FilmDistrict with The Cinema Society & Grey Goose hosted a screening of “Oldboy” on Monday, November 11. From the film: Spike Lee (director), Samuel L. Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen, Michael Imperioli, Pom Klementieff, Max Casella, James Ransone, Grey Damon, Erik Gersovitz, Elvy Yost, writer Mark Protosevich, Film District founder (and new Focus Features CEO) Peter Schlessel were all in attendance.
Mark Protosevich wrote the screenplay for “Oldboy.”
You’ve obviously seen the original “Oldboy” film, it must have been a such a challenge as a writer to tackle the remake, but also a huge treat.
You know I have nothing but huge love and admiration for the original film and one thing that we wanted to approach our version with was acknowledging that honor and respect of the source material and really strive to approach our version with the passion as the creators of the original film did. So we really were doing this because we cared about this story, about telling this story to hopefully a new group of viewers and maybe that will even inspire some people who have never seen the original film to see ours first and go back and check out the
source material.
Elizabeth Olsen
What was your greatest challenge as an Actress in making this film?
It was to honestly just to make sure that we had our full rounded story…because the story that we are telling is Josh Brolin’s character and my role is to help tell that story and that’s what I enjoyed most of my part in the film.
What was it like working with Spike Lee?
The best fun ever! He is specific, he is a cooperator, he is funny and fun to work with. I love him, I would work with him again and again, he is so creative.
Whats next in line?
Next is “The Avengers”!
Spike Lee Directed “Oldboy.”
What was it like doing a reinterpretation?
It was hard but the question is nothing is easy and shy away from hard work.
What was your favorite thing about the original version and how do you transform an Asian film into an American film?
I never ever had the thought like we have to turn this great Korean film into a mainstream American film, that’s never crossed my mind ever. Josh and I never had one conversation that said something like this is too Korean and it has to be Americanized that never ever happened.
Is this type of film a new path in your career as a film director?
You know, you can’t do the old stuff forever you’ve got to evolve so…how many times are you going to do “Malcom X,” how many times are you going to do “Do The Right Thing?”
Pom Klementieff does a fighting scene with Josh Brolin.
What is the most important thing in doing a fight scene?
You have to be very precise, you have to be careful, especially careful so you don’t hurt anybody, you know, when you have Josh Brollin in front of you, you have to be very careful!
What was it like working with Spike Lee?
He gives you a lot freedom as an Actress but at the same time when he feels that you need direction he can give you that.
Any anecdote you would like to share from being on set?
Yes! My nickname on set was Pomenator, it was given to me by a young man on set!
James Ransone
How did you get involved in the film?
Spike called me at the last minute because somebody had just dropped out and so I did it…I mean I’m acting like I did it as a favor but he actually did me a favor when he asked me to come in.
What was your method as an actor coming into this film?
I don’t really know what I did because I’m not in it a whole lot, so for me what works is to try and stick to the script as much as possible because my job as an actor is not to say what the material is. I’m the director’s medium, like, okay man I’m here! just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.
What is your favorite part about your character and what is your favorite thing about the film?
I haven’t seen the movie yet! So i’ll get back to you after that but I just like that I get to play a sweet guy instead of a scumbag.
Elvy Yost
What was your craziest experience on set?
One of the crazy things about this film was picking up the cello again I hadn’t played for a few years and I picked it back up for the project! I was actually in a production of “Romeo and Juliet” playing Juliet at the time and I had to miss three performances to shoot a scene in this movie, that was a crazy experience, I was so heartbroken missing those performances but I’m also very glad I did this film.
You saw the original film what are your expectations for this version?
For what Ive seen it’s both faithful, original, it has new exiting quirks about it. Its sort of like a brighter, more colorful, kind version.
Victoria Geil
What was it like working with Spike Lee?
It was really amazing, it was like a dream come true. He is phenomenal. I have so much respect for what he does for the film world. What was really exciting was the ability to improvise how he really allowed to that.
What was it like working with actors Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin?
Oh my gosh! The second thing that we did Josh Brolin breaks out at the end of it and I couldn’t see him because I was around the corner and I wasn’t expecting it we had only done a couple of rehearsals and he just did it in two takes and I was so impressed with that, he would simply go for it, really impressed with his whole work ethic, especially Elizabeth Olsen as well her work ethics and how grounded she is, how seriously she takes her craft I really respect that.
What was your greatest challenge for this film as an Actress?
I feel like I got off easy because I don’t get tortured or nothing happens to me, I’m just in the eighties partying with my drunk boyfriend, so I felt like I came off easy especially coming into the audition, I was told it was an improvised audition as well, I didn’t go into dark things. I really feel like I had it easy in the film, but the improvising was the best and probably the most challenging.
Erik Gersovitz
How did you get involved in the project?
I graduated from theater school last year, so it was pretty cool to get involved in a project at all it’s certainly not what I was expecting out of Theater school. I got an agent out of the school and went to an audition for “OldBoy,” which was already cool. I went to one audition, the next audition and at the third audition Spike Lee told me I got the part. He was so welcoming to me as a new person and he was into trusting in letting me do what I was hired to do as an actor.
You got to work with actors of the caliber of Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin what was it like?
Well Josh Brolin was standing next to me in this particular scene and suddenly I feel somebody taking my hand slowly and I looked over my shoulder and it was Josh Brolin. He was such a nice guy he would say after every take of a particular scene: are you okay? like just trying to make sure I was okay. I felt that was really welcoming, I felt so embraced, it was incredible.
What was your favorite scene in the film?
My favorite scene in the film…well I think because this was my first project I’m going to have to say a scene I had the chance to work on and that would be a scene that takes place in a hospital and that’s probably as much as I can say about that.
Other attendees included Tonya Lewis Lee, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Haggis, Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers), Alfie Allen (Theon from Game of Thrones), Alex Karpovsky (Girls), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor), Vincent Pastore, Steve Schirripa, Valerie Simpson (Ashford & Simpson), Phylicia Rashad, Isiah Whitlock Jr (The Wire), Heather Matarazzo, Nichole Galicia (Django Unchained), Casey LaBow (Twilight), Terry George, Holt McCallany, Montego Glover, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), Olivier Theyskens, Ellen von Unwerth, June Ambrose, Garrett Neff, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Pat Cleveland, Daniel Benedict, Johannes Huebl, Jessica Stam, Cory Kennedy, Genevieve Jones, Drew Nieporent, Lily Kwong, Natalie Joos, Gretta Monahan & Ricky Paull Goldin, Stephen Hill (NY Jets), Jeremy Kerley (NY Jets), Will Beatty (NY Giants), Andre Brown (NY Giants), David Wilson (NY Giants), Justin Pugh (NY Giants), and Cinema Society founder Andrew Saffir. The party was at the new Tao Downtown and people drank Grey Goose cocktails.
“Oldboy” is being released on November 27th
-Gaston Yvorra
