Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy (5 page)
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Authors: Candace Havens
BOOK: Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy
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Paul Reubens was probably Whedon’s favorite of the cast of the
Buffy
movie.
Buffy
movie.
“He knew instinctively what needed to be done with his character and it stands out in the film,” says Whedon. “He’s such a great guy and at the same time he’s never afraid to push through boundaries. I appreciated him a great deal at that time as a performer and as a human being. He was nice to everyone and professional. But he never took himself too seriously.”
But Reubens’s performance, which was critically praised, was not enough to save the film. Most damaging of all was Kuzui’s “pop culture” interpretation of the script. At the time Whedon simply said, “I don’t understand that approach.” Years later he was more blunt: “The director ruined it.”
“What I started with was a horror action comedy. It had fright, it had camera movement, it had acting—all kinds of interesting things that weren’t in the final film. Apart from the jokes—and there were a lot more of them [in my script] and all of my favorite ones got cut—it was supposed to have a little more edge to it. It was supposed to be a visceral entertainment rather than a glorified sitcom where everyone pretty much stands in front of the camera, says their joke, and exits. I wasn’t happy about anything. I had one advantage from it: the direction was so bland that the jokes kind of stood out, because they were the only things to latch on to. In a way, that kind of worked for me because it got people to notice it. But that was a big disappointment to me.
“It was crushing,” adds Whedon. “I had written this scary film about an empowered woman, and they turned it into a broad comedy. It was terrible and a great lesson for me. I knew in the future that I would find a way to do things in a different way.”
I knew in the future that I would find a way to do things in a different way.—Joss
As it turns out, Joss was to learn this lesson many times over.
Disappointed and upset by
Buffy
, Whedon returned to his scriptwriting career. The quality of the
Buffy
script had not escaped Hollywood producers, and his ability to rapidly produce high-quality work impressed the studios. So Joss entered the world of the elite script doctor. He was soon working on
Speed, Toy Story, Waterworld, Twister,
and
Alien Resurrection.
The work was extremely lucrative, with Joss making $100,000
per week
on certain assignments. But for Joss, who measured his worth by the quality of his writing and how well it was translated to the screen, it was frustrating and unsatisfying.
Buffy
, Whedon returned to his scriptwriting career. The quality of the
Buffy
script had not escaped Hollywood producers, and his ability to rapidly produce high-quality work impressed the studios. So Joss entered the world of the elite script doctor. He was soon working on
Speed, Toy Story, Waterworld, Twister,
and
Alien Resurrection.
The work was extremely lucrative, with Joss making $100,000
per week
on certain assignments. But for Joss, who measured his worth by the quality of his writing and how well it was translated to the screen, it was frustrating and unsatisfying.
According to Joss, “[Script doctoring is] fun and lucrative. But it’s like eating candy all day. It tastes great but it is not very filling. You want to create something from beginning to end, but working on these movies is like solving a puzzle. We have all pieces—here’s the stunts and all the story, now make it make sense. Make the people’s emotions make sense. Make it funny, real, and like it’s actually happening. It’s fun but not creative.”
“You know what it is,” says producer and creator David E. Kelley (
The Practice, Boston Public, Ally McBeal, Lake Placid
), “you have this great vision when you write a script and then by the time you see it on screen it is about as far from that vision as it can get. When I wrote
Mystery, Alaska
, from the time I turned it in, it probably went through a hundred rewrites, and that’s not an exaggeration. Everyone has their ideas of what it should be and your vision is lost in the process. That’s why I’m sticking with television for now. I don’t have to listen to anyone but the network, and they let me do my own thing most of the time.”
The Practice, Boston Public, Ally McBeal, Lake Placid
), “you have this great vision when you write a script and then by the time you see it on screen it is about as far from that vision as it can get. When I wrote
Mystery, Alaska
, from the time I turned it in, it probably went through a hundred rewrites, and that’s not an exaggeration. Everyone has their ideas of what it should be and your vision is lost in the process. That’s why I’m sticking with television for now. I don’t have to listen to anyone but the network, and they let me do my own thing most of the time.”
Despite the excellent compensation, a Hollywood scriptwriter is a low man on the totem pole, and much of his work—sometimes all of his work—is not used. “Sometimes they bring you in to fix a few lines or sometimes it’s the entire film. People give me credit for writing these scripts and the truth is, most of what I wrote never made it to the screen,” says Whedon. “It’s a strange business, and in many ways, though I didn’t know it at the time, television was a much more forgiving world to work in. When you write a film, there are too many people who can take what you do and make it into something which is the opposite of what you wrote.”
Joss’s appreciation of his script-doctor role was directly related to his opinion of the underlying story and how much creative freedom he had in writing the final script. The most frustrating situation was when the underlying story was weak. “I’ve been pitched ideas, or seen scripts, where I’ve been like, ‘You don’t need me. You need to [shouting]
not make this.’
