The Charlie McDowell Appreciation Thread.

FX announced last year that they had plans to adapt Don DeLilo’s recent novel Zero K for the small screen. Since then, updates on the adaptation have been few and far between. Today, however, ComingSoon.net has learned that Zero K is being developed by none other than Fargo and Legion‘s Noah Hawley alongside Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader.

“To me, it’s sort a dream come true, because I’m obsessed with his stuff and the stories [Noah Hawley] is telling,” McDowell continues. “He’s also such a brilliant mind. To be able to collaborate with someone like that? We haven’t done that before. We’ve only really collaborated between ourselves. Colloborating with someone we like and respect so much has led to such an incredible collaboration so far.”

Tribeca: You studied directing at the American Film Institute. Was it important for you to go to film school? Do you think the same knowledge can be gained from watching lots and lots of movies?

Charlie McDowell: I know that this is a heavily debated subject, but I honestly think it varies from person to person. For me, learning my craft, especially somewhere like AFI, was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. Besides the incredible educational opportunities, I think the most important thing that you learn in film school is collaboration. You learn that other people may think and express themselves differently from you or that they may be the same as you.
At the same time, you’re all working together toward the same goal, which is to make an interesting, smart, thoughtful piece of work. I think what film school gives you is a community of people that bash their heads together to come up with something interesting to say. I think if you sit down and watch a million movies, you can imitate great filmmakers, but you’re not being inspired by actual human beings. That’s something that I really took away from AFI.

Tribeca: How vital is it for filmmakers to have a working knowledge of cinema history?

CM: I’m someone who grew up in a family who was in the film world, so I was exposed to really great films when I was a kid. They became part of my DNA and my upbringing. I’ve been blessed with a cinematic knowledge that I always have in the back of my mind. It comes out in my own directing without my even realizing it.
I do think though that the most important thing for a filmmaker is to be a really well-rounded person. At the end of the day, it’s great to admire certain filmmakers, but there are also incredibly thoughtful, smart people who don’t have a background with cinema that you can learn from [laughs]. Those people have their own voices that can inspire you as well.

Tribeca: I read somewhere that you prefer to watch interviews with actors instead of having them audition. Can you talk about that choice?

CM: Whenever I’m interested in an actor, I become obsessed with watching any sort of interview with him or her. I’m less interested in their acting work. Of course, I watch their past work, but I really love seeing how people act in their everyday lives and gauging the energy they put off into the world. I like to create a safe environment on set where everyone is comfortable. With this film, it was like being at camp. We all really trusted each other, and that’s super important to me. I think it comes across in their performances.

Tribeca: As someone who comes from a family of actors, how did you approach the actor/director relationship?

CM: It’s funny. The first day I went to AFI, I realized I had never directed an actor before and I had no idea how to do it. I had always just made movies with my friends. I remember calling my mom [Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen] and asking, “How do directors talk to you? What am I supposed to do?” I was panicking. The advice she gave me was great: “There is no formula. Be yourself and talk to [actors] the way you would talk to anyone. Communication is the most important thing.”
There are obvious things you don’t do—like blind readings and things like that—but every director is different. She helped me to realize that you just need to establish a connection with your actors. It sounds kind of obvious. When we were making The One I Love, I went up to my actors as a friend and as a collaborator. For me, it’s less about trying to play the director role and more about speaking to actors on a human level.

Tribeca: I think the role of a director, especially in independent cinema, is changing. It requires such collaboration now as opposed to the total control that the studio system employed.
CM: That is so true. When you direct an indie, you are in charge of so many more aspects of the project than I had realized before. A huge part of directing a small film is doing the storyboarding, being prepared, and communicating with each and every member of your crew. You have your hand in so many different things that you have to be ready for anything. There is no system anymore. Directing is doing your homework beforehand and creating an idea that you can adapt if something organic comes out of the process.