Producer Kathleen Kennedy was moved by “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir about being stricken with “locked-in syndrome.” Where others saw tremendous poetry, she also saw a film. She bought the rights.
When she came across Marjane Satrapi’s graphically rendered memoir about a girl growing up in Iran on the cusp of the Islamic revolution, Kennedy (no relation to this writer) made a call to the Iranian-born artist who lives in France. She helped secure U.S. money for “Persepolis” as well as the distribution savvy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Over the years audiences have been rewarded by Kennedy’s insight and creative alliances. In 1982, the one-time Steven Spielberg production assistant co-founded Amblin with the director and Frank Marshall. Ten years later, she and husband Marshall put up their Kennedy/Marshall Co. shingle.
With credits that include “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park” and “Back to the Future,” Kennedy’s no stranger to the blockbuster. She’s in post-production on “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
Last week, Julian Schnabel won a Golden Globe for directing “Diving Bell.” Chances are better than good that “Persepolis” and “Diving Bell” will receive Oscar nods Tuesday morning when nominations for the strike-imperiled show are announced.
So how exactly did this California-born, -bred and -mentored native guide two of this season’s most wondrously original movies? We asked her about that, about her long-term collaboration with Steven Spielberg and her dogged pursuit of getting F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tale “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” made.
Q: How did you know to approach screenwriter Ronald Harwood with “Diving Bell”?
A: So much of what you do in this business is intuitive. He’s someone I was aware of since he wrote “The Dresser.” When he won the the Academy Award for “The Pianist,” he was back on everyone’s radar. He was an established writer with a fair amount of life experience. I thought that was necessary for anyone looking at the material.
“He was already familiar with the book when I sent it to him, but when he first read it, he hadn’t thought it would lend itself to film. Then he committed almost immediately. That’s true about anyone in the business. If you’re operating from passion, you’re going to succeed in one way or the other, I usually find.
Q: Is there some personal litmus test you have when looking at a script or securing the rights to a book?
A: I’m always attracted to stories that explore personal relationships and are hopeful. I’m not inclined — even as a moviegoer — to be trashed. I also think that working for Steven for so many years has helped. His movies are always extremely experiential.
Q: What have you learned from Spielberg?
A: I’ve always felt a synchronicity with what he’s attracted to. At the same time we can have a healthy debate. I don’t think everything he does is perfect — and vice versa. He still amazes me. He’s opened my mind to looking at and thinking about storytelling differently, encouraged me to pursue a wide range of movies, rather than getting stuck.
Q: As a producer you must ponder the American moviegoer often.
A: I don’t know what a family movie is anymore. I don’t know what a foreign film is. There’s an audience that just doesn’t go to the movie theater anymore. This was a really, really great year. Yet everybody in the distribution area worries the audience isn’t there. The audience doesn’t realize that. They’re a participant in this process. When they don’t show up, we don’t see the upside. This year has proven there are fantastic filmmakers and storytellers.
Q: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” stars Brad Pitt as a man who lives his life in reverse. It seems to be an example of your dogged pursuit of a project.
A: It’s going to sound corny but I’ve always operated under the principle that things happen when they’re supposed to — or not. There was an endless parade of people who wanted to do the piece. We’re doing it with Brad Pitt. David Fincher’s never made a movie like this. He’s so passionate. He’s gotten one of the best performances out of Brad. That’s a test, too. Every time I’d come back to the project, I was ready. “Schindler’s List” was like that. It was a 13-year process.
Q: You have a long-standing relationship with the Telluride Film Festival. Care to weigh in on why it’s so special?
A: I still feel the same thing happens every year I go as the very first year Frank and I ever went. It is genuinely a celebration of film. A lot of fests say that’s what they are. But they become publicity machines. Telluride was never that. I love the history of film. When do you get to see 15 Lumière films? It’s such a treat to take in four hours of Tarkosvky then to step out in that amazing environment.
Lisa Kennedy: 303-954-1567 or lkennedy@denverpost.com. Also on blogs.denverpostcom/ madmoviegoer
