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For Roven, it's all about collaboration
When you make a movie starring actors like Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, you have to expect to take a back seat, even if you're a relatively well-known producer.
- By Kelly Crane, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:17 December 14, 2008
- Charles Roven poses in front of the Burj Al Arab. Roven says it takes resilience to be a producer. "You have to believe in what you are doing and trust your instincts and beliefs."
- Image Credit: Hadrian Hernandez/Gulf News
When you make a movie starring actors like Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, you have to expect to take a back seat, even if you're a relatively well-known producer.
Overshadowed by the big-name celebrity actors and actresses he works with, Charles Roven — or Chuck as he's better known in industry circles —claims the secret of his success is trying to remain a collaborator.
"You have to be open to ideas throughout the process which could so easily make things better and enhance production. They could come from anyone. There is then a fine line between diluting the film or making it better and that's my call. Lateral thinking is a must but the whole process should be a collaboration."
Roven, who received the Dubai Film Festival's Outstanding Filmmaker of the Year award at a ceremony at the Madinat Arena on Saturday night, produced summer's box-office hit and critical success The Dark Knight, and is currently filming Season of the Witch with Nicolas Cage.
"Nick is a truly amazing actor. He has this ability to turn his hand to anything. I was astounded with his performance in City of Angels — he had this incredible way of drawing you in and totally made to feel he was an angel. You just lose yourself in the performance and character he is portraying."
Currently filming in Hungary after visiting potential locations in Germany, Spain and Italy, Roven says he eventually found the right spot.
"The financial climate at the moment has forced directors and producers to look outside of Hollywood for options. It's an interesting time. This region would also be an option, although I haven't spent any time here. I've heard it's very expensive to shoot in this part of the world, but I'm no expert."
Roven's next offering, The International, starring Clive Owen, will open the Berlin Film Festival in February, following the same path as his box office smash Twelve Monkeys, which also opened the German event.
Roven's impressive portfolio also includes The Dark Knight, Get Smart, City of Angels, The Bank Job, Batman Begins, Three Kings and The Brothers Grimm.
Tragedy
In January, Roven had to deal with the death of not only a colleague, but also a friend in Heath Ledger, cast as The Joker in The Dark Knight, who was found dead in his hotel room.
"I had to deal with his death in two ways. First, on a personal level — because Heath and I had become friends after The Brothers Grimm — and then on a film-making level. I was in complete awe of his talent and considered him a friend. It was such a shock but we all experience death at some point and have to deal with the emotion.
"We had essentially finished because the film was cut. But it was a shame Heath couldn't be around for the publicity tour.
"It was wonderful to work with him. He gave a fearless performance and he was great on set because he had this amazing enthusiasm for the role. Every day he'd come on set with a fresh idea, a fun idea — he really was like a kid in a candy store. I'm pretty sure even now he is smiling."
No stranger to death, Roven lost his first wife Dawn Steel, the first woman to head a major studio, in 1997, leaving Roven one daughter.
He has since remarried and his daughter attends the University of Chicago.
"I have a fabulous wife who rides and competes in a Western equestrian event. She's actually in the running for the national championship and will be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame next month. One of the benefits I had when shooting The Dark Knight in Chicago over the summer of 2007 was that she worked on the film as a camera PA."
So what does it take to be a great producer?
"Resilience. You will be rejected many more times than you are accepted. You have to believe in what you are doing and trust your instincts and beliefs."
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