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ADAM BRODY on 'IN THE LAND OF WOMEN'
Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
April 15, 2007
In the drama In the Land of Women, young screenwriter Carter Webb (Adam Brody) takes a temporary hiatus after a bad breakup to visit his grandmother in Michigan and clear his head of his Los Angeles life. There, he meets his grandmother's neighbor, Sarah (Meg Ryan), a woman dealing with a loveless marriage, breast cancer, and an obstinate daughter Lucy (Kristen Stewart) who harbors an unspoken and festering resentment against her. Feeling a bond of kindred spirits separated by a generation gap and the circumstances of their individual lives, Carter comes to certain realizations about himself through his relationships with Sarah, Lucy, and even his grandmother.
Despite the central character being in his mid-20s, In the Land of Women is a sort of coming of age story with a nostalgic and wistful tone. While the trailers, commercials, and posters may give the erroneous impression that Carter is making out with every woman in sight, regardless of age, the relationships in the film are really of a more platonic variety, and the intentions of the film are deeper than one might expect from the advertising campaign.
In this interview, Adam Brody talks about working on the film.
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The Interview
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MEDIA: How did you feel being virtually the only guy in a cast full of women?
ADAM: You know, it got kind of lonely, actually, I have to tell you. We were filming on Vancouver Island, which is a beautiful place, but there's not much to do past five o'clock. And I actually did miss some sort of male [companionship]. And Jon is a good buddy of mine, who directed the movie, but he was so preoccupied with directing, and as an actor, you have so much downtime. So it actually got a little bit lonely.
What did you think about portraying these unconventional relationships with all of these different women?
I liked it. That's one of the things I liked a lot about the script: none of the relationships are exactly conventional, and they're not treated as such. But at the same time, it doesn't mean they're exactly on limits or off limits. It's just a big grey sort of world, and I really like that it's sort of complicated, and there's not exactly a clear cut answer for everything.
What you think drew your character to Meg's?
Well, I think she's beautiful, for one. I think they just have a natural rapport. I mean, I think that another time, another place, they would have dated. And then, also, he's sort of fascinated by her life. Because he goes out to the suburbs, and I think he has this...And I know I share this, and I know Jon feels this way...This sort of fascination with the "suburbs of the movies," that growing up in Southern California he didn't exactly have, but imagines is out there somewhere. And so I think she represents that to him in a way, too. Kind of like if you go anywhere and you meet what you expect to be the quintessential representative of wherever you are.
How was your experience of working with Meg Ryan?
It was fantastic to work with her. Above all else, she's a really talented actress. And any time you can work with anyone who's better than you, it elevates you and makes you better, so it was a treat. And also, I get to say that I worked with her, which is a fun thing.
And working with Kristen Stewart?
Same thing, she's fantastic in the movie. I enjoyed being able to sort of work opposite her, and she's really good in it.
What you think it says about your character that he's a softcore porn writer, and yet he's got this children's book in him?
[jokes] Ummm...I think every softcore porn writer has a children's book inside of them yearning to break free. [laughs] I mean, really isn't that what...? No...You know, I don't know. I think that he's a creative guy. I don't know the exact chain of events that led him to that career. And I don't think he considers it a career. I think he considers it a paycheck, much like I've parked cars. And even the children's book is, I think, a lark and something he did as a...to sort of...He said it accidentally to his grandma, just kidding, and decided to give it a go. And I don't think that even that is...I think that's a one-time thing, too.
So when you first read the script, you felt that he was really in a transitionary phase?
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it was very clear that he wasn't exactly where he wanted to be. I mean, granted, he's in a great place. I mean, getting paid to write anything is an accomplishment. And certainly while it may be sad that that girl was breaking up with him, he still clearly got to go out with her for at least a year, which is kind of nice. She's beautiful. So he may not be where he wanted, but still, it seemed like he was doing all right.
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Did you feel that your own transition from playing Seth Cohen on The O.C. to Carter Webb in In the Land of Women was a smooth one?
One of the reasons I liked this movie a lot, too, besides I just really thought it was good, was I felt like it was just far enough away from Seth...I thought it was a perfect sort of transitional piece, a little bit, in the sense that I don't feel like it's Seth. I feel like it's a different character. But at the same time, it doesn't feel like I'm running away from Seth as fast as I can. It feels like a natural progression a little bit, to a slightly older guy in a movie. So I feel like it fit like a glove. It was okay. In fact, if anything, I was more comfortable doing this than I had been doing Seth for a little while.
When you're reading scripts, are you particularly aware about avoiding characters that are too similar to Seth?
