“I’ve always found ways to put my personal life into everything I’ve done,” the director told reporters on the TIFF red carpet. “But this was a very focused, intentional coming-of-age story. I’ve never done a coming-of-age story before, I’ve never told it before, and I’ve never told it so close to my own experiences and so close to my heart. “The hardest part was finding the cast that best represented my family,” added Spielberg. The director’s latest effort tells the story of Sammy Fabelman, a young aspiring filmmaker based on Spielberg’s upbringing in post-war Arizona in the 1950s, weaving the beginnings of his passion for film and the influence of his parents on his later career.
Spielberg likes to scare himself
Spielberg reunites with his frequent collaborator, Academy Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner, who has now written and scripted four of the director’s films. “Steven really likes to scare himself,” Kushner told CBC News, referring to previous collaborations in 2005’s Munich, 2012’s Lincoln and last year’s West Side Story. “He likes to do things he’s never tried before. So, in a way, this is a departure, but when he made the decision to do the Fabelmans, it was the first time he really made the decision to share his life. “It’s scary to put your family on screen.” Seth Rogen is pictured at the premiere of The Fabelmans at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday. The Vancouver actor and filmmaker himself said he “wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to stand next to Steven Spielberg all day.” (Tegan Beaudette/CBC) The cast includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Paul Dano, and young actors such as Julia Butters and Canadian-American Gabriel Labelle. Vancouver-born Rogen, a filmmaker himself, said he “wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to stand next to Steven Spielberg all day.” Rogen plays Sammy’s uncle in the film. “I was very open about my desire to learn from him and I didn’t hide it,” Rogen said on the red carpet. “I would ask him a billion questions the whole time: why he did what he did, what he wanted, what was the thought process behind it. “He seemed very happy and open to talking about it.”
Spielberg was “sensitive,” the actor says
Dano, who plays a version of Spielberg’s father in The Fabelmans, joked that he learned the director was a stubborn and strong-willed child. “I’m proud of him for making this movie, and I think you see it in his previous movies now when you see it: both of his parents either in him or characters in his other movies,” Dano said. The project is personal for Spielberg, who has taken some inspiration from his parents and family history in his previous works such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Schindler’s List. From left, Paul Dano, Michelle Williams and Judd Hirsch attend the premiere of The Fabelmans on Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Robert Krbavac/CBC) In fact, Judd Hirsch – who plays one of Sammy’s elderly uncles in the film – said that Spielberg was emotional while recreating scenes from his own memories. “I didn’t know he was going to be sensitive,” Hirsch said. “But the sensitivity was so great that he almost went back to his life and actually did it again, every scene… I mean, it was an emotional part.”
Parents didn’t think movies were right for Spielberg
Michelle Williams, who plays the protagonist’s mother, says Spielberg’s family shared home movies, photos and documentation to help her capture the character. “They just put it in my lap and I met her within a year,” the actor said. “I wish I could go back and do it all over again, just to feel the emotions again. It was really special.” WATCHES | How Spielberg took a risk with the latest film, as told by his cast and crew:
How Steven Spielberg took a risk with the latest film
Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Michelle Williams and Judd Hirsch discuss how Spielberg brought his life to the screen with the Fabelmans. Keeley Karsten, who plays the protagonist’s younger sister Natalie, said the director had a “difficult childhood” but that she pulled through. “His parents didn’t think it was the right career choice for him to be a director. But it’s really what he loved to do. And that’s naturally inspiring for someone who might not have all the encouragement he needs, but he can he does anyway.” Fabelmans marks the first time the director has premiered one of his films at the Toronto International Film Festival. Spielberg said he would be nervous watching his own film with an audience. On his daughter’s advice, he will do some deep breathing exercises during the screening. “I’m going to do a lot of them tonight – four [seconds] in, eight out!” Speaking to CBC News in July, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey remarked that the film “reminded me that even before I knew I was interested in film, I was influenced by Steven Spielberg’s films.”
