News 2005

Q&A with Broken Flowers Director Jim Jarmusch

December 2005: From MoviesOnline:

Q: Let me ask you about Sherry, and Julie Delpy. There's an ambiguity about the character. She basically introduces the movie by leaving the movie.

JJ: We don't really know what her motive is, and Julie was great to work with to make that natural. She has some admittedly ridiculous lines to deliver; the film has some intentional clichés in it, like the French girl's name is "Sherry," and a guy goes to see his dead girlfriend in the cemetery in the rain, etc. I tried to use clichés, not to subvert them, exactly, but to put them in the film and have them add up to something not predictably clichéd. I've sort of known Julie for some years now, and I've loved getting to hang out with her occasionally because we talk about books and old films and music and things that interest us. I've always liked her natural feminine intelligence.

Read the interview

La Vie en Delpy

December 2005: From Flare.com:

Speaking to Julie Delpy is like co-starring with her in a romantic film. You fall in love. Fast.

She has been choosing scripts that are far from your usual Hollywood fare, opting for quality plots over brash blockbusters. It's not just talent that makes Delpy such a success. Both on-screen and off, she commands attention thanks to a strong sense of confidence and some true individuality. Fortunately for Delpy, the only people she isn't popular with are agents. "I'm lucky that I've reached a stage in my career where, if my agent tells me 'you should be doing this project, it's good for your career' - I politely tell them to go and... let's just say call me later." Read the article

Pale and interesting

October 2005: From Telegraph.co.uk:

Don't let her blonde-bombshell looks deceive you: Julie Delpy is opinionated, ferociously talented and one of the cleverest actresses currently in Hollywood. Could that be why she doesn't get to work there more often? If you've watched any of Delpy's films, you can't help wishing more directors would call, last minute or not. As actresses go, the 35-year-old belongs firmly in the camp of 'artists'. Linklater is a huge Delpy fan. 'There are so many actors who you think, "Oh, they're so interesting,'' but they're playing a part and never really get into the essence of themselves.' Julie, he believes, is absolutely, refreshingly herself. Read the interview

Julie Delpy joins the cast of Lasse Hallstrom's "Hoax"

August 2005: Julie Delpy and Hope Davis are joining the ensemble cast of director Lasse Hallstrom's upcoming drama "Hoax". The story revolves around Clifford Irving, the man who wrote and sold a bogus biography of Howard Hughes to McGraw-Hill. Richard Gere is set to play Irving, while Julie Delpy will portray his mistress. Hope Davis will play Andrea Tate, an employee at McGraw-Hill. The cast also includes Alfred Molina and Marcia Gay Harden. Filming is currently underway in the US. Sources: Guardian - Reuters - Softpedia

French revolution

August 2005: From Breathe Magazine:

After struggling with Hollywood's rules, Julie Delpy saw the light and made up her own. The waning sun halos her tousled blonde hair; she wears no makeup. Her open face and porcelain skin radiate a soft-focus intensity, and when she speaks, her accent seems to make even the air in the room stop moving, in order that it might listen more closely.

Never mind that this particular French café is in West Hollywood. Delpy could just as easily be reentering a Parisian scene from Before Sunset, last year's delicious pas de deux of sexual tension, which she cowrote with Ethan Hawke and director Richard Linklater. The surprise hit earned all three writers an Oscar nomination for adapted screenplay, but for Delpy, it also obliterated a career lull that had settled in after a disastrous flirtation with the world of Hollywood blockbusters. After her career rebirth, we were reminded why we had fallen in love with her in 1995's Before Sunrise. We could feel her curious, stubborn intellect, sense her subtle, confident sensuality, and most of all celebrate a talent that works best when it's working against formula.

And that seems to be her calling. Now that she's back on her feet after directing her own low-budget projects and releasing an album, Hollywood is offering her roles again. But you can bet she won't appear in the next Tomb Raider. Delpy's first turn after Before Sunset is opposite Bill Murray in Broken Flowers, the new film from quintessential indie auteur Jim Jarmusch - not bad for an actor who just a few years ago had been dumped by her agent and forgotten by an industry that has a short attention span and an even shorter vision.

Excerpt:

Breathe Magazine: The ending was so subtle.

Julie Delpy: We knew it was going to end that way, but when we shot it we thought, Oh my god, this is really risky. Ending a film on such an open idea can be frustrating for people, especially for an American audience. The first thing my agent told me when he saw the film was that we totally missed the occasion for a great ending, with a kiss and everything.

Breathe Magazine: That shows how much agents know. The film was a huge critical success without an easy, feel-good ending.