There have been some terrible ones. But the thing is, for a script doctor, the best thing in the world is a good idea with a terrible script. Assuming they’ll let you play with it, which they did on
Toy Story
. Because you have the solid structure, and you can work the story into it.”
not make this.’
There have been some terrible ones. But the thing is, for a script doctor, the best thing in the world is a good idea with a terrible script. Assuming they’ll let you play with it, which they did on
Toy Story
. Because you have the solid structure, and you can work the story into it.”
Joss moved to the next level in his career when his agent, Chris Harbert of United Talent Agency, landed him the job of rewriting the script for
Speed.
Whedon got the assignment, in part, by agreeing to take on the ten-week project for a mere $150,000. While not much by the standards of the top script doctors, this was serious money for Joss.
Speed.
Whedon got the assignment, in part, by agreeing to take on the ten-week project for a mere $150,000. While not much by the standards of the top script doctors, this was serious money for Joss.
Working on
Speed
was one of Joss’s best experiences as a script doctor. He loved the story and he had full freedom to rewrite the dialogue, although he couldn’t change any stunts. “Apart from rewriting about 90 percent of the dialogue on
Speed,
the best work was the stuff that nobody would ever notice : just trying to make the whole thing track logically and emotionally so that all of those insane and over-the-top stunts—one after the other—would make sense,” says Joss. “That’s the part of script doctoring that’s actually interesting to me. When somebody says, ‘We’ve got a guy and he’s falling off a cliff, and later he’s hanging from a helicopter and we need you to tell us why. We need you to make the audience believe he’s doing it.’ That’s what
Speed
was.”
Speed
was one of Joss’s best experiences as a script doctor. He loved the story and he had full freedom to rewrite the dialogue, although he couldn’t change any stunts. “Apart from rewriting about 90 percent of the dialogue on
Speed,
the best work was the stuff that nobody would ever notice : just trying to make the whole thing track logically and emotionally so that all of those insane and over-the-top stunts—one after the other—would make sense,” says Joss. “That’s the part of script doctoring that’s actually interesting to me. When somebody says, ‘We’ve got a guy and he’s falling off a cliff, and later he’s hanging from a helicopter and we need you to tell us why. We need you to make the audience believe he’s doing it.’ That’s what
Speed
was.”
Joss lets Keanu Reeves shine in
Speed.
Speed.
You don’t need me. You need to
not make this.—Joss
Speed was a tremendous commercial success. It was an adrenaline rush and was dubbed “Die Hard on a Bus” and “Die Hard Without the Slow Parts.” But a few critics noticed, amidst the action, the clever dialogue and wonderfully developed relationship between the characters played by Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times noted that “[Reeves] and Bullock have good chemistry; they appreciate the humor that is always flickering just beneath the surface of the preposterous plot. And Hopper’s dialogue has been twisted into savagely ironic understatements that provide their own form of comic relief.” Peter Travis of Rolling Stone observed that “the fireworks wouldn’t count for much if the hardware overwhelmed the humanity.
Speed
cinches its spot as the thrill ride of summer by providing characters to hiss at and root for. Jack and Annie actually manage to strike up a convincing romance even at hyperspeed and without taking their eyes off the road. It’s an impressive feat . . .”
Speed
cinches its spot as the thrill ride of summer by providing characters to hiss at and root for. Jack and Annie actually manage to strike up a convincing romance even at hyperspeed and without taking their eyes off the road. It’s an impressive feat . . .”
Whedon landed another plum job on
Toy Stor
y
, where he was one of seven writers. It was the perfect opportunity for Joss because “it was a great idea, with a script I didn’t like at all.” It was Whedon’s hand at the script that brought many of the funniest jokes, and the toys that told them, to life. At the end of the movie the audience was emotionally invested in the characters and the story and that was what the young writer had hoped would happen.
Toy Stor
y
, where he was one of seven writers. It was the perfect opportunity for Joss because “it was a great idea, with a script I didn’t like at all.” It was Whedon’s hand at the script that brought many of the funniest jokes, and the toys that told them, to life. At the end of the movie the audience was emotionally invested in the characters and the story and that was what the young writer had hoped would happen.
Toy Story
wasn’t without its troubles. Being one of seven credited writers (one of whom was the director) was not a recipe for creative freedom. And some of Joss’s funniest jokes didn’t get past the Disney bureaucracy, including one in which Mr. Potato Head takes off one of his eyes and discretely rolls it under Bo Peep’s skirt.
wasn’t without its troubles. Being one of seven credited writers (one of whom was the director) was not a recipe for creative freedom. And some of Joss’s funniest jokes didn’t get past the Disney bureaucracy, including one in which Mr. Potato Head takes off one of his eyes and discretely rolls it under Bo Peep’s skirt.
