Forget the Writers: Fans strike out for star power
Want to know why writers go on strike? Consider the dozen or so people who showed up to talk about the three-month Writers Guild work stoppage; then compare it to the overflowing crowds who squeezed in to bask in the star power of Neil Patrick Harris and Jeffrey Tambor. For screenwriter Tim McCanlies, the strike gave him much-needed time to work on his long-awaited, low-budget film The Two Bobs, which will shoot in Austin next month with Ann Walker producing and P.J. Raval behind the camera. McCanlies described the film as in the tone of The Big Lebowski and Trainspotting. It follows two guys who are legends in the gaming business, whose new, much-anticipated game is stolen just as they finish it.
Oh, and about the writers’ strike? McCanlies and fellow screenwriter (and Variety editor) Mike Jones joined Kay Schaber Wolf of the WGA in explaining its angst and rewards. Jones called it a necessary event in order to assure writers get their fair share of newer technology. “The Internet is the next source of television, and the guild didn’t have any jurisdiction there,” he said. Schaber Wolf confirmed that unsuccessful efforts in the Eighties aimed at securing writers a decent take of video/DVD sales likely prompted the union to dig in its heels this time. “We learned from the past that if you wait too long, you miss out,” she said.
Panel moderator Robert Wilonsky had to chide photo-happy Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay fans into noticing the films tag-team writers/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg were even on the stage, as cameras took aim at stars Harris, John Cho, and Kal Penn. Cho, for the record, preferred talk of female body parts to a discussion of the film’s statement about our nation’s current political climate. “I felt like it was a device to amp up the stakes,” he said. “I don’t think the movie has anything to say politically. It just uses the current political climate to make vagina jokes.” Not that politics aren’t lurking. Penn recounted how airport screeners pulled him aside because of his skin color once, while the pinker-skinned friend with him – who happened to have a large hunting knife in his bag – went through unfettered. Cho has also faced the wrath of screeners, including the last time he was at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Meanwhile, Tambor used actors Greta Gerwig and Kent Osborne to give an enthusiastic throng – including a few actual thespians – a view into the craft as he urged the pair to overact, do monkey impersonations, and generally dig deep. Among his many words of wisdom: Character is contradiction, revenge is sweet, and there must be silences. “You can’t get hurt in acting; you can only get better,” he offered. – Joe O’Connell
What Has the Writers Strike Taught Us?: Saturday, March 8, 11am
Race, Politics, and Drugs: A Harold & Kumar Panel: Saturday, March 8, 1pm
Jeffrey Tambor Acting Workshop: Sunday, March 9, 1pm
This article appears in March 14 • 2008.