Well, I really do look at the script first in terms of just "How's the movie going to be? Do I want to be in it? Would I like to see this movie?" I'm not too worried about it. And also, there's very few of him in movies. I mean, the only thing I get a little wary of is I read a couple things once in a while, it's like, "indie rock geek guy." You know what I mean? And like that, a little, is sort of worrisome. But even that...I've read that like once. You know, for the most part, I haven't come across what I feel like to be too much him in many things. And the other thing is, a lot of me is in that character, and a lot of me is going to be in whatever I do. So at a certain point, I can't completely avoid it. You know, it's not Urkel, you know what I mean? It's not exactly me, but it's not a "total character" either, so there's only so much I can do, I feel like.
Do you consider yourself a good listener, as Carter fancies himself to be?
I like to think so. I imagine everyone fancies themselves a good listener, so...I don't know how you know. But I like to think I am. But I also talk a lot, so I don't know if those two are mutually exclusive or not.
Would you say you're the type to writer a love letter, as he does?
No, I'm not. I guess I'd like to try my hand at one some day. But I don't know. It seems like it'd be e-mail, at the very least. But no, I've never actually written a love letter.
Up until the fight scene in the middle of the movie, Carter has never been hit. Is that the same for you?
Yeah. I have yet to be punched in the face. But I'm sure it's coming.
Have you had the similar experience of having to take care of older relatives?
Well, fortunately, I have two grandmothers that are in great health, so I haven't had to be called upon to take care of anyone. And, you know, I can barely boil water, so I don't really know how useful I'd be. But I have a dog, and I take care of her. And she's sick right now. So...No, she's good. She'll be fine. She's young. Just surgery. A little thing.
How did your friendship with writer/director Jon Kasdan develop and evolve?
Well, it's funny. I met him when I met him for the movie and he gave me the part. But then I had eight more months of The O.C., of the second season, to film before I was available. So then we just waited. And there was nothing to do. I mean, the script was written. He was slowly hiring people. So then we just became...He's one of my best friends now. We just became really close in that time. So by the time it got to him directing, it was actually kind of funny... [laughs] [I have to work for] my buddy all of a sudden. Because I actually did not know him in a professional environment exactly. For one night, we talked about the movie, and then we were friends, and then we went and filmed it. And it was interesting.
What did you learn about Jon's directorial style?
Well, he's the most confident. And he never raised his voice. I mean, he was the sweetest director. He rubbed absolutely nobody the wrong way. He's the most respectful guy. But he was so confident. I mean, in ways, he's certainly been training his whole life for this in the household he grew up in. He's been talking about it. He said the funniest thing to me, where we were talking about DPs, and he named some...He knows like the directors of photography of the most random movies. And I said, "How is that even possible that you know who filmed that?" And he said, "When I was growing up, DPs were my baseball cards." And it's true. And I think it's hilarious. And so anyway, so he couldn't have known more about, not just...I mean, he wrote the script and he had a personal anecdote for every line in it, and the reason why it's in there. But furthermore, he knew exactly the lens he kind of wanted, the look he wanted. He knew, like, he wanted color strips across the face in this scene. He wanted this kind of texture. He hand-picked the flowers in Meg's yard and had them, as she evolves as a character, slightly change color to represent that. You know, it's a subtle thing no one will ever know. But like I said, I've never seen a more confident guy in the captain's chair. And not in terms of bravado or he came off as super-confident. He just knew what he was doing and you never would have known. I can't believe he hasn't at least made a short film. I mean, it's mind-blowing to me.
Carter goes to Michigan to escape the world of Los Angeles. Do you have a favorite destination for escapism?
I imagine I do. I just never make it there and leave. But I like New York a lot for a change of pace. I mean, I know it's still hectic, but it's different. I actually enjoy filming on location a lot. We did this movie in Vancouver and I love the idea of going somewhere else for three months and kind of living there and make this hotel room your house and immersing yourself in a different city. That's sort of therapeutic for me.
You're in a band called Big Japan. What's up with the name?
I don't know. And in fact, I think we are going to have to change our name, because this is our second name, and what I realized is our first one was named after something stupid and they'd ask what it's named after, and I'd tell people, and it's not a good story. And now this one means nothing, and people ask and you say it doesn't mean anything. I think it's got to be something self-explanatory like "The Beatles." You know? Where there is no explanation. It doesn't mean anything, but why would it? "It's called 'The Strawberries.'" or whatever. So...I don't know.
Thanks for your time.
Thanks a lot, guys.
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