LOS ANGELES, California—“I didn’t make this movie with a sense of malice, hatred or hurt. I did it as a dramatist, which is just to say that my job is to understand him, not to like him.”
That seems to sum up director Oliver Stone’s guiding philosophy in making “W.,” his film on the life and presidency of US President George W. Bush. Oliver’s words explain why “W.” is surprisingly light and even-handed, not the vicious or hateful propaganda that some people expected, because the director rushed to finish and show the film before the Nov. 4 US presidential election.
“I’m tired, man,” confessed Oliver at our press con about his efforts to finish “W.” in time for the election. “This process was exhausting because we never stopped. It was the fastest movie I have ever made. We did it in a record 46 days for a moderate amount of money. By American standards, that’s little. Then, we went right into editing. We didn’t take a day off! We worked even on Sundays.”
Buffoonish charm
Josh Brolin, who captures the president’s buffoonish charm, has been quoted as saying that he had heard that “Dubya” has actually seen the film and liked it. The cast includes Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), James Cromwell (George Herbert Walker Bush), Richard Dreyfuss (Dick Cheney), Scott Glen (Donald Rumsfeld), Toby Jones (Karl Rove), Thandie Newton (Condoleezza Rice) and Jeffrey Wright (Gen. Colin Powell).
A word about Thandie’s performance: In her effort to capture the US Secretary of State as all-teeth, she looks as if there’s something unpleasant stuck in her mouth throughout the film. Below are excerpts of our press con with Oliver, who tended to refer to Bush simply as “he” or “him”:
Most historical movies need the distance of time. Why did you do this film now?
Because it’s important and urgent. The man has, in the last few years, changed history. He has changed America and the world. He has changed our lives! I have never felt such urgency in my life. The Vietnam War was urgent, but I was younger then, so I felt differently. Watergate was urgent, but it’s nothing like this. This is serious! The policy of the United States has changed. We’re involved with three wars now—Afghanistan, Iraq and the war on terror, which the Pentagon calls the “long war.” Some people call it the “forever war.”
America was also at war with drugs and poverty. Now, we have a war on terror. This is a serious position for any country to be. We have declared these wars! A policy is in place. After Bush leaves in January, it’ll go to Obama. These issues are of great concern. The recent boil down of the economy is linked to all these. People know it in their hearts. Bush deserves attention. How did we get here? Why? Where are we going? When you see the movie, you get the feeling of how we got here and what we can do about it.
Are you going to send a screener to the White House?
If I made a movie about your life, I don’t think you’d be very happy to see it. It is sometimes difficult to see a movie about yourself. I didn’t make this movie with a sense of malice, hatred or hurt. I did it as a dramatist, which is just to say that my job is to understand him, not to like him. I don’t want a confrontation. I’m not looking for one.
Beautiful job
They have said some bad things about us. The White House has issued statements. Many of those people will not see the movie, and they will make commentaries. If Bush wants to see it, I would urge him to. He’d be surprised to see that Josh Brolin has given him the benefit of the doubt that makes him more attractive, charming and charismatic. Josh has done a beautiful job of making him human. Maybe in 20 years, Bush will see it.
Do you see Bush as a tragic figure?
No, I never thought Bush was a tragic figure, because he’s saying the same thing now that he said then. Jon Stewart had a funny bit where Bush was doing the bailout speech asking for billions of dollars, and he was in a rush and looking at his watch. Jon went back to the clip of right after 2001, and it’s the same, exact body language in both cases, where Bush is asking for extraordinary powers to do anything he wants after 2001, like “Give it to me. I expect it. I’m entitled.” So, Bush is not a tragic figure.
On the other hand, Nixon was not a hero. He was a tragic figure like Macbeth, because he had doubts about himself. There was paranoia and a sense of guilt. What I like about Bush is that he is more like John Wayne. He’s like a western hero (laughter), where you like Wayne in a weird way, but you may dislike his politics because they are insane! He wants to bomb the world away, he wants nuclear attacks, and he wants to bomb Korea.
Bush is bumbling, awkward and common. He’s a bit of a clown, and he’s a C student, but he’s a cheerleader. He is a bully, and he’s got a big ego. I have no question that he’s a dominator. I tried to show that in the movie. There’s a lot of backup on the way he behaves in meetings and dominates them and uses nicknames. He manages the room. I met him once. I’m not saying I am an expert on him. He said the line, “I’m the decider” several times, as well as “I’m in charge always.”
Relationships
He seems to personalize all his relationships with the rest of the world, which is very childish and on an almost ego-oriented basis. I meet Putin, I look in his eyes, and I see his soul. With Bush, complex issues are reduced to the personal, so when it comes to money, he doesn’t have a clue because, frankly, he has never been a businessperson, although he has an MBA. It’s a very strange time, because he’s not a leader. He doesn’t have a relationship to our time because he can’t personalize it anymore. He has lost touch.
You and Bush started your freshman year at Yale at the same time. There’s a scene in the movie about fraternity hazing. He was a party boy, and there were rumors that he did drugs. How did the man we see today come from all that?
I would give George Bush great credit for having turned himself around. He was a failure until 40. He was a man of excess. I don’t fault him for being reckless. I am reckless and have been reckless. I’ve been in trouble, too. “W.” is not a moralistic movie. The thing is, in his middle age, he did become a governor and a baseball team owner. He became a Born-Again Christian, and he vows by it. He’s also been very faithful, family- and friendship-oriented. Many people like him very much, and I don’t fault him for that. I’ve met many people who like him and voted for him.
Unknown factor
But, in the third act of his life, the presidency is the unknown factor. We don’t know who that man is. Yes, I don’t believe he has touched a drink. Norman Mailer had that great line—I read somewhere that there’s such a thing as a dry drunk, which is to say an obsessed man. He seems obsessed with time, food, sticking to schedule, and not allowing the complexity of life to overcome him—by which, I mean reading. It seems like he didn’t want to read and he was open about it.
I admire him in a John Wayne kind of way. Wayne’s “Red River” is a good point, because when he knows he’s wrong, he doesn’t back down—“I’m not wrong! I can’t admit to being wrong.” I would crumble, but John Wayne goes for his guns. That’s what Americans like. That’s what they like about Sarah Palin (laughing).
You mentioned that you met Bush once. Can you tell us more about that meeting?
I met him at a Republican function in Beverly Hills when he was a governor. He was raising money, because it looked like he was going to become President. He was on the run raising big money from the Republican clubs.
I met him at a breakfast, and his topic was tough love. I met him personally after the event, and it was a normal meeting. He was very nice. He told me that he had been at Yale with me. I didn’t know that. I dropped out of Yale; he finished. —And we talked about the Vietnam boys he knew.
He was very friendly and charismatic, and he was a good salesman. He works with his senses. He’s neither an intellectual nor a curious man. He’s very good with names—that’s why we showed that scene with the fraternity, where he names those 50 people. It’s actually based on a true incident!
E-mail rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com, and read his blog, “The Nepales Report,” on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.
