I was very excited to talk to Chazz Palminteri for his movie Noel. Ive been a fan of his ever since I saw a preview screening of A Bronx Tale back in 1993. Though the movie had its flaws the idea behind it of wasting talent really stuck with me and has been one of the motivating factors in my life. Noel is the first movie Palminteri directed that is being released in the theatres and it follows along that same line of not only not wasting your talent but not wasting your life. you need to live your life for yourself and include the ones you love.
Noel is about Christmas Eve in New York City and five people will discover new meaning on Christmas Day. In stark contrast to her success as a book editor, Rose's [Susan Sarandon] personal life is in disarray. Burdened by a recent divorce and charged as sole caretaker of her ailing mother, she finds herself hopeless and lonely when her holiday doldrums are interrupted by Charlie [Rboin Williams] who reminds her that no one is ever truly alone at Christmas. New York City police officer Mike Riley [Paul Walker] had planned to spend the holiday with his fiance, Nina [Penelope Cruz], when his own paranoia and misplaced jealousy drive her away. Mike learns from the tragic past of a stranger, Artie [Alan Arkin], where his jealousy can lead.
Check out the official web site for Noel
Daniel Robert Epstein: You had a very interesting technical crew on Noel. You had James Camerons cinematographer, Russell Carpenter, and David Cronenbergs production designer, Carol Spier. How did you get those people and what did they bring?
Chazz Palminteri: Well a director of photography is very important so you want to get the best one. I always try to get the best people and if I can get them, I get them. I have a belief that if I could get you in a room with me I could get you to do it. I give them the script and if they like we meet.
DRE: And if they dont like the script you just make a couple of phone calls and they still do it.
CP: No, they have to like the script.
DRE: How about with the actors?
CP: Same thing, if they like the script I will meet with them and we will talk. Ill get on a plane and go knock on their door. I say the truth and if I dont think they could do it I wouldnt ask them.
DRE: This is not the kind of film that people might expect from you.
CP: Its great to make movies that are edgy and dark but I love to sometimes make movies the way they used to make them. I love movies that say something and make you feel touched. Could you accuse me of being sensitive sometimes? But I saw people in the audience at the Toronto Film Festival cry and then at the end people came up to me and started talking to me about reconnecting with their own family. That really means a lot to me. Just like A Bronx Tale I like making movies that say something about humanity, not wasting your talent and not wasting your life. Noel was a movie that I thought really said something.
DRE: What made you want to do a Christmas movie?
CP: I felt it was more than a Christmas movie. These events happened to happen on Christmas but they could occur anytime as well. Paul Walker plays a young man that realizes that if he doesnt stop being so jealous then hes going to waste his life like Artie [played by Alan Arkin]. Because of one mistake Artie made he lost his wife and four years of his life. Susans character meets this person who gives her advice and realizes that she has to start living her own life.
DRE: How was the movie personal for you?
CP: Pathological jealousy was never an issue for me but I had a friend who went through that. He ended up hurting someone and going to jail. People just blow their lives over nothing. I grew up in a neighborhood where life could change just like that, a guy looks at another guys girl, punches fly, a guy hits the ground and dies. Then your life is changed!
DRE: What is the Robin Williams character exactly?
CP: I wanted the movie to be realistic but I wanted the leap to be there. Hes a spirit and he came to speak to her. Its up to the audience to decide whether hes actually real or not.
DRE: The first thing you directed was an episode of the television show Oz. What did that teach you?
CP: What I learned from Oz was that I had to move real fast. You have to fly when youre doing television. There were times when I wanted a lot of coverage of a scene and I figured that the scene could be done in one shot instead. Then when I did my first movie Women vs. Men [released in 2002] I was moving fast naturally. I learned that you dont have to spend so much time on everything. There is a scene in Noel between Susan and Daniel Sunjata where they are walking that we did all in one shot.
DRE: Youre not credited with the screenplay. Did you rewrite it at all?
CP: I did extensive rewrites on it but it was always a good script.
DRE: The marketing of this film is very unique could you explain it?