Julie Delpy: But if we had written the script and sent it out to companies with our ending, they would have laughed at us. They would think no one would want to see this film. Luckily, Castle Rock wanted to do the film because they had done Before Sunrise and the guy there was really crazy for it. Before Sunset was a passion film for them. They thought they were going to make no money. Even if you sent that script out now I guarantee no one would put a dime into it, because people are scared to get outside of formulas in the movie business. The minute you write something that is different they are terrified. Ter-if-fied. You have a few producers who are visionaries, but very few.

Breathe Magazine: So like playing guitar at Canter's, writing a movie like 'Before Sunset' was just another chance for you to take a risk.

Julie Delpy: The general vibe right now is to try to make everything the same, basically. I have people around me who suggest things to me, but they are not controlling me and creating me. With Before Sunset, we did what we wanted creatively. And that's dangerous. I think that's why I'm not being offered big Hollywood films right now. Somehow it's threatening to have freedom creatively. Because they assume that if you are creatively free, you are crazy and difficult.

Breathe Magazine: And you're not crazy and difficult?

Julie Delpy: I'm the opposite. I don't care about having a trailer and all the shit that a lot of people care about. I care about quality. That's the only thing I care about.

Breathe Magazine: Getting back to what you were saying about success and being true to yourself, do you think there is something universal at work there?

Julie Delpy: I hope so. There was definitely something with Before Sunset. We did that from our guts, not with a marketing plan, and it turned out for the best. We didn't do it expecting anything positive to come from it; we did it for ourselves. So maybe there is a truth to that dream that you should do things for yourself and it will turn out good. I don't know if it's necessarily true for everything. You can do a passion project and nothing can come of it, and that must be really painful. But at least you've done it, and you've pleased yourself. And that's already a lot.

Read the interview

DVD: Détective

July 2005: Jean-Luc Godard's "Détective" from 1985 -starring a young Julie Delpy - is now available on DVD (region 2). Order from play.com or amazon.co.uk. Read more: Internet Movie Database - Rotten Tomatoes - Senses of Cinema - DVD Times

German tour in July

June 2005: Julie Delpy and her band will be touring in Germany in July. Tickets: Eventim. Sources: Berthold Seliger and Gaesteliste

Hawke & Delpy reteam

May 2005: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are in final talks to star in Bathory. The Hollywood Reporter says Delpy will make her directorial debut on the picture, working from her own script about the legendary Elizabeth Bathory. Source: Coming Soon

Broken Flowers

April 2005: Broken Flowers will be released on August 5th in the USA. See more release dates. See trailer. Synopsis: In the new film from acclaimed writer/director Jim Jarmusch, Bill Murray stars as Don Johnston. The resolutely single Don’s has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry (Julie Delpy). Don yet again resigns himself to being alone and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives by mail a mysterious pink letter. It is from an anonymous former lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this “mystery” by his closest friend and neighbor, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), an amateur sleuth and family man. Hesitant to travel at all, Don nonetheless embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four former flames (Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone, and Tilda Swinton). Unannounced visits to each of these unique women hold new surprises for Don as he haphazardly confronts both his past and, consequently, his present. Source: RopeofSilicon.com

Julie Delpy - A Rare Jule

April 2005: From an interesting interview in iVillage:

iVillage: In one of your previous interviews, you said, "I may move from everywhere and spend two or three years in total isolation. I like being alone a lot. I enjoy that more than anything." Do you consider yourself a loner?

Delpy: I love being alone when it's a chosen thing. I have the greatest friends that you could dream of - the very best people. I don't surround myself with people who think they can get something out of me. I see a lot of that - people whose friends have ulterior motives. I mean, some people only have their assistants as friends. People they pay! I'm the opposite. But I enjoy being alone. After promoting Sunset, if I could choose, I'd be entirely alone for two months. Maybe see a friend once a week, but basically spend my life alone. I love that. I need that.

iVillage: What do you think about the Hollywood scene? It seems like you exist in that world as a normal person.

Delpy: I try to avoid the Hollywood thing. I'm really into keeping my own friends and avoiding people who just want to hang out with me because I'm whoever. That helps me stay real and attract real people. My parents are theater actors and I've seen them go through ups and downs in their careers. I know there are downs - I'm 34 and I've experienced some already. But I wonder how some of these people will feel when they're down and there's nobody around anymore. I see a lot of actresses and think: Oh, my God, their future is tragic. It's sad, but it's a choice. I've always wanted to be an actress, not a movie star. Actresses I respect work when they're 55 or 65 - it doesn't matter. And I've made the choice to be an actress or writer or director, but I'll be active till the end of my life. I'm not going to suddenly say, "I'm not as pretty anymore. I should quit." Or, "Nobody wants me in a movie." Well, too bad. Nobody wants me in a movie? I'll write a movie, or I'll direct one myself. I'll figure out ways. I see my future as much brighter than my past... Read the interview

