterious Skin, Smiley Face is a complete departure from the seriousness that film.  What made you want to go in such a different direction?

A: AFTER MAKING SUCH A DARK, SERIOUS MOVIE (WHICH, DON’T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE AND AM SO PROUD OF), I REALLY WAS LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. AND LIKE ANYBODY, I HAVE DARK MOODS AND LIGHTER MOODS. I FIND THAT IM ATTRACTED TO A WIDE RANGE OF MATERIAL THAT SPANS ALL KINDS OF GENRES AND STYLES. IN A WEIRD WAY, I THINK MYSTERIOUS SKIN AND SMILEY FACE ARE KIND OF LIKE YIN AND YANG TO EACH OTHER. MYSTERIOUS IS PROBABLY THE DARKEST, MOST SERIOUS THING IVE EVER DONE AND SMILEY IS THE LIGHTEST AND MOST FUN.

Q: You were able to get a great cast for the movie including John Cho, Brian Posehn, Anna Faris, Danny Masterson.  How did you get them?

A: THE ENTIRE CAST, ANNA, THE TWO JOHNS (KRASINSKI AND CHO), DANNY MASTERSON, JANE LYNCH, MICHAEL HITCHCOCK, BRIAN, DANNY TREJO, MARION ROSS (!) – EVERYONE WAS SUCH AN AMAZING JOY TO WORK WITH. NO ONE EVER COMPLAINED, EVERYONE WAS THERE BECAUSE THEY LOVED DYLANS SCRIPT AND THE PROJECT AND GENUINELY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE. AND I WAS ALWAYS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF AT THE MONITOR TAKE AFTER TAKE. IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE PRODUCTION EXPERIENCES IVE EVER HAD.

Q: Anna Faris is great in the movie and comes across as a really believable pothead.  You really captured the rational of potheads.

A: WHEN WE SAT DOWN TO GO THROUGH THE LIST OF POTENTIAL JANES AND ANNA FARIS’S NAME CAME UP, THAT WAS IT. SHE WAS MY FIRST AND ONLY CHOICE. BECAUSE JANE IS ONSCREEN FOR VIRTUALLY EVERY FRAME OF THE FILM, I WAS REALLY LOOKING FOR THE SCENE STEALER, THE ACTRESS THAT IS FREQUENTLY THE SIDEKICK, THE GIRLFRIEND, ETC THAT YOU ALWAYS WISH THERE WAS MORE OF EVERY TIME YOU SEE HER. IT WAS REALLY ANNA’S WORK IN LOST IN TRANSLATION THAT DID IT FOR ME. I SAW A LOT OF THAT CHARACTER IN JANE, HER ESSENTIAL SUNNINESS – ONLY JANE IS STONED ALL THE TIME, NOT SUCCESSFUL AND LIVES IN A DUMPY BURBANK APARTMENT.

Q: Jane isn’t a very sympathetic character.  She constantly screws over everyone she meets and always seems to make the wrong decision.  Why make her so much of a screw up?

A: JANE F IS AN INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING ROLE IN THE SENSE THAT SHE IS ONSCREEN EVERY MINUTE AND SHE DOES A LOT OF NOT SO BRIGHT THINGS. BUT ANNA HAS AN ABSOULUTELY UNCANNY LIKEABILITY ABOUT HER – YOU ROOT FOR HER NO MATTER WHAT. I SERIOUSLY DON’T THINK THERE’S ANY OTHER ACTRESS OUT THERE WHO COULD HAVE PULLED THIS FILM OFF. IT IS MUCH MUCH HARDER THAN ANNA MAKES IT LOOK. I RANK ANNA RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE LUCILLE BALLS AND CAROLE LOMBARDS IN HER AMAZING COMIC GIFTS AND TIMING. THE MOVIE WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT HER AND IM FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR HER TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE.

Q: Danny Masterson is very intimidating as Jane’s roommate.  The skull smurfin scenes were hysterical.  Did Danny have any problems doing that?

