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Coming off writing The Wrestler, Robert Siegel is on a sports-filled roll. 

The young word-smith gave the sport-entertainment business of professional wrestling a very human face with the story of Randy the Ram.  It is a beautifully crafted exercise in how a man deals with the failing grasp of fame.  Now Siegel gets behind the lens as director of his script Big Fan.

Big Fan is the tale of Paul (Patton Oswalt) a Giant obsessed fan who lives in the shadow of idol worship.  One night, he sees his favorite player and follows him.  This leads to a confrontation that changes not only Paul but all the people in Paul’s life.  It is an obsessive tale of both sports and athlete adoration. 

The film is a part of Dallas AFI and is in competition for the Target Narrative Film Competition. I had a chance to talk to this filmmaker via e-mail. 

How did you get the basic idea for making Big Fan?

As a kid growing up on Long Island, I was a big sports geek. I still am, but not quite like when I was 12. At night, I’d listen to WFAN, the local New York sports radio station. And I’d hear these voices, these colorful characters from far-off corners of New York City… Vinny From Bayside, Joey From Rego Park. I’d wonder what they looked like, what their lives were like. Then, when I was a little older, maybe 17 or so, I got really into movies. Especially all that gritty ‘70s character-driven stuff. Saturday Night Fever. Midnight Cowboy. Early Scorsese. The characters in those movies were outsiders, guys living in outer borough New York… Johnny Boy. Tony Manero. Ratso Rizzo. They reminded me of the kinds of guys I’d hear on WFAN. So I guess Big Fan, in a way, is a fusion of my childhood sports nerddom and my adolescent movie nerddom.

How did the film change from written page to finished product?

I don’t think it really fundamentally changed.

Is the obsessive fan Paul based on anyone you know?

No one particular person. But lots of people, after seeing the movie, come up and tell me that they know that guy. There are a lot of Pauls out there.

Patton Oswalt basically known as a Comedy Central comic. How did you go about casting him in this role and was he your first choice?

He was always the guy I wanted. He looks right, which is really important. And I felt like he’d understand the psychology of intense fandom. He’s not into sports, but Patton is a serious obsessive about other things, like movies and comic books. So even though he doesn’t really relate to sports, it’s the same thing, caring intensely about something most people find trivial. As for how I got him, I just called him up and sent him the script, which he fortunately responded to. He immediately got it and was excited about the chance to make a “‘70s movie”, which is a genre he loves. In fact, he knows those movies way better than I do. He could talk for hours about Rip Torn in “Payday” or some obscure Harry Dean Stanton movie from 1974 that I’d never even heard of.

Both Big Fan and The Wrestler seems to paint a connection between sports and violence. Do you see any connection between the two?

Yeah, of course. Sports is an outlet for male aggression. We get a vicarious testosterone rush watching men much more manly than ourselves kicking each other’s asses.

Just about everyone sees Paul as a loser. As a writer, how do you view your creation? Do you see Paul as a victim or a martyr? Or is he just a victim of circumstance?

I don’t see him as a loser at all. I admire him. I think he’s got a real integrity to the way he lives his life. He knows what makes him happy. He just wants to be left alone to enjoy those things. It’s the people around him who have a problem with his choices. They’re the ones who judge him, who feel the things he’s into are unworthy of a grown man’s time. I deeply dislike movies that mock and look down on their main character, where you can feel the director’s disdain. I’m not into the comedy of condescension. I love Paul.

In what ways is this different from The Wrestler?

I’m not sure it is. Paul Aufiero and Randy The Ram both just want to keep doing what they’re doing. Neither of them wants to change. That’s their fight—to somehow stay the same in a world that wants them to change. Which violates one of the central laws of Hollywood screenwriting… Your main character is supposed to go through some journey that changes them for the better. In both The Wrestler and Big Fan, the main character hasn’t changed a bit by the end of the movie. I guess I just find that more true to life. Most people never change.

What was the hardest part of getting the project together?

Jesus, all of it. I couldn’t even begin to choose. I will tell you what the easiest part was, though: Getting people to help me. It’s amazing how many people just want to work on a movie. We had very little money, and I was blown away by how many people, from friends to total strangers, pitched in and gave their time and talent for free, just to have the experience of working on a movie. I felt like I was exploiting people, but they really, truly were happy to pitch in.

How do you see Americans and their obsession to sports?

I don’t even know if it’s a specifically American thing. It’s really a human thing. You see the same obsession all over the world, whether it’s soccer in Brazil or cricket in Pakistan or whatever. People just love sports.

What was the hardest role to cast and why?

Paul, no question. If that casting wasn’t right, the movie wouldn’t work. There was a temptation to go for somebody bigger than Patton, but in the end, the most important thing was having the most believable person in that role, not the biggest name. Much like with The Wrestler. You put the wrong person in those wrestling tights, it’s a disaster.

What did you learn by being a director? What did you learn by being the writer?

They’re just so different. Polar opposites, really. Writing is internal, directing is external. Writing is solitary, directing is collaborative. Writing is mental, directing is physical. I can see the appeal of being a writer-director. When you’re done doing one, you really crave the other.

How close is the way you imagined the film as a screenwriter and how it came out as a director?

Very close. I didn’t assume that it would, but somehow, luckily it did.

What is harder, writing or directing?

Writing. By far.

What advice would you give young filmmakers?

Drop out of film school. It’s a bunch of bullshit. Just kidding. Well, no, not entirely. Film school’s fine, I’m sure, as long as it doesn’t distract you from making a movie.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just started the script for my bloated, overambitious, self-indulgent, disappointing follow-up.

Big Fan is a part of AFI Dallas.

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