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Culture
Ask Me No Questions: An Interview with the Director of The Answer Man
by Indigo Moonstar
Have you ever been given credit for something you didn’t really feel you deserved? Have you ever been turned to for answers when you felt like you didn’t even know the questions? This is the plight of Arlen Faber, Jeff Daniel’s character in the upcoming movie, The Answer Man. In the story, Arlen is the author of a fictional book entitled, Me and God. Though his book has become a cult phenomenon over the course of 20 years, Arlen lives the life of bitter recluse, and has “even turned down an audience with the Dalai Lama,” for fear of being seen as a fraud. Arlen’s life begins to change when he collides with a young alcoholic bookseller, played by Lou Taylor Pucci, and a charming yet over-protective single mother, played by Lauren Graham.
The Answer Man is sure to be one of the feel-good movies of this summer. It succeeds in being funny, witty, and bitingly sarcastic, while at the same time heartfelt and genuinely touching. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with writer/director John Hindman to talk about his new film.
Vision Magazine: What’s the story with Arlen’s bad temper?
John Hindman: Arlen doesn’t get out a lot. He’s one of those people that has lost the ability to pretend for the sake of others. He doesn’t pull any punches. Nothing Arlen says is really “wrong;” it’s just the way that he says it. That’s not the way you’re supposed to interact with people. His challenge is learning tact. He should probably temper his approach somewhat.
VM: Is it safe to say that there’s a little of yourself in each of the roles?
JH: Well, everyone in the movie talks like me because I wrote it, and I worship at the Altar of Sarcasm. Lauren Graham’s character is inspired by my sister, more for her good qualities than her flaws. As for Arlen, there’s a lot of my dad in there. Arlen is the kind of person who has the insight to help everybody except himself.
VM: What would you say is Arlen’s “moment of clarity” in the story?
JH: I like stories where the people get better because they know each other. Life chips away at us, and we hope that there’s something good inside that was hidden from both ourselves and from others. Mostly I think it was Arlen’s relationship with the little boy, Alex. That kid was just amazing to work with. We went through all these child actors who had just been ruined by commercials. Here was a kid who could take direction, but he never stopped being a kid.
VM: Jeff Daniels really carried the role. What was it like to work with him?
JH: Jeff was phenomenal. When he read the script, he called me right away. Listening to him talk about the story, it was as though he had written it himself. He took notes extensively during our conversations and got every nuance I had worked for, as well as the overarching theme of the story. The thing about Jeff is that he treats your words like Shakespeare. If there’s a pause in his sentence it’s because there’s a comma there in the script. He brings such color and depth, coming not from Jeff Daniels, but directly from the character. I needed an actor who could be intellectual, vulnerable, funny, and a romantic lead.
VM: I agree that Lauren Graham was the perfect choice for the female lead. Was there any symbolism behind her character’s profession as a chiropractor?
JH: First of all, Lauren was the only actress we met with. I think you’ll see why. To me, she is the closest thing we have to those great fast-talking women of the 40s and 50s. I didn’t need a girl; I needed a woman. She’s like Diana, Goddess of the Hunt. There’s nothing artificial about her.
As for the chiropractor, one of my biggest writing hurdles was figuring out a plausible way for the three characters to meet. I went through so many different ideas and nothing seemed to work. Then one morning I was on the phone with my mom, and I had a very Arlen moment that went something like, “my back again!” Later that day, as I was out running, it dawned on me: She’s a chiropractor! Got it!
VM: Lou Taylor Pucci was also incredible. Where did you find him?
JH: I was a big fan of Lou from the movie Thumbsucker. He won a Special Jury Award for Acting at Sundance last year, and they don’t give those out every year. He was also featured at the Venice Film Festival. We were in talks with Lou for over a year and he loved the role, but it wasn’t working out for a number of reasons. Then the actor we had originally tapped, whom I also loved, fell through. So it turned into, “Please, please, can you do it? We want you to do it!” Lou was down in New Jersey. He was supposed to go on vacation with his girlfriend, but he came up to Philly and never left. Lou was great to work with and we’ll be seeing a lot of him this next year.
VM: Was Arlen’s fictional book, Me and God, inspired by any specific new age cult phenomenon, or was it more an amalgamation of all of them?
JH: Me and God—first note the order! I’ve read several books on spirituality, but I’m not exactly a “get in touch with your inner John Hindman” kind of guy. I needed the book in the story to be about questions and answers. All we have are questions. The biggest one is how do we reconcile ourselves with a creator who is silent?
More than anything, I think my inspiration came from the book A Course in Miracles, which is just amazing. The great irony is that the author, Dr. Helen Schucman, is an atheist. Arlen’s character begs the question: How can someone write that book and then turn around and not even pray? Or in Arlen’s case, be such a curmudgeon. The movie investigates those inevitable inconsistencies of life, which no matter what, we all have.
VM: I loved that line where Arlen says, “I’ve been to Hell; its name is Reno, Nevada.”
JH: Yes, Reno, where their motto is, “Hey, at least we’re not Sparks!” Think about the name, Re-No. It’s like saying “no” and then Re-No; you say no again! The line “Hell is other people,” comes from John Paul Sartre. I’ve always loved that quote. It’s necessary for Arlen to say that at the beginning of the film so we know where he’s coming from as he slowly emerges from his shell. In the end, I think that our salvation depends upon each other.
Indigo Moonstar is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. Contact him at indigomoonstar@gmail.com.