A: DANNY WAS AWESOME TO WORK WITH AND TOTALLY DOWN FOR WHATEVER THE PART REQUIRED. HE JUST DIDN’T WANT HIS JUNK TO SHOW. THE CAST OF THIS MOVIE WAS LITERALLY MY DREAM CAST. WHEN I WAS MAKING A LIST OF PEOPLE FOR STEVE THE ROOMMATE, I LITERALLY WROTE DOWN “SOMEONE LIKE A DANNY MASTERSON”.

Q: This is your first film where you didn’t write the script.  What made you decide to go with a script by a first time writer?  What attracted you to the project?

A: I HAD READ DYLAN HAGGERTYS SCRIPT FOR SMILEY FACE A FEW YEARS BACK AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH IT, MUCH LIKE THE WAY I FELL IN LOVE WITH SCOTT HEIMS NOVEL OF MYSTERIOUS SKIN. I LOVED SMILEY’S CHARACTERS, THE STYLE OF IT, ITS SENSIBILITY BUT MOSTLY ITS WONDERFUL RANDOMNESS AND ITS INCREDIBLE SENSE OF AUTHENTICITY. IT IS SO GENUINE AND REAL. PLUS IT WAS THE FUNNIEST SCRIPT I’D EVER READ – IT MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD WHILE I WAS READING IT.

Q: You’re known for music inspiring you in the creative process.  What music did you listen to when making Smiley Face?

A: WE WERE SUPER LUCKY TO GET GREAT MUSIC (AGAIN) FOR SMILEY. THE MUSIC SUPERVISOR TRACY MCKNIGHT AND I REALLY BUSTED OUR ASSES TO GET THE AMAZING BANDS LIKE THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS, SCISSOR SISTERS, LADYTRON, ETC ON BOARD. PLUS F***ING STYX AND REO SPEEDWAGON! WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?

Q: Unlike other pot themed films, Smiley Face doesn’t make getting stone look cool. While people will label it a stoner film, it kind of reminds me of the anti-drug movies I saw in high school. 

A: EVERYONE IS FREE TO INTERPRET AS THEY WILL BUT I DON’T SEE THE MOVIE THAT WAY AT ALL. AT AN EARLY EDITORIAL SCREENING, A FEMALE AUDIENCE MEMBER IN HER 20’S TOLD ME THAT SHE HADN’T SMOKED POT IN YEARS BUT THIS MOVIE MADE HER WANT TO RUN OUT AND LIGHT UP. SO TO EACH HIS/HER OWN.

Q:Your films usually have sexual connection or romantic love between characters.  That’s missing from this film. 

A: OH YEAH? WHAT ABOUT JOHN KRASINSKI’S HOT SEX SCENES WITH FULL FRONTAL NUDITY (JUST KIDDING!)

Q: From The Living End to Nowhere, each film seemed to get progressively wilder and more bizarre.  From Splendor on, your films become more realistic.  They are no less disturbing but there seems to be a change in your style?

A: AS A FILMMAKER, I WANT TO CONTINUALLY EVOLVE AND GROW AND CHALLENGE MYSELF AND DO ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT MOVIES AND WORK IN A VARIETY OF GENRES – NOT JUST MAKE THE SAME FILM OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Q: After playing AFI Fest, Smiley Face is going to DVD.  Does it bother you that your fans won’t be able to see it in theatres?

A: IT’S PLAYING THEATRICALLY AT THE NUART HERE IN LA NEXT WEEK AND ALSO PROBABLY IN NEW YORK AFTER THAT. I KNOW THAT NO ONE GOES TO MOVIES THESE DAYS WITH DVD’S AND THE INTERNET, ETC BUT SMILEY REALLY DOES PLAY BEST COMMUNALLY IN A THEATRE FULL OF PEOPLE AS DO MOST COMEDIES. IT’S COOL THAT NETFLIX MAKES IT SO EASY FOR ANYONE ANYWHERE TO WATCH MY MOVIES, BUT I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THAT “GOING TO THE CHURCH OF CINEMA” EXPERIENCE. AT LEAST TRY TO WATCH IT ON A BIG PLASMA SCREEN WITH A BUNCH OF FRIENDS AND POPCORN!