CP: It goes into 110 theaters on November 12. A CD-ROM teaser trailer will be attached to the tops of 3 million soda cups to be sold in the Regal theater chain during the Christmas season. When you come out of the theatre after seeing Noel you can buy the movie on a Flexplay DVD that is only good for 48 hours after you open it. Jeff Arnold is the mastermind behind it because everyone is saying its going to hurt the DVD sales but he said that it will generate excitement and word of mouth. Then Noel will have a one night showing of it on TNT then have a real premiere near Christmas. The distributor saw the movie at the Toronto Film Festival and they said they wanted to distribute it in that unique way. I knew that no company would put $30 million into marketing it so we all thought it would be great. It allows the people to decide.
DRE: How does being an actor turned director change your approach to directing?
CP: As an actor I always have ideas for the director. They often say lets try it and other times they want to do it the way they see it and I think thats fine. I know as a director you have to be open especially to experienced actors like Robin Williams and Susan Sarandon. The really great directors filter the ideas and then decide. Bob De Niro is one of my dear friends and he taught me that it takes just as much talent to recognize a great idea as it is to come up with it yourself. When we stuck at one point during A Bronx Tale we both came up with ideas and neither of them were any good. Then the craft service guy overheard us and said he had an idea. He told us and we both thought it was great. So you listen to everyones ideas.
DRE: What made you go with Paul Walker?
CP: I always liked him. I just knew he wasnt used right. Hes so handsome that you could just tell him to grab a gun and jump over the car and hell still look great. When I met with him I told him that there is more to him that I want to show that to people so he said hed do it.
DRE: Penelope Cruz was sexy in this movie.
CP: I wanted her to be stunning in this movie and her dance for Paul in the beginning was her idea. So I wrote the scene for her to dance in.
DRE: What made you want to play that small part in Noel?
CP: I figured it was a small enough role and the actor came out of me.
DRE: You play a mobster type in that role. Usually people who play a lot of heavies wont put themselves into that kind of role.
CP: Yeah but I thought I could make it a little gem.
DRE: How do you look back on The Usual Suspects?
CP: When I read that script I didnt know what to think. But then when I met with Bryan [Singer] and he was so excited about all the things he was going to do with it. You cannot discount passion like that and I knew I wanted to discover this with him.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Noel is about Christmas Eve in New York City and five people will discover new meaning on Christmas Day. In stark contrast to her success as a book editor, Rose's [Susan Sarandon] personal life is in disarray. Burdened by a recent divorce and charged as sole caretaker of her ailing mother, she finds herself hopeless and lonely when her holiday doldrums are interrupted by Charlie [Rboin Williams] who reminds her that no one is ever truly alone at Christmas. New York City police officer Mike Riley [Paul Walker] had planned to spend the holiday with his fiance, Nina [Penelope Cruz], when his own paranoia and misplaced jealousy drive her away. Mike learns from the tragic past of a stranger, Artie [Alan Arkin], where his jealousy can lead.
Check out the official web site for Noel
Daniel Robert Epstein: You had a very interesting technical crew on Noel. You had James Camerons cinematographer, Russell Carpenter, and David Cronenbergs production designer, Carol Spier. How did you get those people and what did they bring?
Chazz Palminteri: Well a director of photography is very important so you want to get the best one. I always try to get the best people and if I can get them, I get them. I have a belief that if I could get you in a room with me I could get you to do it. I give them the script and if they like we meet.
DRE: And if they dont like the script you just make a couple of phone calls and they still do it.
CP: No, they have to like the script.
DRE: How about with the actors?
CP: Same thing, if they like the script I will meet with them and we will talk. Ill get on a plane and go knock on their door. I say the truth and if I dont think they could do it I wouldnt ask them.
DRE: This is not the kind of film that people might expect from you.
CP: Its great to make movies that are edgy and dark but I love to sometimes make movies the way they used to make them. I love movies that say something and make you feel touched. Could you accuse me of being sensitive sometimes? But I saw people in the audience at the Toronto Film Festival cry and then at the end people came up to me and started talking to me about reconnecting with their own family. That really means a lot to me. Just like A Bronx Tale I like making movies that say something about humanity, not wasting your talent and not wasting your life. Noel was a movie that I thought really said something.
