From Bea:

The CM Screening with Ron Howard, Russell Crowe & Akiva Goldsman with Joel Siegel

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 Loews Lincoln Square NYC

I scribbled notes off and on – some of which I won’t be able to decipher and other topics which will be my paraphrase of the sense of what was said. Best I can do)

I arrived at 3:45 to find MaggieMac [Peggy] already standing in line. We got acquainted while we waited and watched the line start to wind around and out the doors. I called Steph to see where she was but we went upstairs and inside. By 4:45 I called her to tell her where to look for us inside since we were saving her a seat – the theater was filling up fast.

We sat immediately behind a camera set up with lights in the middle of the orchestra, right in front of an ornately decorated stage. There were 3 guest chairs and Joel’s off to the left. Not hard to figure out we were going to have Ron and Russell with us. Nice surprise to get Akiva.

They screened the movie – we were a bit close, but we wanted to see the guests. This was Peggy’s first time, but Steph and I were noticing new things since Sunday.

It was definitely harder to watch the boxing from up close. At the end of the movie, out came the moderator and guests. They announced there’d be time for audience questions at the end.

Joel led off by asking who found the project. Ron and Akiva pointed to Russell and he started to tell the story. I must mention that this is where we found that the sound setup was really terrible, with feedback and dead mikes, etc etc – it took forever for them to figure out what to do, after a long while of fussing the hand mike was what worked. Russell twice tried to offer his man Keith to help their soundman out – don’t know what they did, but we made it through.

So, Russell tells how he read the script back in 97 when Penny Marshall had it. Then she couldn’t see him in the role and went to Mark Wahlberg, Billy Bob Thornton, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck about it. Between Mystery & Insider, Russell convinced Harvey Weinstein to buy it for him. Then he didn’t do anything with it until after the Gladiator Oscar when he called him up and asked “when you gonna do the movie.”

Russell said he talked with Renee very early on and she was always willing to do it – through all the changes in the production. Russell always envisioned her in the part, especially after seeing her in the movie with Meryl Streep. So, in 2001 he convinced Ron to do it. Russell was complimenting Ron and Ron wondered if they were getting punk’d. Russell joked that he’d be upset if Aston Kutcher showed up.(or something like that –everyone was laughing)

So Ron says he was reluctant to attack the boxing aspects of this story. Russell suggested he use the techniques he used in Backdraft – by treating every fight like a different episode. Russell said that Ron had told him about this idea and Russell is good at remembering what Ron tells him and using it against him later.

Ron said that of course he knew if he had Russell he’d have an actor who could make the action an extension of the character. Akiva (self introduced as ‘writer & male model) said that the problem was that they searched for anything bad about Braddock and couldn’t find anything. Nice for the man, but terrible for a dramatic story. So they turned the Depression into the villain. He reminded everyone that not much good happens to the Braddock’s in this film – it just keeps getting worse and worse until the dramatic end. He said that it’s not much fun for the people in the fairy tale – we like to see the triumph at the end.

Russell said it was telling the story of a real, living marriage that attracted him. And told the story of how Braddock paid the money back to welfare. He confirmed that he’d bought the receipt off the Internet. And told the story (he’s now repeated on air) of how they got the money numbers wrong in the movie and he called Ron to change it. Ron said it’d be $50k to do the cgi and told Russ that this would be the moment to say, “it’s only a movie.” They also talked about other things that might not be historically accurate in the film, including that we know Baer met Braddock outside the ring sometime but no one knows exactly when. And the children were younger at the time of the story than portrayed in the film.

Joel points out how powerful the transition scene from wealth to poverty is by panning across the bureau. One of them says that’s the moment when “the shit hits the fan.”

Ron says that there were moments in the film that originally had dialogue but they found it worked better without – as Akiva moans – like the scene of returning the money to welfare and during the goodbye on the street when Jim goes off to fight Max Baer.

That sparks talk of the kids –who all agree are amazing. And Russell tells us that when the middle boy sticks his hand out, he AD-LIBBED! Russ said he looked at Ron and both were astonished. Russell says that he and Renee were allowed to audition the kids and looked for characteristics just like normal family – the oldest being the responsible one with great athletic talent, the little girl the one who hugs everyone everyday and the middle one a “complete spaz”.

Then comes my big moment. Russell launches into the red carpet story about what the kids said about playing his son. He tries to remember which interviewer he was talking to and looks around at Ron & Akiva to help him – they don’t seem to know what he’s talking about and so I speak up loudly “Nancy O’Dell” at Access Hollywood. Russ looks up surprised and says ‘that’s it’ – thanks 'Nancy' for being here. He can’t see beyond the light in their faces and had asked for house lights earlier to see the audience, but it didn’t happen.

