Terry Gilliam Talks Brad Pitt’s Performance in ’12 Monkeys’ and Learning the Secret of Success From Mary Poppins
U.S. writer-director Terry Gilliam had the crowd in stitches throughout his masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival, where he presented the restored version of his 1995 cult movie “12 Monkeys.”
The former Monty Python member, whose career as a director started with the 1975 satirical comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” said that while he was keen to approach difficult subjects, he had learnt from Mary Poppins the secret of success.
More from Variety
“She taught me that the sugar helps the medicine go down,” he quipped, to the audience’s delight.
On a more serious note, Gilliam said that his main goal as a filmmaker was “to make films that make you think about the world in a different way.”
Rejecting the way reality is presented by the media, which he described as “too limited,” Gilliam said it could be “more fascinating, bizarre and surprising.”
“I don’t make fantasy films, though, because that doesn’t interest me. What interests me is this battle, the tension between imagination and reality. The most important of our senses is not hearing, or touch, or taste – it’s our sense of humor. We live in an absurd world – as a species we’re rather absurd – and if we can’t laugh about ourselves, I don’t see the point of living,” he told the Lyon crowd.
On the making of “12 Monkeys” and its lead actors’ remarkable performances, Gilliam explained that part of the film’s success was down to the fact that he gave Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt roles that were totally different to what they were used to playing, casting Willis as the introvert prisoner James Cole, and Pitt as psychotic mental patient Jeffrey Goines.
“Brad worked incredibly hard to prepare for the role – he went to psychiatric wards, visited mental hospitals… and the first day of the shoot, he exploded on the set! It was breathtaking how funny he was, how strange, how psychotic, it was incredible! So, in the end, Bruce did one of the best performances of his life, and so did Brad,” said Gilliam.
In response to moderator Didier Allouch’s suggestion that films like “The Life of Brian” or “The Meaning of Life” could no longer be made today, Gilliam expressed doubt, saying he had never experienced a time when people were so easily offended.
“The problem is that you don’t think that we can do that now – and you may be right, but I’m happy to keep doing it to see what happens. People are self-censoring so much now: You can’t say this, you can’t think like that – but who is telling you to do or think that way? There’s nobody out there doing it, you’re doing it to yourself – stop!” he asserted.
While he was uncharacteristically discreet about the upcoming Apple TV adaptation of his 1981 hit “Time Bandits” – “Shhh, I can say nothing” – Gilliam did share an anecdote about the original movie.
“A couple of years after that success, Warner Bros. came to me and said: ‘We would like you to make three Bandit films, and they were offering me millions of dollars. They said, ‘We love the film but there’s only one caveat: No dwarves.’ My response was: ‘Fuck off!’” exclaimed Gilliam, blowing a loud raspberry, which became a running joke throughout the masterclass.
Gilliam freely acknowledged his conflictual relationship with Hollywood – citing the battle with Universal over his final cut of cult sci-fi comedy “Brazil” in 1985 – and put his confidence down to his years with the Pythons.
“This lucky experience of being in Monty Python and becoming successful in doing what we felt was the best we could do gives you a certain sense of arrogance, a confidence, and you don’t want to give that up,” he smiled, before continuing: “My problem with Hollywood is that there’s a lot of intelligent people being paid very large amounts of money to be executives and make adult decisions.
“They are very frightened because they don’t want to lose their jobs. And I don’t like my films – or anybody’s films – being judged by frightened people. I want people to be confident, to be excited, those kinds of emotions.”
In line with the festival’s tradition to have filmmakers present their own movies, when possible, Gilliam introduced the “12 Monkeys” restoration at no less than three screenings in Lyon, often staying for the start “to check the sound.”
“12 Monkeys” was restored in 4K by Arrow Films and NBC Universal under the supervision of Gilliam and is scheduled for DVD and theatrical release by Paris-based distributor L’Atelier d’images on Nov. 8.
The Lumière Film Festival runs in Lyon through Oct. 22.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