DRE: What made you want to do a Christmas movie?
CP: I felt it was more than a Christmas movie. These events happened to happen on Christmas but they could occur anytime as well. Paul Walker plays a young man that realizes that if he doesnt stop being so jealous then hes going to waste his life like Artie [played by Alan Arkin]. Because of one mistake Artie made he lost his wife and four years of his life. Susans character meets this person who gives her advice and realizes that she has to start living her own life.
DRE: How was the movie personal for you?
CP: Pathological jealousy was never an issue for me but I had a friend who went through that. He ended up hurting someone and going to jail. People just blow their lives over nothing. I grew up in a neighborhood where life could change just like that, a guy looks at another guys girl, punches fly, a guy hits the ground and dies. Then your life is changed!
DRE: What is the Robin Williams character exactly?
CP: I wanted the movie to be realistic but I wanted the leap to be there. Hes a spirit and he came to speak to her. Its up to the audience to decide whether hes actually real or not.
DRE: The first thing you directed was an episode of the television show Oz. What did that teach you?
CP: What I learned from Oz was that I had to move real fast. You have to fly when youre doing television. There were times when I wanted a lot of coverage of a scene and I figured that the scene could be done in one shot instead. Then when I did my first movie Women vs. Men [released in 2002] I was moving fast naturally. I learned that you dont have to spend so much time on everything. There is a scene in Noel between Susan and Daniel Sunjata where they are walking that we did all in one shot.
DRE: Youre not credited with the screenplay. Did you rewrite it at all?
CP: I did extensive rewrites on it but it was always a good script.
DRE: The marketing of this film is very unique could you explain it?
CP: It goes into 110 theaters on November 12. A CD-ROM teaser trailer will be attached to the tops of 3 million soda cups to be sold in the Regal theater chain during the Christmas season. When you come out of the theatre after seeing Noel you can buy the movie on a Flexplay DVD that is only good for 48 hours after you open it. Jeff Arnold is the mastermind behind it because everyone is saying its going to hurt the DVD sales but he said that it will generate excitement and word of mouth. Then Noel will have a one night showing of it on TNT then have a real premiere near Christmas. The distributor saw the movie at the Toronto Film Festival and they said they wanted to distribute it in that unique way. I knew that no company would put $30 million into marketing it so we all thought it would be great. It allows the people to decide.
DRE: How does being an actor turned director change your approach to directing?
CP: As an actor I always have ideas for the director. They often say lets try it and other times they want to do it the way they see it and I think thats fine. I know as a director you have to be open especially to experienced actors like Robin Williams and Susan Sarandon. The really great directors filter the ideas and then decide. Bob De Niro is one of my dear friends and he taught me that it takes just as much talent to recognize a great idea as it is to come up with it yourself. When we stuck at one point during A Bronx Tale we both came up with ideas and neither of them were any good. Then the craft service guy overheard us and said he had an idea. He told us and we both thought it was great. So you listen to everyones ideas.
DRE: What made you go with Paul Walker?
CP: I always liked him. I just knew he wasnt used right. Hes so handsome that you could just tell him to grab a gun and jump over the car and hell still look great. When I met with him I told him that there is more to him that I want to show that to people so he said hed do it.
DRE: Penelope Cruz was sexy in this movie.
CP: I wanted her to be stunning in this movie and her dance for Paul in the beginning was her idea. So I wrote the scene for her to dance in.
DRE: What made you want to play that small part in Noel?
CP: I figured it was a small enough role and the actor came out of me.
DRE: You play a mobster type in that role. Usually people who play a lot of heavies wont put themselves into that kind of role.
CP: Yeah but I thought I could make it a little gem.
DRE: How do you look back on The Usual Suspects?
CP: When I read that script I didnt know what to think. But then when I met with Bryan [Singer] and he was so excited about all the things he was going to do with it. You cannot discount passion like that and I knew I wanted to discover this with him.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
twwly:
Nice. I'm a fan.
dipdipdip0:
His parents bought hearing aids from muh 'pa.