The Legend of Lucy Keyes

April 2005: Oscar nominated Julie Delpy and Justin Theroux play the leads in Moody Street Pictures' haunting feature "The Legend of Lucy Keyes", but it may very well be the state-of-the art digital filmmaking that steals the show. The film was shot entirely on location in central Massachusetts and has delivered upon the full promise of High Definition moviemaking. The film is a work of fiction based on the actual events of April 14, 1755 and the subsequent stories of hauntings on and around Wachusett Mountain. It is a supernatural thriller that explores the devastating consequences of a parent losing a child. In the spirit of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" or Steven Spielberg's "Poltergeist", the film delves into the realm of the spirit world through the eyes of a child. It frightens us by waging our fear of the unknown versus the innocence of childhood, while retaining a message of hope and love, and the strength of the parent-child bond. The film is currently in development. Source: www.lucykeyes.com

Linklater speaks at University

April 2005: From an article in The Daily Texan: "When the discussion turned to the success of "Before Sunset," the sequel to "Before Sunrise," the filmmaker expressed his desire to follow the characters played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy through many more of life's critical stages, borrowing the idea Francois Truffaut had with actor Jean-Pierre Lèaud, saying he would not mind revisiting them in seven or 10 years to catch up..." Read more

Empire Awards: Best Actress

March 2005: Julie Delpy won the "Best Actress"-award at the 10th annual 2005 Empire Awards in London for "Before Sunset"! The awards are determined by 12.000 readers of Empire magazine. The other nominees were: Bryce Dallas Howard for "The Village", Kirsten Dunst for "Spider-Man 2", Uma Thurman for "Kill Bill Vol. 2" and Cate Blanchett for "The Aviator".

What Julie said:

"Wow, thank you so much Empire Magazine readers. It's the first time in my life I ever win anything! I swear to God. I've been nominated... mostly not. And it's so wonderful because it's actually people who actually go to see movies and enjoy movies and not people who watch a DVD half way through and go to dinner... It's great, it's great, it's so wonderful. I've always been the actress that people thought I didn't need an award in my life to continue working. Which is true. But it's nice to win something, especially from readers and people, so it means something."

What Empire said:

"All credit to Hawke and Delpy, who hardly seem to be acting; they just are these characters. Meeting up by (almost) chance in Paris with mere hours until Jesse has to leave, the shell-shocked pair walk the streets of Le Marais and the Latin Quarter, stumbling from awkwardly polite niceties to heartfelt confessions and anxieties touching the very core of their 'grown-up' lives - the poignancy of regret, the loneliness of failing relationships, the agonising conflict between desire and duty... universal subjects that extend beyond the parameters of Jesse and Celine's story and will strike a chord even with those unfamiliar with the first film." Source: Empire Online

Julie Delpy in Paris

March 2005: (Thanks to Fabinoche for this info!) "Julie Delpy attended several talk shows recently in Paris, to promote the release of Before Sunset in France. She also attended the screening of her last film at the 27th international women's film festival in Creteil, near Paris, on March 16. I was there, she was in a good shape, nice and available, and answered every question. She notably talked about her projects, notably Bathory, the film she plans to start shooting as soon as the finance is in place, in Hungary and maybe Romania."

Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay!

January 2005: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke have been nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay for "Before Sunset"! The awards will be presented on Sunday, February 27th. The other nominees are:

• David Magee for "Finding Neverland"
• Paul Haggis for "Million Dollar Baby"
• Jose Rivera for "The Motorcycle Diaries"
• Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for "Sideways"

Hollywood Reporter: Best original screenplay nominee Julie Delpy (for "Before Sunset," shared with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke) said she was advised not to get involved with the writing on the film. "I was so excited when I was writing for 'Sunset,' but my agent dropped me because he said I was writing for something that would never be made," she laughed. She hasn't called him back though to crow - she'd been too busy fielding calls from Paris. "My friends know I've been writing for many years, and it's been a struggle to prove myself. To have a nomination proves I'm not crazy to write." And she was not upset at all to score a writing nom before achieving an acting award (she's been appearing in films since she was a child): "A lot of people have told me my whole life I should just be a pretty girl and have a boob job, and I was like, 'No, I'm going to keep on writing and not get a boob job!'"

DVD: Before Sunrise & Before Sunset

January 2005: The Before Sunrise & Before Sunset DVD Box Set will be released on February 7th (region 2). Special features: Trailers + "On the set of Before Sunset". You can pre-order from play.com and amazon.co.uk.

Oscar nomination?

January 2005: Ethan Hawke: "I really hope that Julie gets nominated. I think she deserves it. I think it's certainly one of the best female performances of the year. But I'm her biggest fan so I might be biased." Read the interview