Q: You’re a very polarizing filmmaker.  People either love or hate your work.  Why do you think people feel this way about your work? 

A: I THINK MY FILMS HAVE A KIND OF STRONG PERSONALITY; THEYRE NOT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE. WHICH MAKES THEM KIND OF HARD TO SWALLOW FOR SOME PEOPLE I GUESS. BUT I JUST MAKE FILMS THAT I LOVE AND AM PASSIONATE ABOUT AND I CAN’T REALLY OBSESS OVER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY OR THINK. GUS VAN SANT GAVE SOME GREAT ADVICE TO ME YEARS AGO WHICH WAS BASICALLY JUST MAKE MOVIES THAT YOU WANT TO SEE AND HOPEFULLY IF YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEM, OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE TOO. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO MAKE ANY MOVIE THAT YOU’RE NOT PASSIONATE ABOUT.

Q: Was Roscoe Lee Brown written into the script or did you get lucky and were able to hire him?

A: ROSCOE WAS IN FACT WRITTEN INTO THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT AND I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT HE DID THE PART. UNFORTUNATELY, HE PASSED AWAY RECENTLY SO THIS WAS THE LAST FILM HE WORKED ON. HE WAS AN AMAZING MAN AND TALENT AND IM SADDENED THAT HE’S NO LONGER WITH US. 

Q: What happened with the MTV series This Is How the World Ends? 

A: SADLY, IT DIDN’T GET PICKED UP FOR SERIES – IT WAS KIND OF AN AMBITIOUS AND EXPENSIVE SHOW FOR MTV AT THE TIME. I HOPE ONE DAY TO PUT IT OUT THERE AS A DVD EXTRA OR SOMETHING AS IT TURNED OUT REALLY COOL AND IT WOULD BE FUN FOR DIE HARD FANS TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT.

Q: What is next for you?

A: I ALWAYS WORK ON A BUNCH OF THINGS AT ONCE SO I DON’T WANT TO JINX ANYTHING BY TALKING ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. IVE GOT A COUPLE MOVIES, A TV THING AND SOME COOL INTERNET TYPE PROJECTS IN THE WORKS.

SMILEY FACE
USA, 2008, 88 min, 35 MM

DIR: Gregg Araki
SCR: Dylan Haggerty
PROD: Henry Winterstern, Kevin Turen, Steve Golin, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Gregg Araki
EXEC PROD: Jörg Westerkamp, Thomas Becker, Stuart Burkin, H. Jason Beck
DP: Shawn Kim
PROD DES: John Larena
MUS: David Kitay
CAST: Anna Farris, John Cho, Jane Lynch, Adam Brody, John Krasinski, Danny Masterson,

OK, just hang on a second, because it’s not like this is a complicated movie with tons of shadows or peasants, but there’s, you know, a lot of moving parts and stuff. It definitely starts on a Ferris wheel, which I just realized is TOTALLY WEIRD because it also stars Anna Faris. Faris on a Ferris wheel! Nice. Anyway, there’s a lot that happens with all kinds of different actors, and actresses, of course, but it mostly has to do with this one day when Jane eats waaaaay too many of her roommate’s cupcakes. Like SERIOUSLY special cupcakes. So she’s all ‘NOOO!’ but then she still has to do a lot of stuff. And her roommate is not even a little, like, sympathetic. Plus there’s all these actors, and actresses, who — did I already tell you this? It’s deja vu central in my head right now. And I’m pretty sure I saw that dude from “The Office” …Gregg Araki totally rules.

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