Why was Being John Malkovich based around John Malkovich?
The film Being John Malkovich is replete with unique plot ideas, the most captivating being the portal discovered by Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) taking him into actor John Malkovich's head.
Why did screenwriter Charlie Kaufman select John Malkovich as the person who had a portal to his brain? Furthermore, was Malkovich included in the early discussions involving the production of the film? Would the film have happened if Malkovich balked at the idea?
Best Answer
Charlie Kaufman explains it in an (video) interview with Charlie Rose (skip to 21:00):
I don't know... I thought it was funny. It's hard to explain, but I thought it was funny, but not jokey. Because [John Malkovich] is a serious actor, he is a great actor, but there is something odd about him and there is something behind his eyes that you can't see. And I thought that was a good person for this.
And then I think his name is perfect for the title... when we trying to get the movie made... we didn't know if John was going to do it and Spike [Jonze] and I sort of tried to make a list of other possibilities and there are lots of good actors but nobodys name sounded good in the title... so... it was important for that reason.
As John Malkovich explains in this (video) interview, even though he liked the script from the start, he asked Kaufman
if he would make that movie about someone else, that I would like to direct it and we would produce it.
Only several years after that the movie finally got made.
This is also mentioned on the IMDb trivia page:
John Malkovich was approached about this film several times and loved the script, but he and his production crew felt that another actor would fit the role better.
Malkovich offered to help produce the film, and aid Spike Jonze in any way, but refused to star in it.
Eventually after a couple of years Malkovich's will was worn down and he agreed to star in the film.
Pictures about "Why was Being John Malkovich based around John Malkovich?"
How did John Malkovich feel about Being John Malkovich?
John Malkovich has revealed he didn't originally want to be subject of 1999 classic Being John Malkovich. Speaking to NME in a new interview, the actor revealed that when he was approached for the role and given Charlie Kaufman's screenplay, he wanted to direct the film himself \u2013 and for the subject to be someone else.What was the point of Being John Malkovich?
Being John Malkovich is ultimately about a truly strange love triangle formed between Craig, Lotte, and Maxine, and as strange as their relationship is from the get-go \u2013 with Craig being married to Lotte and then falling in love with Maxine, only to then learn that Lotte is in love with Maxine as well \u2013 things end in ...How did Charlie Kaufman wrote Being John Malkovich?
I wrote Being John Malkovich while I was waiting for [the next sitcom] hiring season. My idea was that I would write a script and use it to get work. I had this idea that someone finds a portal into someone's head, and I had another idea that somebody has a story about someone having an affair with a co-worker.Who does the puppeteering in Being John Malkovich?
Puppeteering sequences include the artistry of Luman Coad, Kamela Portuges, Lee Armstrong, Tim Miller, and Mary Nagler. Six months later, Phillip Huber was assigned the task of performing the marionette manipulation and the film is now scheduled for release in the Fall of 1999.John Malkovich on 'Being John Malkovich'
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