Joel tells us he was a history student and his thesis was on the Depression. He cites the scene with Jim giving his girl his breakfast as a powerful depiction of what it was like. Then Ron says growing up in farm country they struggled but not like the people in the city who were starving. Akiva talks about how they wanted to show the abrupt change in Braddock’s fortunes and how they solved that visually. He pointed out that that scene and the goodbye scene could be silent – it’s so visually strong.

Russell talked about how they designed the scene in layers. Ron conceived the idea of no food for breakfast, Russell invented the ‘dream’ and then they collaborated on the menu – which foods would mean something to the adults (steak) and children (ice cream). Russell added the stars names, looking for ones the kids at the time would know. He would like to sit with Mickey Rooney when he first sees the film.

Akiva says this trio is his favorite group to work with. He says Ron is very atypical in that he’s organized and builds by asking “what else’ – looking for more detail and nuance to the story. Russell talked about how Ron creates the time to get it right – he goes on to say he isn’t known for doing many takes, that he will do as many as necessary but ‘when they go into double figures, I look for who has to die”.

Russ says with Ron there’s never a wasted day on a film set. Ron says he prefers to shoot in sequence. Tells the story of shooting ABM and that Russell suggested doing it in sequence because of the massive makeup involved – which would ‘drive us crazy”. All talk about liking having rehearsals.

Then Joel says they haven’t mentioned Paul G – and Russell waxes lyrical about him – how he’s like a high – performance Italian sports car – Masaratti, Ferrari, and Giamatti. Very cute. He said for some reason Paul trusted the film makers (Ron –Russell-Akiva) and so Akiva just kept writing more and more stuff for him to do. Russell said that it’s terrible that the Academy ignored Paul for American Splendor and Sideways and that ‘we all have one’ – so this time they are going to guarantee that he gets at least a nomination and hopefully an Oscar. Large applause from enthusiastic audience. Oh, this group clapped loudly at the end and then rose as one to great the players when they came in.

Joel asked if they think the Oscars should have an ensemble award. Russell cuts off the discussion by saying he thinks they should do nothing that would make the evening longer. (aside: he wasn’t smoking!) He talks about Braddock and why he wanted to do the film – it’s a great American story – he things America is a great country – as he is not an American.

Then they talk about Braddock’s greatness is that he re-achieved normalcy in his life and then talked about the racial issues involved in boxing – from the ‘nazi’ connection of Max Schmelling to the prejudice against African Americans in boxing. Jimmy was a great fan of Joe Louis and felt proud to have knocked him down once. Then Russell corrects the information about Jim getting 10% of Louis’s income. He says that Joe Gould negotiated that everytime Joe had a major match after their fight, Jim and Joe split 10%. Which became a steady income for Jim of course. He said that Jimmy is the only person Joe Louis called “Champ.” Then they talked briefly about Damon Runyon and how he’s been forgotten.

Joel asked Ron how he manages to make films about real people work – as we all know the outcome. Ron says all movies are suspense – and work if you care about the people in them. He goes for the details that make the characterizations strong – which is why he values Russell so – and tries to bring the audience to walk alongside the principals, live in their moment. Mention was made of the excellent editing and sound in the film.

Joel liked the Celtic music and Ron said they were looking for a way to show the training in a new way since it’s boring and been done. They discussed not doing a training sequence and talked about the typical montage – Russell launched into a chant – Rocky had a montage - “I want my Montage”. Russ then says not only the music was effective, but they did some things that had never been done before with the punching bag – he illustrates a drumming move, a perididdle (sp?) and as the convo moves on, he’s drumming on his knees.

Talked about why Jim is called the Bulldog of Bergen – as an amateur boxer, Jim won both the light heavyweight title but was the HW champ – on consecutive nights – so they changed the rules and the next year he won the two titles on the same night.

To wrap up, Joel asks what they liked about the film:

Akiva: admire the ultimate fantastic moment in fairy tales, like Braddock’s life.

Russell: says they haven’t mentioned the other player in this foursome: Brian Grazer (applause) and how much he enjoys working with them – the Beatles! Then he went on to say that, of course, he’s John, Ron is Paul, Akiva is George and Brian is Ringo. Very funny.

Ron: says he loves America and wanted to show the strength of a typical family, where he could celebrate the possibility of love as a foundation for survival.

Well, that’s it – no more notes. Wish we could have had more time – they had to clear the room by 8:30.