Tribeca exclusive: Judy Greer (‘Eric Larue’) on politics, awards, tragedy and first-time director Michael Shannon
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“Eric Larue” is the directorial debut of actor Michael Shannon. He’s only behind the camera this time. The aftermath tale of a young boy’s shooting rampage deals straight ahead with the families of the people affected. An often light and breezy costar of rom-coms, Judy Greer here delivers a powerhouse leading performance. She’s had films at Tribeca before, but she’s chatting with us this week from Chicago where she’s on stage in “Another Marriage” at the Steppenwolf. She’s candid, funny and has real affection for the new director. And she says it’s never too early to think about awards season. But we begin with her downtown New York professional roots.
Judy Greer: I was actually at the first Tribeca Film Festival. I was shooting a movie in New York at the time. They were all finished cleaning up the wreckage after 9/11 in downtown and I remember Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro talking openly about trying to get people to go back downtown. Let’s get it moving again. So I feel connected to it in that way. What they’ve managed to do over the years is really incredible. And it’s turned into such an important festival. They do an incredible job picking films that are relevant. I always think that if it’s been at Tribeca I’ll probably like it.
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GD: They pick stuff that resonates with the times. And “Eric Larue” certainly qualifies. A mother dealing with the aftermath of her son being the shooter responsible for a high school tragedy.
JG: Yes absolutely.
GD: What made you give this new kid Shannon a try as director?
JG: (Laughs) You know, he’s just so hilarious. Just kidding. Mike and I worked together on a film years ago called “Pottersville.” It was a comedy and I don’t think of Michael Shannon as a comedian. And I was dying to find out how funny Michael Shannon is.
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GD: If Michael Shannon laughs in a movie, someone is going to die.
JG: (Laughs) Pretty much. Yeah. But I went into this movie and totally fell for him. He’s amazing. Yes, we revere him as one of our most talented actors, but he’s also hilarious, kind, he’s thoughtful. He gives a shit. He gives too much of a shit. He cares so much. So I’m always interested in what he wants to do next as a person or an artist and so when he called me and said he wanted to direct, I basically didn’t even have to read the script. Years ago I asked him if he wanted to direct and he said, “F*ck no,” so I really had to do this movie because how did he go from “F*ck no” to doing this beautiful, complicated story. His first movie as a director.
GD: Gives a shit like Kubrick and gets 50 or 100 takes?
JG: No, I mean in general. He cares so much about people and the material. And the world surrounding him. He’s very generous with his time even on an independent film budget. There was no sense of rush.
GD: Well, grief can’t be rushed. It doesn’t move quickly.
JG: No, right. So we talked about character, we talked about story, different ways to play each scene, each moment. Grief is its own animal and everybody experiences it differently. Moves through it differently.
GD: And you’re the whole movie. You trusted Michael knowing you were in nearly every frame.
JG: Well, we had a great ensemble cast. But Michael directing it made me more comfortable. I wanted to see what he would do with tragedy, how he would deal with that.
GD: Have you ever seen him smile?
JG: Oh yeah, I can make him laugh. I would go to work trying to make him smile or giggle. I can get it out of him.
GD: You have an incredibly wide fan base. No two people seem to know you for the same thing.
JG: It’s fun that way. I was coming home from vacation once and we were in customs and this guy goes, “What do I know you from?” and we went through my whole resume and it turned out to be a Sprint commercial that ran during a sports event.
GD: It’s actually a great compliment for an actor. Morgan Freeman told me once the worst thing a writer can say is “I wrote this with you in mind” because it means they think he has no range.
JG: Right. I have quite the demographic going for me. (Laughs)
GD: You are also consistently called out, even in a movie a critic may not like, as the best thing about the movie. Do the other actors call and sarcastically say “congratulations”?
JG: The good thing about a movie is you don’t have to see anyone after the reviews. So I can avoid that. But I do feel bad about being singled out when it happens because I think of a project as a whole and not just my performance. I want everyone to be recognized.
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GD: So in terms of recognition how important are festivals at this time of year going forward? Preparing for award season.
JG: It’s really necessary.
GD: Even though it’s a long way off. Meryl Streep told me she does the movies for free and gets paid for the junkets, promotions, TV appearances.
JG: Yes. Part of an award campaign is that more people see it. Fortunately or unfortunately it has become a second job for most of us. Certainly when it’s a project you believe in it’s much easier and more exciting to do.
GD: Even this early.
JG: Look, to start now, to start with a movie premiering at Tribeca, I mean I can’t imagine a better way to begin some kind of campaign. For this film, for any film. For us it’s huge. I wouldn’t say we pick roles hoping for a nomination, but certainly, to get that kind of recognition, it’s a really big deal for all of us.
GD: Especially a first-time director?
JG: It’s a big deal for Mike, it’s a big deal for the cast and it’s a big deal for the producers. All we want to do is make movies we love with friends and the reason we promote them is so we can keep doing that. Especially when it’s something like “Eric Larue” that deals with some pretty intense political topics, specifically gun violence, these are stories that need to be told. And I’m not afraid to tell them.
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