They are as ingrained into the moviemaking experience as yelling "action" or buying popcorn at the theatre. They are so vital to the process of publicizing a movie that mandatory attendance at them is often written into actors' contracts. They are press junkets, the necessary evil of artists and the media. And even though they require the involvement of countless individuals, they are rarely talked about. Like the proverbial man behind the curtain, junkets are painstakingly designed to keep the media machine rolling without the public ever having to think twice about where all the information comes from.
Most people's knowledge of press junkets has probably been gleaned from Notting Hill, in which Hugh Grant stumbles into a junket in an attempt to make contact with the movie star played by Julia Roberts. In actuality the portrayal isn't that far off. Journalists from all over the globe really do gather in a hotel and hop from room to room, asking repetitive questions of actors and directors. What the film didn't capture is the millions of dollars movie studios pour into this publicity ploy--providing room and board for visiting journalists--and the numbing effect it can have on the participants.
A junket can be grueling for even the most seasoned professional, so one can only imagine the effects on the uninitiated. It's difficult to find a name actor who hasn't mastered the junket circuit and learned to regurgitate clever sound bites, but Back Stage West recently spent an afternoon trailing two newcomers to get their impressions of the media circus.
When Eric Met Derek
Eric Christian Olsen and Derek Richardson are the stars of Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, a prequel to the 1994 blockbuster comedy Dumb and Dumber, which stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as hapless half-wits. In this prequel, set in the pair's high school days a decade before the first movie, Olsen has the daunting task of filling Jim Carrey's shoes as Harry, while Richardson channeled his inner Jeff Daniels to play Lloyd. Olsen has done junkets before (for Not Another Teen Movie and the upcoming Local Boys), but he is still a relative newcomer to this world. And Richardson, whose credits consist of appearances on the television shows Felicity and Law and Order, has never attended a press junket.
After seeing these two eerily mimic their counterparts--right down to Carrey's chipped tooth and Daniels' fright wig--it's jarring to see how completely different Olsen and Richardson look in real life. They come into the room tanned and handsome, their hair streaked blond by the sun. They are also, as they are quick to tell you, exhausted. The day before, they ran this same gauntlet for television crews, taping short interview segments to air on entertainment shows. They worked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. straight, and now they are back at the Four Seasons Hotel at 9 a.m. on a gorgeous Saturday, coincidentally Olsen's 27th birthday, to deal with print journalists. The next day, they will leave for New York City to do this all over again. At times it seems like the publicity blitz is harder than making the movie. "It's not as fun," Richardson agrees. "I would much rather do the movie than talk about myself."
But talk they do, in the four rooms where roundtable interviews are taking place. Olsen and Richardson spend 15 minutes seated at a table filled with journalists before moving on to the next room, frequently passing co-star Eugene Levy and director Troy Miller on the way. "That was a tough room," Olsen says to Miller as they trade off in the hallway. The questions are inevitably the same, and the answers begin to blend together. In every room, the actors use the phrases "reverse story arc" and "false reality," and the first film is constantly referred to as "one of the best comedies made in the last 10 years." Soon a pattern becomes apparent:
Room #1: "How do you play dumb?"
Olsen: "The biggest key of playing this whole thing is that these characters aren't dumb. In their own minds, they're brilliant, they're rock stars."
Room #2: "How do you capture that childlike innocence?"
Olsen: "People talk about playing dumb or innocent, and these guys aren't dumb. In their own minds, they're rock stars and they're super cool and confident."
Room #3: "Do these guys know they're dumb?"
Olsen: "No. In their own mind they're geniuses. They think they're rock stars."
There are some unusual questions. One reporter asks, "What's the dumbest thing you've done?" and Richardson has to explain the time he set his parents' lawn ablaze after seeing the car in Back to the Future leave a trail of fire when time-traveling. One reporter working for a website that tries to keep teens off drugs asks, "What is an anti-drug for you?" If caught a bit off-guard, the duo covers it up well. Olsen does his best to steer clear of After School Special territory, stating diplomatically, "There are so many things out there that you can get that rush off of, and I know it sounds simplistic but you just don't need it."
But some interesting moments occur in each room. Olsen admits that the ending of the film was reshot only two weeks ago. At one point, Richardson warns Olsen, "This is print. Don't use sarcasm." And Olsen admits he attempted to approach Jim Carrey at the recent Bruce Almighty premiere but "chickened out." The duo is also refreshing in its inexperience: Olsen has a habit of picking up the different recording devices laid out by reporters while he talks, and Richardson asks a room of reporters if they've seen the movie yet. When everyone laughs, he joins in. "It's my first time," he shouts. "I don't know how this works."
Goats and Misquotes
When the roundtables are over, the journalists either head home or break for a lunch provided by the studio. While most junkets feature fancy salads and an array of prepared meats, the Dumb and Dumberer junket keeps with the tone of the movie by providing corndogs and turkey burgers. But Olsen and Richardson don't have time to eat yet; they're off to do one-on-one interviews, in which they will be sequestered in a room with just one journalist at a time.