Toy Story
was a commercial and critical success. Once again, observant critics noted the quality of the writing. Kenneth Turan of the LA
Times
declared that “when a film has seven writers, it’s not a positive sign, but
Toy Story
turns out to be smart fun on a verbal as well as visual level.” Barbara Shulgasser of the
San Francisco Examiner
declared that “what makes this movie so delightful is a solid story line (which has always been Disney’s strength) and terrific dialogue written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow.”
was a commercial and critical success. Once again, observant critics noted the quality of the writing. Kenneth Turan of the LA
Times
declared that “when a film has seven writers, it’s not a positive sign, but
Toy Story
turns out to be smart fun on a verbal as well as visual level.” Barbara Shulgasser of the
San Francisco Examiner
declared that “what makes this movie so delightful is a solid story line (which has always been Disney’s strength) and terrific dialogue written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow.”
Toy Story
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. “I’m not sure it’s something you ever get used to,” says Whedon of being nominated. “I was happy that the film did well, and it showed that we could do something a little different and get away with it. I thought it was a really sweet film and it definitely showed a different side of me. There were some darker aspects to it, but for the most part it was a light, enjoyable film.”
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. “I’m not sure it’s something you ever get used to,” says Whedon of being nominated. “I was happy that the film did well, and it showed that we could do something a little different and get away with it. I thought it was a really sweet film and it definitely showed a different side of me. There were some darker aspects to it, but for the most part it was a light, enjoyable film.”
Joss soon landed a six-figure-per-week assignment as a script doctor for
Waterworld
. It was an unqualified disaster. Beyond the embarrassment of his association with a well-publicized failure, he felt the creative frustration of failing to create a script he felt good about. “On
Waterworld,
I lost the patient,” Whedon confesses. “By the time I got there, there was too much going on for me to make a real difference. They were too far into it . . . there were only tiny cracks I could get in between. I will tell you that
Waterworld
is one of the projects that proved to me that the higher you climb, the worse the view.”
Waterworld
. It was an unqualified disaster. Beyond the embarrassment of his association with a well-publicized failure, he felt the creative frustration of failing to create a script he felt good about. “On
Waterworld,
I lost the patient,” Whedon confesses. “By the time I got there, there was too much going on for me to make a real difference. They were too far into it . . . there were only tiny cracks I could get in between. I will tell you that
Waterworld
is one of the projects that proved to me that the higher you climb, the worse the view.”
On
Waterworld,
I lost the patient.—Joss
Joss’s frustration with
Waterworld
soon faded as he received the chance of a lifetime. He was asked to write the script for
Alien 4
, an opportunity he had dreamed about since he first saw
Alien
when he was fourteen. But once again, what should have been a happy experience became a nightmare and almost soured him forever on the movie business.
Waterworld
soon faded as he received the chance of a lifetime. He was asked to write the script for
Alien 4
, an opportunity he had dreamed about since he first saw
Alien
when he was fourteen. But once again, what should have been a happy experience became a nightmare and almost soured him forever on the movie business.
When he was first asked to write the next
Alien
saga, Joss didn’t hesitate.
Alien
was “sacred text” and Joss couldn’t turn it down. Enthralled with
Alien
and
Aliens,
Whedon felt (as many did) that
Alien 3
was a disappointment. “I think the fans were robbed in the third one. They actually had a scene where people we didn’t know were killed by the alien. That’s Jason, that’s bullshit, because nothing is more boring than people you don’t know being killed. [
Alien 3
] was beautiful but it was neither exciting nor scary, which is a travesty ... I just want every scene to contain something amazing. I want to do
Evil Dead
where it’s menacing, and then about twenty minutes into it the action starts and never stops.”
Alien
saga, Joss didn’t hesitate.
Alien
was “sacred text” and Joss couldn’t turn it down. Enthralled with
Alien
and
Aliens,
Whedon felt (as many did) that
Alien 3
was a disappointment. “I think the fans were robbed in the third one. They actually had a scene where people we didn’t know were killed by the alien. That’s Jason, that’s bullshit, because nothing is more boring than people you don’t know being killed. [
Alien 3
] was beautiful but it was neither exciting nor scary, which is a travesty ... I just want every scene to contain something amazing. I want to do
Evil Dead
where it’s menacing, and then about twenty minutes into it the action starts and never stops.”
[
Alien 3
] was beautiful but it was neither exciting nor scary, which is a travesty. . . . which is a travesty. . . .—Joss
Joss was given a golden opportunity to change the future of the
Alien
franchise by writing a script that would put it on the path to glory once again. Initially, 20th Century-Fox wasn’t sure they could get Sigourney Weaver to play the role of Ripley again. So Joss was asked to write the script without Ripley who, after all, had died at the end of
Alien 3
. He banged out a script without Ripley and was pleased with the result.
Alien
franchise by writing a script that would put it on the path to glory once again. Initially, 20th Century-Fox wasn’t sure they could get Sigourney Weaver to play the role of Ripley again. So Joss was asked to write the script without Ripley who, after all, had died at the end of
Alien 3
. He banged out a script without Ripley and was pleased with the result.
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