Jason Schwartzman Na Turevs. Nur Ture
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jason schwartzman na ture vs. A beret-sporting prep-school playwright vying for the attention of an out-of-his-league teacher; a desperately heartbroken short- nur story author with a faltering sense of reality; an incredibly lost environmentalist amidst an existential crisis within a cooperate ture American setting… As an actor apt to playing the lovable loner BY KEVIN FRIEDMAN PHOTOS BY with flawless conviction, Jason Schwartzman’s characters have DANIEL FIELD grown into a physicality that seems to exist more in reality than Schwartzman himself. Many of them we know and love and in turn we know and love the man who embodied them. So it’s strange to imagine Schwartzman living as anything other than an outsider; taking meetings, auditioning, getting recognized on the street, speaking confidently to women, or even eating and drinking out with friends. Normalcy seems unbecoming. Rather he should exist in our minds, movie theaters and television sets because anything else might compromise his creations. ut as it goes, just chilling with introduced to the world as he crossed swords with Bill Murray for Olivia Williams’ affection. He Schwartzman’s extended family collaborated with Anderson on the screenplay for The Darjeeling Limited, in which Schwartzman would offer enough names to fill also had a lead role alongside Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody. He played opposite Lily Tomlin an A-list manager’s Rolodex: his and Dustin Hoffman in I Huckabees and as Steve Martin’s rival for Claire Danes in Shopgirl. mother is Talia Shire, who played He starred as Louis XVI with Kirsten Dunst in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and can be seen Adrienne from the Rocky movies; his uncle as a snarky C-list actor in Judd Apatow’s Funny People alongside Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most storied And now he’s starring with Zach Galifianakis in Bored to Death, a new HBO series based on a story film directors of all time; his cousins Sofia and by and about Jonathan Ames. And if that doesn’t seem an impressive C.V., then you are clearly Roman Coppola are respected directors in their running with a faster crowd than the rest of us. own rights; and cousin Nic Cage has become Before his acting career took off, Schwartzman played drums with the sun-soaked L.A. rock somewhat of a household name. It was in Wes outfit Phantom Planet and helped pen the tune “California,” which later became the sing-along Anderson’s Rushmore that Schwartzman was theme for the spoiled-teen drama The O.C. In 2004 he left the band but not music and has since 64 . FILTER FILTER . 65 released two solo albums under the moniker character that he is able to forge such strong instruments. The instruments became a big adventure. There’s something beautiful about together?” So, he gave me this beautiful list of a half years to write. I was working on Marie Coconut Records. There he exhibits influences bonds with his creative partners. It’s never part of the record because they have their own that. I think it’s an archetype, like a superhero. words and ideas and thoughts and sentences that Antoinette in Paris and I invited him to stay ranging from the likes of Leon Russell, Paul been more clear that Schwartzman’s lovable sound and would inspire songs or whole parts. were relevant to the show and I took that and with me for as long as he liked. Wes was always McCartney and Randy Newman; it’s playful pop loner is just a flicker on a screen. His whole attitude is, “Just follow the idea and I asked Jonathan Ames if he had anything I molded it into the lyrics of the theme song. writing down things that we were saying. One with quirky sensibilities. His is a melancholic see where it takes us.” should ask you; he mentioned Stolen Kisses. My relationship with Jonathan is one of the night he read me what [would become] the SoCal shine like the final minutes of magic How was Coconut Records formed? When I said earlier that I’d always wanted to greatest things that has happened to me. Not opening, which was a man in a taxi, late for a hour when the sun fades over a city by the sea. I was at a party and this friend of mine [Mike Randy Newman comes to mind while listening play a private detective; really, the detective that only do I have someone who’s a real creative train, getting to the tracks, chasing it and being His latest solo effort, Davy, released earlier Einziger of Incubus] was there and I was kind of to your music. What are some other influences I’ve always loved was Jean-Pierre Léaud in Stolen partner and collaborator, but also a true, overtaken by a younger runner. I loved it and this year, is no different; transversing smooth in a doldrums because I had just gone through on your style and sound? Kisses. It’s a film by Truffaut. On one of the cases honest-to-god friend. he asked me if this was something I wanted to pop soundscapes interrupted occasionally by a bit of a break-up and he said, “Hey, you want For Davy I was listening to Paul McCartney’s he’s on, a shoe store owner comes to him and work on with him. We have a real connection. thoughts on love loss, lost youth, and missed to go just play music at my house?” I went and Ram, Harry Nillson, and some Randy Newman. says, “No one in my store likes me and I want Rushmore has, in a way, defined your career; He’s my best friend. He also said, “Why don’t chances. And most recently, Schwartzman has got my dog and got some dog food and went I was interested in people who had made records you to find out why.” It’s so funny, esoteric, weird, how did you land that role? we bring Roman in on this?” Roman is my contributed music for the score to Funny People back to his house and for eight days and eight by themselves. What I liked about Ram was how bizarre and beautiful. I saw this when I was 17 I was 16 years old. I was in the middle of record- cousin and was also there working on Marie and co-composed the theme for Bored to Death nights we just stayed up and recorded these McCartney would have a verse and it would be like or 18. It’s still a movie that I watch constantly. ing the first album for Phantom Planet. I was at Antoinette. We went to India with open-ended with Ames. Bored? Anything but. songs. [Coconut Records’ debut] Nighttiming is three minutes before the next verse. In between When I met Jonathan, I was watching it almost a party for my grandfather [Carmine Coppola], tickets. The goal was to have everything that As an actor, musician and writer, just a record of those eight days. would be beautiful sounds and samples of rain daily, thinking, “I want to be a private detective celebrating the music he’d composed for a movie happens in the script, happen to us in real life. Schwartzman traffics in three distinct medi- and things like that. It has a real sense of freedom. like this guy who’s good at what he does but gets called Napoleon. All of my family members were We went to a funeral; we went to temples. We ums. In each he’s developed close artistic You’ve also worked with Mitchell Froom a time more poetic cases that other people wouldn’t there. The casting director for Rushmore hap- wanted to see if the things we were writing and personal connections. As best friends, he or two, right? How were you first approached about Bored to take.” Léaud does these incredible gestures and pened to be at this party and was talking to my about could really happen and if the characters and Anderson have formed a creative mind Mitchell produced the Phantom Planet album Death and how did it develop from there? physical things—the way he puts his arm behind cousin about how she was having trouble filling were reacting to them realistically. Immediately meld. Musically, the producer and engineer The Guest, and ever since then he’s been an Basically, I was and still am a very big fan of his back when he’s tailing someone, or moves his the role of this character—a teenage playwright we could see what wasn’t possible and it became extraordinaire, Mitchell Froom (Crowded incredible friend of mine, a bit like a father Jonathan Ames’ work as a writer. Particularly hair out of his eyes, or hides behind trees. There’s who falls in love with an older woman. My cousin very clear what was. House, Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Los figure. When it came time for the second Wake Up Sir! and What’s Not to Love? [The an incredible physicality about his acting. There was like, “You should meet Jason, that sounds Lobos), serves as an in-studio surrogate father [Coconuts Records] record, I asked if he’d want Adventures of a Mildly Young Writer]. One day I are several homages to him sprinkled throughout like him.” The previous summer I had written Do you see any particular connection between figure. And as writers, Ames has become to try and do these songs.