Hollywood just hasn’t been the same since Mitch Glazer moved back to Miami. The screenwriter and his wife, Kelly Lynch, usually keep benevolent watch over the movie crowd’s social scene from their breathtaking Lautner house up in the hills, but they are currently sweating away in the Sunshine State on Magic City, a new series for Chris Albrecht’s Starz network. West Coast editor Krista Smith caught up with Glazer to talk about the new show and his directorial debut, Passion Play, which opens in limited release today.
We know how difficult it is to get a movie made, from having the idea to casting, financing, shooting, and completion. That’s no small feat. And with this kind of cast—I mean, how did you go about approaching Mickey Rourke?
I’ve known him since high school, since we were 15. We have been friends. There were the missing years, of course, when he was just too nuts to connect with. But he was a year younger than me in high school, and my high school was basically 70 percent Jewish, 30 percent Cuban, and Mickey. So it was kind of a dream: I had Mickey and Billy and Kelly—amazing actors all, and of course Rhys [Ifans] and Megan [Fox]. It was a responsibility, because I didn’t want to let any of them down, but it was also a joy. There is a moment in the movie where Billy and Mickey are sharing a banquette together and I was watching and going, “God, this is wild, two guys that have just been nominated for best actor a year apart”—both lost to Sean Penn, I might add—“and they are two guys I have known forever and two of my favorite actors.”
I love Bill Murray.
He’s the best. And you know, Mickey brings all his—the full jolt of his talent and personality. We were about to do a scene with him and Billy and Megan, and I said, “I think the first time you acted was with my sister, Amy,” and he turned to me and said, “Yeah, and I slept with her.” I went, “What? You slept with my sister? When?” And he said, “Senior year.” I said, “No one told me!” So I had to call my sister and said, “You fucked Mickey Rourke?!” She said, “We didn’t want to upset you.” I said, “I’m upset. I’m upset right now!” This is 40 years ago and I’m furious. [Laughs.]
In Hollywood, it’s amazing to have relationships that last so long. In the end, those are always the relationships that come through for you.
Every time. And you know, Megan was so stand-up. I had never seen Transformers. I saw a few scenes from Jennifer’s Body, and that’s it. And then I had lunch with her at Little Dom’s. I was looking for Gene Tierney or Ava Gardner, and I’ve never seen anything like it. She felt vulnerable and really got the character and I just decided: She’s it. I didn’t realize the level of her Internet fame and that whole thing—it’s an age thing for me. I just didn’t get it. For me she was just this incredible face and this timeless, iconic-looking woman. Then she gets on set and Mickey pulls me aside after their first scene. “Mitchell,” he says, “she’s fucking amazing! Oh my God, it’s going to be so good!”
Source: Vanity Fair
