2008 Woodie Awards
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The Scene
Schwartzman knows no 'limits'
By Stephen Tringali on 10/25/07
The change in atmosphere did, however, solve Schwartzman's problems. After flying to India, he began to recognize why he couldn't understand his character. He had helped write a story where most of the history doesn't happen on screen. Characters are seen in the moment. Their pasts are left to the viewers' imaginations.
"I realized that all the things we took out of the script were still real to my character," Schwartzman said. "That sounds like something that might be kind of obvious ... [but] that really became helpful to me."
Then, one night over dinner, Bill Murray gave Schwartzman the piece of advice that crystallized the entire role for him. Murray had watched Schwartzman work that day, and unbeknownst to him, the veteran comedian was particularly impressed with what he saw.
"[Murray] goes, 'I like the way you're [playing your character]. He's sharp; he cuts like glass,'" Schwartzman said. "I played it off like, 'Well, of course. That's what I'm doing here.' But really I was like, 'That's such a great piece of advice.' Don't dilly-dally with this character. Just know these feelings. Just say them."
If there was a central theme to the entire, behind-the-scenes process of making "Darjeeling Limited," it seemed to be this unlikely undercurrent of unpredictability. Even Anderson, who normally stages his films with such determined precision, opened himself to the unpredictable charm of shooting in a foreign country. What Schwartzman didn't expect, however, was his brother's reaction to the film.
"[He] called me up [after seeing the film], and he goes 'I want us to go on a trip,'" Schwartzman said. "He was like, 'I don't want to let us get fucked up like that. I don't want to let us get that disassociated from one another. Let's go away and get to know each other again.'"
Schwartzman soon discovered that his brother wasn't the only person reacting this way after seeing "Darjeeling Limited." It turned out that many other moviegoers were expressing the very same feelings.
"My friends told me that a bunch of people they know have reacted that way to the movie," Schwartzman said. "The idea that, without knowing it, we could have made something that's positive about family without trying to be sappy makes me happy."
"I realized that all the things we took out of the script were still real to my character," Schwartzman said. "That sounds like something that might be kind of obvious ... [but] that really became helpful to me."
Then, one night over dinner, Bill Murray gave Schwartzman the piece of advice that crystallized the entire role for him. Murray had watched Schwartzman work that day, and unbeknownst to him, the veteran comedian was particularly impressed with what he saw.
"[Murray] goes, 'I like the way you're [playing your character]. He's sharp; he cuts like glass,'" Schwartzman said. "I played it off like, 'Well, of course. That's what I'm doing here.' But really I was like, 'That's such a great piece of advice.' Don't dilly-dally with this character. Just know these feelings. Just say them."
If there was a central theme to the entire, behind-the-scenes process of making "Darjeeling Limited," it seemed to be this unlikely undercurrent of unpredictability. Even Anderson, who normally stages his films with such determined precision, opened himself to the unpredictable charm of shooting in a foreign country. What Schwartzman didn't expect, however, was his brother's reaction to the film.
"[He] called me up [after seeing the film], and he goes 'I want us to go on a trip,'" Schwartzman said. "He was like, 'I don't want to let us get fucked up like that. I don't want to let us get that disassociated from one another. Let's go away and get to know each other again.'"
Schwartzman soon discovered that his brother wasn't the only person reacting this way after seeing "Darjeeling Limited." It turned out that many other moviegoers were expressing the very same feelings.
"My friends told me that a bunch of people they know have reacted that way to the movie," Schwartzman said. "The idea that, without knowing it, we could have made something that's positive about family without trying to be sappy makes me happy."
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