Zodiac-set-visit-Nev-Pierce

© PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.“I don’t want to satisfy that part of David that enjoys having peoplehear that it’s not easy,” he says, of the repeated takes. “But itgets tedious. It really does... It can be pretty intense.”October 17, 2006. Fincher is considering hisactors, the difficulty of managing performancesand personalities. “The alchemy of it is socomplex,” he muses. “You know, it’s easy to likepeople for two hours… It’s hard to like people for120 days. They do kind of get on your nerves.”He isn’t referring to anyone specific. But it’sobvious from being on set that some actors find itfrustrating: the marathon of capturing the minimoments that correspond to the movie in Fincher’shead. “You know, Downey likes to play, but he likesto know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” Andhow did Gyllenhaal cope? “I can tell you I don’tthink he had a real good time,” says Fincher, whocast him on the basis of Donnie Darko. “But I canalso tell you that I still sleep at night…”He leans back at his desk. Face deadpan.On the wall there’s a painting of waves crashingagainst a beach, with a motto of sorts inscribedacross it: ‘PITILESS PURITY DUDE.’His office is clean; hard-edged and functional.There’s a couch, but it doesn’t look slept on.There are books of photography on the coffeetable, but they don’t look read.Work goes on here.On the desk are notes from Fischer, Vanderbiltand Warner Bros about the latest cut of Zodiac.‘ I DIDN’T WANT TOMAKE A MOVIE ABOUTBELL BOTTOMS ANDPLATFORM SHOES’DAVID FINCHERThe final version is yet to be locked down andFincher will continue to tweak and trim for a fewweeks, even as he starts shooting his nextcollaboration with Brad Pitt, ambitious F ScottFitzgerald adaptation The Curious Case Of BenjaminButton. (The leaner cut will prove less artful inplaces, but arguably more arresting.)For now, he’s considering how to market themovie. Ironically, given Zodiac was a master ofself-publicity, it’s proving difficult. He glancesbriefly at the poster, propped against the wall.“Obviously there’s no way they’re going to puta poster up which doesn’t talk about Se7en,” hesays. “But my point is, ‘If you want bad word ofmouth, you’ll make people think this is Se7en…’”Fincher is fascinated by the idea that theZodiac’s compulsion, ultimately, wasn’t killing, butcommunicating with the Chronicle. “That becamefar more gratifying and seductive than what hestarted out doing…” So, he was an attention seeker:surely a trait a director can identify with. It may bethe basest reason – behind the exploration ofideas, the interest in human behaviour – Fincherdirects. “Look,” he says. “There are times whenyou’re [in a screening] ready to throw up and 1,500people all laugh at a joke you worked so hard to getright or they all gasp. It’s pretty great you can makethat happen. It’s the trained dog in every directorthat, you know, has that need and wants to doa back-flip and see everybody clap.”A sort of pathological need to be liked?“I’m not that hooked on being liked!” He laughs.“But I enjoy being able to manipulate, being able toelicit... I think that’s fun.”Marketing, it’s fair to say, is less so. Zodiac’simposing-but-chilly one-sheet campaign doesn’tpresent it as an intriguing cold case or give ita human face and Fincher is going back and forthwith the studio to ensure the trailer “doesn’tinsinuate it’s The Grudge or something…”He speaks with a mix of incredulity and faintamusement. For the director who survived Alien 3and the marketing battles of Fight Club, this isa mere skirmish. The important thing is finishingthe movie. “Films aren’t finished,” he notes.“They’re abandoned.” So, was it worth it? “I won’tknow,” he says. “I won’t know for 10 years.”Zodiac opens on May 18 and is reviewed on page 32.TOTALFILM.COM 67TFM128.feat_zodiac Sec2:91 26/3/07 17:57:17