I am not sure if anyone has read or heard either of these (2) interviews yet, re:
The Big Year.... The first one I have copied and pasted so everyone can read it. I am excited to see this movie, it appears to be very good...How could it not, right?
The second is a very good, funny audio interview. I have included the link so y'all can give it a listen.
The conversation between them is delightful and interesting. (Even if you are like me and can't tell one bird from another unless maybe it's a common one like a humming bird or red bird...)
I hope you enjoy these as it's kinda hard to tell if anyone keeps up much since discussion on the board is pretty much nil.
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1.
Martin, Wilson, Black get giddy for 'Big Year'The Arizona Republic
Get Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black together, and you'd think you would spark a laugh riot.
Maybe. The three star in "The Big Year," which opens Friday. It's about a birding competition -- each man is trying to set the record for having seen the most species of birds in a calendar year. And while there is humor in the film, it's not exactly what you would expect from these three, particularly together.
It's more of a character study (although there is some slapstick and joking around, of course). The three of them spoke by phone recently about the movie and were goofier than they are in the film. In fact, as the conversation began, they said they were giddy. And they weren't joking -- except when they were.
Question: Did you guys know about the world of birding before the film?
Owen Wilson: I wasn't aware that it was a competition. I knew that there were bird enthusiasts, and I considered myself, you know, I kind of like birds. I like to see a cardinal or a blue jay or an eagle or something. I'd seen an eagle twice before in my life before this movie. But just learning about the competition part of it, then sort of how relatable it is to any kind of competition, which is trying to put everything into something and trying to be the best at something.
Jack Black:> I knew birders existed, but I didn't know what the hell the point was. I kind of lumped them in with the people doing slow-motion tai chi in the park. "Why are you doing that?"
Wilson: Wait, tai chi is slow motion. It's always slow motion.
Black: No, it's slow motion until you become the best. Then it is a form of kung fu. Tai chi is a deadly form of kung fu, yes.
Steve Martin: Do you see what I go through?
Q: Yes. But so far you're not the voice of reason, you're the voice that doesn't actually say anything. You can't help but come off sounding wise in comparison.
Wilson: Thank you. (Laughs.)
Q: Is it more fun to play obsessive characters?
Martin: Absolutely. It's more fun to play bad guys, I would say.
Wilson: You've got to have some of the seven deadly sins.
Martin: Yeah, you've got to have a little juice in your character. It makes your face change, instead of old boring face. I get a lot of nice-guy roles. I have to consult my book of 74 facial expressions. (All laugh.)
Q: How many did you use in this movie?
Martin: I used 12.
Q: When people hear you guys are together in a movie, they assume it'll be a straight comedy. Was there a temptation to play it more broadly?
Martin: You can't if the characters are real. It would have looked wrong, I think, if we had really clowned it up, I wouldn't even have known how to have done that with my character without looking like I was in the wrong movie.
Black: It's clear when you read this script that it's not that kind of movie.
Q: Was that a relief in some ways?
Black: That was one of the things that drew me to the project, that it was a change of pace from the wacky comedies that I'd done in the past. It was a chance to do something more real.
Wilson: To me it feels more like a burden when you have, "Here's the set piece." Because sometimes that stuff doesn't really make me laugh, and I find myself doing these things that people are saying to do because it's a set piece, and this will really bring down the house.
Martin: Yeah, you can feel that -- oh, here's the studio's idea to put something in that's a set piece, so they ask the writers to write a set piece, and you can really feel it coming. But that's not the point. The point is, I don't think of Owen or Jack as these slapstick comedy actors. I was surprised to learn that there was this expectation of falling off buildings and whacking our heads.
Wilson: Stepping on a rake. (Laughs.) All of a sudden we're pitching set pieces.
Q: The film is based on a book. Did you read it?
Martin: Of course.
Wilson: Yeah.
Black: Yeah. I think we stayed true to the spirit of the book. It's loosely based on the book. We had some of the players from the book come to the set and give us a little help with consultation and whatnot. There was a guy from the (National) Audubon Society who was really pleased at how we stayed true to the birding code.
Q: Did you develop an appreciation of birding?
Wilson: I would say it's more of an appreciation and more of a sensitivity and awareness of nature. The guy from the Audubon Society was talking about this thing that happens in Nebraska that he invited us to, where all these birds flock to this river. And he says it's just sort of an unbelievable event in March. So something like that sounds interesting to me.
Black: I definitely can appreciate the birders' talent more now. I mean, when you see them in action, a bird whizzes by, it's just a blur, there's no way you should be able to identify it. And they're just like, "Yep, yellow-beaked cockatoo." I just made that up, by the way. I hope no birders are going to write in.
Q: Are you guys obsessive about anything?
Wilson: I can get obsessed with any sort of competition, playing a friend or something, where we're both really into it, where I can literally just do it non-stop, just play for hours. In fact, I think that's one of the most-fun things that I do, or look forward to doing.
Martin: For me, I'm sort of always engaged with something, whether it's the newspaper or the art world or playing music. Or completely disengaged (laughs), that idle staring at television, completely passive, not even understanding what you're looking at. I can watch a football game and not know the names of the teams, and really only care about the relative score. "Oh, they're behind, I hope they catch up."
Black: I am obsessed with putting on a show. But it's a strange thing. I always want to put on a show and blow people's minds, whether it be with music or theater or whatever. But then I also have this fear that they're going to judge me harshly. So it's always a strange ... never mind.
Publicist: OK, that'll have to be it.
Black: Oh man, I can't believe we're going to end on that!
Martin: That's the headline: "Interview Goes Awry!"
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2. (Audio Interview)
mag.audubon.org/audio/big-year-interview-jack-black-steve-martin-and-owen-wilson