Evgenia Peretz and Jim Taylor & Tamara Jenkins Based On
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Directed by: Jesse Peretz Written by: Evgenia Peretz and Jim Taylor & Tamara Jenkins Based on the novel of the same name by: Nick Hornby Starring: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd RUNNING TIME: 98 minutes RATING: R Roadside Attractions Contacts Charlie Nelson / Ronit Vanderlinden [email protected] / [email protected] (323) 882-8490 Publicity Contact: Catherine Simmonds 416-583-5800 ext. 2003 [email protected] For production notes and stills please visit: https://elevationpictures.sharefile.com/ share/view/s2fdcd4898564dc4a/ fo45f7ec-697c-4767-b2e2-720ea88400c4 www.JulietNakedFilm.com Short Synopsis Annie (Rose Byrne) is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) – an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, JULIET, NAKED is a comic account of life’s second chances. Long Synopsis Annie, the curator of a small museum in the drab English seaside town where she was born, is beginning to realize that her life has been stuck in low gear. Her partner of 15 years, Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), aspires to be the world’s foremost expert on reclusive American singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) and spends all his free time maintaining a website dedicated to the mostly forgotten rocker. Crowe quit the business at the height of his fame and now, pushing 50, is living in his ex-girlfriend’s garage in New York and trying to make up for past parental failures by dedicating his life to raising his young son. But when Duncan receives the long-lost demo version of Crowe’s revered album, Juliet, it sets off a chain reaction that will change all of their lives. Duncan hails the album as a masterpiece on his Crowe-themed website, while Annie, frustrated by his obsession with the washed-up musician, posts her own scathing review, sparking a make-or-break fight between the couple. She is startled when Crowe unexpectedly reaches out to her to agree with her assessment and the two strike up a clandestine online correspondence. As their friendship begins to cross over into romance, Crowe comes to London for a visit and the stage is set for an epically messy love triangle that inspires Annie to take the chance of a lifetime. Ju l ie t , Naked is directed by Jesse Peretz (“Girls,” “Glow”). The script is by Evgenia Peretz (Our Idiot Brother, Theo Who Lived) and Jim Taylor (Election, Sideways) & Tamara Jenkins (The Savages, Slums of Beverly Hills) and based on the novel by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy). The film stars Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, Spy), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood, Training Day) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, “Girls”). Producers are Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa (Election, Cold Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine, Nebraska), Barry Mendel (The Sixth Sense, The Big Sick), Judd Apatow (Bridesmaids, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Jeffrey Soros (The Space Between Us, Rules Don’t Apply) Director of photography is Remi Adefarasin (Me Before You, About a Boy). Production designer is Sarah Finlay (Disobedience, 45 Years). Editors are Sabine Hoffman (Maggie’s Plan, The Ballad of Jack and Rose) and Robert Nassau (The Big Sick, Wanderlust). Music is by Nathan Larson (Little Fish, A Rational Solution). Executive producers are Simon Horsman (The Space Between Us, The Bye Bye Man), Patrick Murray (The Bye, Bye Man, Dark Crimes) and Nick Hornby. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Acclaimed novelist and former New Yorker music critic Nick Hornby is known for weaving his passion for popular music and its fans into his stories. Juliet, Naked, his 2009 exploration of romantic attachment and disillusionment, features a retired rock musician now living in seclusion, hiding from his own unbearable success. “One of the things that started me thinking about this story was a piece in Vanity Fair about Sly Stone,” says Hornby. “The journalist had spent a long time trying to get in touch with him. It seemed he had disappeared off the face of the map. Then he came roaring up on a motorcycle. When you think somebody’s lost and they suddenly appear, that’s such a great dramatic moment.” The author had also been contemplating the way the advent of the internet allowed devotees of the most arcane topics to congregate online. “I was struck by how groups of people can form very easily, in a way they hadn’t been able to in the past,” Hornby explains. “Even the most obscure cult figure can be discussed by a fan base all over the world. It was a combination of those two ideas really.” Producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, partners for almost 30 years in Bona Fide Productions, have a long history of turning popular novels into successful films, from the Civil War epic Cold Mountain to the high school satire Election. “We also both happen to be big fans of Nick Hornby and of the earlier films made from his books,” says Berger. “When we read Juliet, Naked, we were sure there was another great, accessible movie in it. It combines rock ’n’ roll music with recognizable characters and issues most of us can relate to in some way.” The producers optioned the novel and brought it to Judd Apatow, producer of some of the most popular movie comedies in recent history. “We have a lot of respect for Judd,” says Berger. “He’s great with comedy and he loves music and Nick Hornby, so we thought he would be the perfect collaborator for this. He eventually brought in Barry Mendel, and then Jeff Soros of the Los Angeles Media Fund became a partner as well.” Hornby was supportive of the project from the very beginning, according to Soros. “It was great to get his stamp of approval. He checked in with us to talk about the music, the characterizations and the ending, among other things. It was important to know we were on the right path.” Yerxa agrees: “People who admire the novel will find that it is very much in the spirit of the book, both thematically and narratively. You always have to invent a few things to make a book work on screen, but as adaptations go, this is pretty close to the original.” A (Literal) Rock Star Director Apatow suggested that the producers meet with director Jesse Peretz, with whom he had collaborated on the hit HBO series “Girls.” Peretz came with a skill set uniquely suited to the film. In addition to helming four successful feature films and dozens of television episodes, he was a founding member of the alternative rock band the Lemonheads, giving him first-hand knowledge of the stresses of burgeoning musical fame. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music that rivals Hornby’s. “I have lived at least a part of Tucker Crowe’s life,” says the filmmaker. “I knew many people like him, and I have authentic experience of what an indie rock show in 1991 was really like. I know how things work in that world, what parts of the fantasy are true and what is just wishful thinking. I am also an insane music fan myself and I know many truly obsessive music fans like Duncan, so I can see this story from both his and Tucker’s perspective.” After reading the book, Peretz was eager to bring the story to the screen. “I’m most interested in ideas and characters in a film,” he says. “If I have a gut feeling that I know who the characters are I want to find a unique way to make a story come alive. This checked a lot of boxes for me. Between this amazing team of producers and Nick Hornby’s incredible record of writing books that make great movies, I was all in.” The director says he found the exploration of Tucker as a self-loathing father compelling as well. “He is angry about his failures in parenting and trying to redeem himself by doing it right with his fifth child, 6-year-old Jackson. That was another moving and interesting aspect for me.” The producers’ bet on Peretz paid off in a big way, says Soros. “He has a lovely way with actors, producers and crew that fosters a lot of creativity on set. He harnessed all that energy and pushed it in the right direction. One of the conversations we often had was the difference between funny and jokey. It’s a thin line that the film plays with throughout. That was the most challenging ongoing issue and he found the right tone.” After seeing the finished film, Hornby agrees. “Jesse did a tremendous job,” he says. “It was interesting to have someone with that music background who could add authenticity and make sure things look right. Jesse knows all about that stuff.” Honing the Script A two-time Oscar® nominee for screenwriting, Hornby has penned memorable films including Brooklyn, An Education and Wild, but he declines to adapt his own books for the screen. “By the time I get to the end of a book I’ve had enough,” he says. “You spend three years putting all this stuff together. By then, the idea of spending, in this case, another seven or eight on the script doesn’t appeal. I’m very happy to support other writers doing it, though. I’ve always enjoyed the process and I’ve made friends through these film collaborations. But while I have other ideas in my head I’d rather get on with the next book.” In fact, one of the central themes of Juliet, Naked is whom art belongs to after it’s been made public — the artist or the audience? “Who knows the music best?” he asks.