Megadoc

So I guess the big question is,

how do you feel before you set off

on this adventure

that's been 30 years in the making?

I think I must be a little afraid,

a little scared, but I think I take that

as a really good thing.

Because if I'm a little afraid,

it shows that I'm...

I'm not just doing something

that is just, I know how to do or... uh...

I have no nerves about it all.

I'm doing something I don't know how to do

and I don't know how it's going to work out,

but I think that's good.

Jacques Tati, for his last film,

put all his money in and lost it and died broke.

But who cares if you die broke

if you made something that you think is beautiful?

We're heading for the studio.

I'm intrigued.

I've never actually seen

another film director at work before.

I mean, the only time I meet film directors

is at festivals or award ceremonies,

that kind of thing.

I've never seen one actually working.

Also, I am intrigued to see

how someone can spend 120 million dollars

of their own money on a film.

What advice would you give anyone

who wanted to make a documentary

about your husband?

Um...

That's a tough one.

I think you just observe what's going on

that you think is interesting,

that has life, that has something, uh,

that really interests you as the filmmaker,

because he'll have ideas, and he'll...

everybody's going this way

and he's going to want to go that way.

I don't really like to shoot this too much,

but if you like, I'm happy to tell you

what it is and we can have a little interview in there.

Yeah, that'll be nice.

The rest of the time I'll be naked

and I'll be in the bathtub and so it's not really--

That's when I should shoot, right?

Oh, no.

Francis is stepping in.

You all have heard of the famous

"lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'entrate'"

Who knows what that is?

Anybody? No one speaks Italian,

obviously, or I don't speak it well.

That's abandon hope, all ye who enter.

That's on the sign of Hell.

If I have a sign and you'll see it,

it's supposed to be up,

which is basically "Abandon worry,

all you in here," because in this space,

during this time, nobody can be bad,

nobody can get in trouble.

Abandon worry, but it's not without its price,

because I'll tell you something.

When you're in this space, you're not you.

You are the character you're playing.

I want you to imagine that you're coming

to a Halloween masquerade party.

Not that you would come as,

that your character would come as.

And not what Shia would think of,

what Clodio would think, right?

So you've got this imaginary costume on

and the game is going to be that we have to guess

like 20 questions who you are.

Who knows how to play sound focus?

-Ah! -Ah!

-Back! -Back!

-Circus! -Circus!

-Dock! -Dock!

Yama!

If you do this every day, you'll be great in the movie.

-You do this every day-- -You really will.

Games have rules.

And the rule of this game is that when you get mad,

you dish it off to the guy below you,

which is in fact what happens in life

and what happens in most plays.

Take your hat, and when you throw it down,

you have to tell the second guy to pick it up

and then go back to your improv.

-Pick up my hat! -Pick up my hat!

And I want you to somehow bring the tone down.

Bring down all of the anger,

all of the rage, all of the vulgarity.

Okay, I'm gonna stop for a second.

I'm gonna be the boss.

You gotta take care of my staff.

You're fired.

Here, I want you to go talk to the mayor.

Tell the mayor, there are three things

-I'm not happy about. -Right.

One is their policy of...

One second.

You're fired. Pay attention! Take a note.

You know what you have to do? You sat in my chair.

-You know what you have to do? -Yes.

It's an old, old rule.

Who knows the rules what happens in movies

when a person sits in the director's chair?

They have to buy us all drinks.

They have to buy the whole company a drink,

but I'm gonna forgive you

because you didn't know that.

-We're in rehearsal. -Okay.

I've never had an experience like it before.

I feel like I'm in an acting class,

but with these wonderful people,

which is so inspiring and entertaining.

But the whole movie magic can be like that.

Yeah.

Do you lie to make people feel better?

Never.

I-I, you know, I-I-I... believe in the army dictum.

Neither withhold nor volunteer information.

If you ask me a question, I won't withhold the answer.

But all your compliments, all your encouragement,

it's honest.

I have to tell you a really honest fact

that I only realized recently

that when I do casting for a movie,

whether-- whether it's an open calling

in this very room, I met about 400 people

and I shook their hand.

Whether it's a newcomer like that

or it's Marlon Brando,

I'm rooting for them when I'm there with them.

I really am.

By the end of that week of rehearsal,

he had created a sense of camaraderie

amongst the principal actors

who had started to enjoy these games.

And they-- and also with deep respect for Francis,

they-- they did whatever he asked.

Are they in character?

Good.

Don't mind the camera. The camera's not even here.

So how close are you guys?

Do you-- do you-- do you get together every week?

Occasionally.

Family's important, isn't it?

I think family is everything.

We have a close bond.

We support each other.

And I'm trying to be a proper

captain of the ship to guide them forth into the future.

We have very strong personalities.

Very strong.

Look how buff he is.

That's the one compliment I get.

He's so buff.

Buff banker, right?

-Flex for the camera. -Oh.

The actors started, I think, acting with the camera

because I was pretty close and because

I'm a filmmaker, I was getting good angles and everything.

And Francis, I think, liked the fact

that they were interacting in a cinematic way

in a rehearsal, that it took it

to a different level.

And at one point, he started directing me,

which was very funny.

Oh, you don't want to flex for the camera?

Why are you working out so much?

Well, let me ask a question. Do you go to the gym?

-No. -Do you exercise?

-No. -You do nothing.

You know, there's rumors.

I don't know if you guys read those kinds of things,

but there's rumors of, of slight instability.

Instability.

This is an advertisement.

Did you hear that?

Everything all right over there, boys?

Buff grandnephew.

Oh, oh, oh.

He's showing off. He's showing off.

-There we go. -He's getting it down.

Eight, nine, ten, eleven.

Oh, man. Look at this.

-Look at this. -13, 14.

- Look at this. Whoa. - 16. Look at him go.

17, 18, 19,

20, 21, 22...

four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,

and that's good form, too.

I read the script.

The first version I read was about five years ago.