Independent film icon Steve Buscemi's third film as a director, Interview, just opened in New York and will slowly expand across the country over the next couple of weeks. A remake of a Dutch film by slain filmmaker Theo Van Gogh (a descendant of the ear-slicing painter who was murdered by a Muslim extremist in 2004), the movie is a tight and satisfying interpersonal thriller about a political journalist (Buscemi) assigned to interview a Hollywood starlet (Sienna Miller).

Buscemi shot the film in just nine days using the original film's cinematographer Thomas Kist; they used three cameras simultaneously while filming everything in script order. I had the opportunity to find out all this and more when I ran the Q&A with him after the movie screened at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Buscemi plays the unprepared interviewer with an arrogance that is destined to be cut down by the end of the film. He thinks "celebrity journalism" is beneath him, and his idea of preparation for the interview is to have another drink while waiting for her to show up and then admit that he doesn't know any of her movies. At the same time, she is so used to being misquoted and derided that she dismisses him before deciding to toy with him. He thinks he's immune to her charms, but she proves him wrong without making a show of it. Meanwhile, he's using the intrusive strategies of a journalist to try and get a darker, truer story. Both have axes to grind when it comes to the business of journalism, which translates into some fun and playful and sometimes nasty arguments.

MY STORY:

The movie reminded me of the worst interview I ever conducted, which happened to be with a respected actress. I told Mr. Buscemi about it, and I may as well share it with you, too.

In my years writing for Seattle's alt-weekly The Stranger, I would interview any number of filmmakers who came through town. I had gotten used to a free and easy style, where I would turn on the tape recorder and just start up a conversation. This always seemed to work when asking directors about the origins of a project and difficulties in bringing it to the screen.

What I had forgotten was that I knew very little about the creative process of actors and actresses. I didn't come into this particular interview with the same contempt that Buscemi's character has, but despite the fact that I had seen many of her films I was just as unprepared as he was. I had no questions written out, and no plan for how the piece was to come together. A couple of drinks would have helped.

So, I sat down to talk with her, hoping for the best, and no easy conversation came forth. She would wait for me to ask a specific question, any question, and then would watch me stumble and stutter until I could think of one. Inevitably, it wasn't a very good question, either.

She wasn't in town on a press tour for her last critically acclaimed indie movie, but instead was shooting a Hollywood blockbuster in town. I think I asked a poorly phrased question about selling out. The whole thing was a nightmare. I felt bad for wasting her time, and she just looked annoyed.

I've seen and read interviews with this actress since then, and I'm always a little relieved when I sense her growing bored or annoyed with the journalist. I'm secretly pleased when the interviewer has a difficult time with her. Deep down, though, it always reminds me of the worst interview I ever did.

Who was the actress? Like Buscemi, she's another indie film icon: Julianne Moore. I still feel bad about that one.

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The first interview Andy Spletzer ever did was with horror maestro Clive Barker, who took every question in stride and made it all seem so fun and easy.

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