| Michael
Besman Q & A
If
Louis Begley's novel About Schmidt, was
going to be made into a film, producer Michael
Besman reasoned, Jack Nicholson was going to have
to be Schmidt. Lucky for Besman, he knew Harry
Gittes, a fellow producer, a neighbor (they have
studio offices down the hall from each other)
and a longtime Nicholson friend. Besman got Gittes
the book; Gittes got Nicholson the book; Nicholson
got the book. And Michael Besman’s Schmidt
journey was under way.
On why Jack was the one for Warren
Schmidt:
When you think about it, everyone else could probably
be great, but the margin's big between him and
whoever else you think about.
On the best $5,000 he ever spent:
I had to pay for [the option to Begley's novel]
out of my own pocket. I figured when's the next
time I'm going to have Jack Nicholson attached
to anything. So, I decided to go for it and decided
if I can't
set up a film with Jack Nicholson, I deserve to
lose the $5,000.
|
