Posted by Scott DeVaney at 12:15 PM
05/07/08The Babysitter Interviews
What happens when the parents of a 27-year-old slacker get him a smokin' hot 18-year-old babysitter? That's the premise of The Babysitter, a new, exclusive AtomFilms release. We sat down with David H. Steinberg (writer/director), Josh Cooke (slacker dude) and Brie Larson (babysitter extraordianairre) for a little fireside chat...
SPOILER ALERT!! Watch The Babysitter first if you don't want to ruin the suspense.
First, a question for Brie and Josh: Is shooting a sex scene as uncomfortable as most actors say it is, or is that just what they say on Entertainment Tonight and it's actually really awesome?
BRIE LARSON: Sex scenes are like bandaids. You can either think of it as no big deal and rip it off quick, or you can worry about how much it's gunna hurt and run it under water, pulling it off slowly, which usually leaves your skin sticky, which is horrible. I'm sure there are people out there who enjoy it, but I find it embarassing. I always worry, "Is this guy totally grossed out by me and hating every second? Does my breath still smell from that onion bagel I had earlier?"
JOSH COOKE: It is truly as uncomfortable as actors say... But it is just a little bit awesome. Just a little. But weird. But also cool. But just a little.
David, you're already an established creator in Hollywood (wrote the script for the 1999 cult classic Slackers and penned the sequel to Americna Pie, among other projects). Why did you decide to make a Web short?
DAVID H. STEINBERG: Two reasons. First, to have a directing sample so someone will trust me with several million dollars to direct a feature film (Editor's note: David will make is feature film directorial debut on Phys Ed. later this year). And second, to finally do something my way. There's a lot of cooks on a studio movie and screenwriters don't exactly call the shots. But on the set of The Babysitter it was all me. There was no one there to tell me to take out the sandwich or change Brie's underwear. I pick the underwear now, baby!
Are you nervous about directing your first feature film?
DHS: I am a little nervous about working with Robert DeNiro, but he's not in it so I'll be fine.
While we're on the topic of feature films, Brie, you just finished shooting a movie with Amy Sedaris called Tanner Hall. She's the funniest woman in showbiz. What was that experience like?
BL: Amy is a dream! She called me the 'old woman' and said things like, "My ovaries are in a jar in my backyard." She gave me granny panties as a wrap gift.
Josh, what characteristics do you share with your character in The Babysitter?
JC: I too like beer. And pretty girls. Usually older though -- hey, nobody likes jail.
Last question -- David, given your work on Slackers, American Pie and now The Babysitter, you're clearly drawn to the comedy of wayward youth. Yet, you sport an ambitious bio (entered Yale at age 16 and earned a law degree from Duke where he served as the law review's Editor-in-Chief). How do you account for the incongruity?
DHS: Let's just say that a 16-year-old at Yale has a lot of free time on Saturday nights to think up elaborate and improbable schemes to get women.