It turns out there are no fewer than four press junkets going on in the hotel today; in addition to D&D, journalists are there to speak with the stars of Hollywood Homicide, Alex and Emma, and The Hulk. One attendee from another film has snuck down to the D&D holding suite to check out the food. Most of the reporters seem to know one another from the circuit and are comparing notes on the various movies. Says the journalist here to interview the star of one of the aforementioned blockbusters, "It's just terrible, and I have nothing positive to write about it. I would rather be anywhere than here right now."
Later, speaking with Olsen and Richardson privately, I ask them if they ever sense disinterest from a reporter. "Absolutely," says Richardson, nodding emphatically. "Some guys are just pissed to be there." Olsen is sympathetic, saying, "They're doing their job and it sucks for them. I can't even imagine what it would be like to do this day in and day out. I've been in so many jobs I didn't like, but you have to embrace the place you are and take it for what it is."
Olsen and Richardson are tired and clearly a little burned out, but at least they have each other. The two became fast friends after they were both cast and director Miller sent them to Atlanta, where the film was being shot, a week before the rest of the crew. They tease each other frequently and genuinely enjoy each other's company: Olsen went surfing in Cabo San Lucas with friends and invited Richardson, and Richardson recently took Olsen rock-climbing for the first time. "It's kind of terrifying when you realize you're up this 300-foot pitch, and the only person holding onto the rope is Harry," said Olsen.
The two are very outspoken about some of the more surreal moments that have occurred this weekend--being asked the anti-drug question high among them. But they insist no one did anything to prep them for the junket or ordered them not to speak about something. Still, Olsen worries that his frequent use of sarcasm will be misinterpreted. "I can't use sarcasm in print," he notes. "When we're doing television, I use sarcasm all the time. It's not being jaded to say this, it's just knowing that certain things aren't going to play out. You know that your mom is probably going to read this, and you don't want to sound like you're an idiot."
Olsen has been the victim of misquoting in the past and still feels burned by the experience: "In a simplistic way you feel betrayed because you know that the person was there for how you answered the question. But they want whatever sells the papers. We both talk in these completely long sentences, and they take little pieces of it, and the next thing you know, I'm saying something like, 'I like goats.'"
Cool Responses
And how is first-timer Richardson finding the experience? "I thought it would be more nerve-racking," he states. "It's not fun talking about yourself all day, but it's interesting to talk about the movie and to hear the responses from people who have seen the movie. After a while you kind of get in the rhythm. A lot of people ask kind of the same question." They're also aware they've been giving the same responses, as in Olsen's frequent "rock star" remark. "Sometimes the best answer is one you've already said before," Olsen reasons. "I think there are certain things, especially when you're talking about the logistics of stepping into the shoes of Jim Carrey and such, you've got the answers figured out in your head." Richardson agrees, "When people ask you a question, at first you always want to answer it differently. But when you get caught up in the junket and you hear the same question, you realize, Hey, I said that better the last time."
At times, both admit, they were tempted to just start making stuff up. "Shocking people is great," Olsen said, laughing. "There's an actor--I won't name names--who, every time he answers a question about his life, he makes up a whole new story. They're so outlandish but he just sticks with it. And if they ask him about lying before, he'll say he's telling the truth now. He's made up stories about being raised by the French circus, and it's all lies. And nobody knows anything about him." Richardson understands the appeal of this idea, adding, "Once everyone knows everything about you, then they identify you as only this person and only see you as that one guy. So I understand it."
I remind Olsen that he referred to one roundtable room as "tough," but I didn't sense any particular hostility. "I think it's just an energy," he replied. "The room before, we were all laughing, and to go in there, it was tough."
Richardson compares it to the feeling he would get doing a Sunday matinee in theatre. "People are hung over and wondering why they bought these tickets, as opposed to a hot weekend night. And for the performer, if you feel them laughing or responding, it's such a rush." Do they ever try to win over a cold room? "Some people you just can't," Richardson says. Olsen elaborates, "These people didn't come to laugh. They came to get a quote and walk out. And comedies never get good reviews. So you walk into a room knowing that every single one of these people is going to write something bad. Even the great comedies have gotten panned. But the people who know that comedy is harder are the public. Critics say it's bad, but the public says this is what we want to see, and people love them, and I love them."
Judging by the public reaction to the film, Olsen has a point. Both have sat in on screenings recently and have been surprised at how many laughs the film generates, even in parts they don't find particularly funny. The key, according to Richardson, is the relationship between the two characters--a relationship that is eerily paralleled off-screen. Richardson says he's grateful to have Olsen helping him out with the interview process and was relieved his co-star is someone he can get along with so well. The feeling is more than reciprocated. "I have to tell you," Olsen says, nudging Richardson, "I'm so glad you're not a retard." BSW