From Sarasota Film Festival — THE INSIDER: Vincent D’Onofrio interview

From Sarasota Film Festival — THE INSIDER: Vincent D’Onofrio interview for DON’T GO IN THE WOODS – FRI @ 9:15pm & SAT 9:30pm!

Vincent D’Onofrio is one of the most talented and startlingly original actors of our time. He burst on the scene as Private Pyle in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Full Metal Jacket. He later played Orson Welles in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, and appeared in an array of films for directors ranging from Oliver Stone to Robert Altman and this year’s Oscar winner for best director Kathryn Bigelow. His turn as Robert E. Howard in Whole Wide World with Rene Zellweger was truly amazing and his performance is Men in Black as Edgar absolutely astounds.

Mr. D’Onofrio’s directorial debut is called Don’t Go in the Woods and SFF 2010 is honored to be showing it! Your friendly neighborhood Insider had the great pleasure of asking him a few questions about his movie—and this is what he had to say!

THE INSIDER: I found Don’t Go in the Woods to be so much more than a slasher film—to me it was a story about ambition, creativity and perhaps even madness. Would you tell me about the themes you set out to tackle with this film?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: I like everything you said about it and think your words sum the themes up perfectly. When you make a film, I think it is important to let people think what they want to think and feel what they want to feel. All the best filmmakers that I have worked for and learned from always explained to me that it is not for them to describe what their films are about. Rather, it is for the audience to take from it what they will.

THE INSIDER: In the film’s opening, were you the singer on the radio? If not, who performed that song?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: Yes, I was the singer, performing as the character George Geronimo Gerkie.

THE INSIDER: What inspired you to go the route of a true musical and have characters break into song to reveal their feelings ala Across the Universe?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: I thought it would be cool to have everybody sing and everybody die.

THE INSIDER: The film is saturated with rich wonderful music—what drew you to this type of music in particular?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: Sam Bisbee is a friend of mine. I have always liked his music. I thought his way of writing and his compositions were perfect for this type of thing.

THE INSIDER: What were some of your favorite moments from the making of this movie?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: I liked watching all of the first timers (in the cast) go at it and try to do their best and get excited or depressed over their daily work. I liked going though the whole thing with them.

THE INSIDER: If you could have funding to shoot anything at all, what is the dream project you most like to tackle as a director?

VINCENT D’ONOFRIO: The next one on my list, Johnny and Me. It is about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome who is fixated on Johnny Cash’s music and life. His daughter comes to meet him for the first time and the only way they can bond and form a relationship is through the iconic spirit of Johnny Cash.

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/the941/2010/04/15/from-sarasota-film-festival-the-insider-vincent-d%E2%80%99onofrio-interview-for-don%E2%80%99t-go-in-the-woods-%E2%80%93-fri-915pm-sat-930pm/