With two of the hottest young actors in lead roles – Jason Behr and Dominic Monaghan – “Shooting Livien” is already generating interest from distributors, even before it has its film festival debut. And while the buzz surrounding “Shooting Livien” would make any up-and-coming filmmaker ecstatic, Cook would like to introduce the film to audiences via the film festival circuit first. Cook's hopeful Behr and Monaghan fans will get the opportunity to see "Shooting Livien" at select festivals in early 2005. Until then, here's an in-depth look behind the scenes at the making of "Shooting Livien."
INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA COOK:
Where did the idea for “Shooting Livien” come from?
I was watching a Beatles documentary and essentially I’d never really got the whole Beatles thing. I just did not understand the fascination. So finally I was with my husband and my mother and they’re like, “Just sit down and watch this.” And as I did, I began to have throughout the film an appreciation for the progress of the band and the timeliness of when they were doing what they were doing it. But more importantly, what I found fascinating was sort of watching Lennon as this creative genius who had this baggage from his youth and initially wanted to be an artist, and then it became about music. And then it became about wanting to perform and wanting the adulation, but fighting against that as well. Not necessarily wanting to own the fame, but not wanting to separate from it. It sort of fed into who he was, but he wasn’t entirely comfortable. And because I think he had so much going on sort of in the deep recesses of his soul that he was trying to work out, that made him such an interesting character.
I bought this massive biography on Lennon and learned about his youth, the progression of how he and the Beatles went through their different stages, and how eventually live performance was no longer fun for them - especially for Lennon because it was so much pressure. And they weren’t’ really doing what they wanted to do. But by the same token, he was using his fame to greater means, by teaching peace. So he was a constant struggle between celebrity and art. For me, I think, as a filmmaker and knowing actors in my life, I thought that was a really interesting struggle for a lot of creative people. Wanting to be successful, wanting to be loved and adored and approved of, but by the same token, wanting to believe in your art for art’s sake. And how fame can get in the middle of all that.
I took the basis of a little bit of John Lennon’s history and created a character based on [the premise], “What if somebody really had some sort of real serious demons in their past and had to deal with true psychological issues?” So there’s a lot of subtext to “Livien,” which also leads into this choice about sanity and insanity. What the fine line is, particularly when you’re pursuing something so creative where it’s easy to give into the genius and the darkness and the fame and all of that. And take a character that truly has to look at a past that has inherited psychological problems, and how that can be a part of his musical life and what he endeavors to do. It really becomes a story about a guy who has to deal with whether his insanity is real, it’s something he inherited, or it’s something he has to just come to grips with. In the process, [he has to] work out how to be the best musician he can be. He imbibes this spirit of Lennon and attaches this personality that he lives through as a result of not being able to come to terms with who he really is.
It’s about masks. It’s about how performance can give you a mask. I noticed that when I did my research, a lot of musicians in New York would get onstage and they’d be these phenomenal powers. You’d watch them afterwards and go up and try to have a drink with them and they’d be very shy and very reclusive and very internal. I found that fascinating, only because I’m a writer and I understand that as well. I’m an outgoing person. As a director you have to be communicative. I also know what it’s like to want to get into my writer’s hole and stay there and just be at one with the things that are coming out of me. I think that translates into a bigger picture in the world with people and their day-to-day lives. Your private dark side and your public, what you do for a living [side], and how you relate to the world. Creative people get away with a lot more (laughing). A bit more excuses are made for them, usually for a good reason because they impart writing or music or art or something of the like.
