Based on the "American Splendor" comic book series by Harvey Pekar, the film follows the ordinary life of working-class 'Everyman,' Pekar (played by Paul Giamatti). From his daily grind as a file clerk at the VA Hospital, to dealings with artists and his relationship with his wife Joyce, even the most ordinary situations are encapsulated in this striking dramatic showcase of a year in one man's life.
Harvey Pekar's a very interesting man to talk to. He's blunt, to the point, and doesn't mince words. Here's what he had to say about "American Splendor" the movie and about the current state of the comic book industry:
How much input did you have in casting Paul Giamatti?
None at all. I left that up to [the filmmakers]. I knew I wasn't competent to make the best choice in the matter. I figured they knew more about the acting talent available out there than I did, so I just let them go ahead and do it. I didn’t want to try and intrude all over the place.
So when you pictured your comic book being made into a film, you didn’t actually have anyone in mind to play yourself?
Not really, I don’t go to see a lot of movies.
Once Paul Giamatti was cast, did he study your mannerisms?
No, he studied videotapes of me. He read the comic books. He didn't just say, "Let's take an afternoon off so I can try and get down some of your mannerisms." His idea was to do an interpretation of me, not an imitation.
What do you think about his portrayal?
I'm very happy with it. I like what Paul did.
Do you think he captured the feel of your life and your comic books?
Yeah, I think so, about as well as a movie can.
Were you leery of what Hollywood might change your life and your comic books into when they first approached you with the idea of making "American Splendor" the movie?
No, I wasn't that leery. First of all, I’d heard a lot of good things about [producer] Ted Hope from people that I was confident in. When they said he was okay, I figured he was. When I met him, I was pretty much convinced of it. He has quite an impressive track record. I didn’t imagine that the film would be as good as it turned out, but I thought he'd do a good job.
Did you think it would be more along the lines of a documentary or did you think it would be more along the lines of what it ended up being?
I think he indicated in the beginning that he might want a mixture of styles. Of course that came to fruition with Shari Berman and Bob Pulcini's script. They had all these ideas; they were thinking along the same lines as Ted. He gave them these comic books and they saw where I was drawn in all sorts of different ways by different artists. They decided they could have more than one version of me.
Which artist do you believe drew you the best?
Iit depends on what you are looking for. Probably the two greatest all-around artists that I’ve worked with are Frank Stack and Robert Crumb. There is a guy named Gerry Shamray who has a real realistic style. When he was at his most zealous he would take maybe an average of one Polaroid per panel. He would copy the Polaroids and then he would add his own touches. His work was very interesting from a textural standpoint, too. I thought Jerry was really interesting. I thought Sue Cavey had a real nice lyrical quality to her work. I've worked with some pretty fine people over the years.
You've stated you wanted the film to remain honest and not have a Hollywood ending. Why was that so important to you?
It would have gone against everything that I’ve been trying to accomplish as a comic book writer. I try and write the way things happen. I try and portray them accurately. I don't try and fulfill people's wishes. Not everything in my book is about unhappiness, but I wanted a kind of an ambivalent ending and that’s what I got.
