Entertainment | Celebrity
Funnyman Martin gets serious
Martin and Meyers discuss It's Complicated
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:00 December 30, 2009
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
- In It's Complicated Steve Martin plays Adam, an architect who finds himself with an unexpected rival for the affection of Jane plaued by Meryl Streep.
In It's Complicated, Steve Martin plays Adam, an architect who finds himself with an unexpected rival for the affections of Jane (Meryl Streep) — her rakish ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin), who has remarried but yearns for the woman he left a decade earlier.
For a man in the business of funny, Martin talks about challenges of being dramatic and relationships, now and then.
In the film you play Adam, who is still getting over a relationship when he meets Jane.
I understand my character, because I have sort of been there and listened — like him — to those self-help tapes. Adam approaches things logically and is aware of red flags.
How do you see your role?
I feel it is a serious comic role or a comic serious role.
Being a famous comedian, do you find it can be challenging for the public to see you in roles that are more dramatic?
I'm cautious about roles that are dramatic because people often read an ordinary sign like a comedic one, when it's not really there.
How would you describe Meryl's character in It's Complicated?
I see Jane as someone who is fully formed and confident.
You have some great scenes together, like the one at her bakery when you make those chocolate croissants.
I know! I always feel that women and men are most attractive when they are working and you see them engaged.
What would you say is the difference between starting a relationship at an older age as opposed to doing it when you are younger?
It's interesting, because what may have excited you about someone when you were young might be a complete turn-off later on. I mean things like irresponsibility or unpredictability.
Alec Baldwin is Jane's ex-husband Jake, with whom she is having an affair. What did you think of his performance?
Alec is fantastic in the movie, and we got along really well and had a good time. I believe he should be nominated for Best Actor.
Speaking of the Oscars, are you excited about hosting the awards ceremony with him?
Very much, and even more because he is excited too. I think we have a very good rapport. It's funny, because working it out for us has been like a new relationship.
Is it harder or easier now to make it in Hollywood compared to when you started in the business?
I think in some ways it's harder and in others it's easier. It's harder because there are so many people doing it now, so it's tougher to be different; but it's easier because there is also more work out there.
Nancy Meyers' take on divorce, love
Over the past 30 years, Nancy Meyers has made several successful romantic comedies —What Women Want, Something's Gotta Give, and The Holiday — featuring adult characters forced to come face-to-face with truths they've long been avoiding. In It's Complicated, she taps into the world of life after divorce.
How did you come up with the plot for It's Complicated?
I am not sure, because it's not as if one day I suddenly had it; but it started off as a movie about this woman, and then the ex-husband came in. And once I had decided that she has an affair with him things began to fall into place.
Are relationships complicated by nature, or do we complicate them much more than we need to?
Both! It is naturally complicated to open yourself to somebody else and let your guard down; but in this case it's even more complicated as they were married but got divorced, he is married again now to a younger woman, and she is dating someone else.
Is it true that you wrote the movie with Meryl Streep in mind? What was Meryl like to work with then?
She is extremely prepared and knows, not just what she needs to do in the scene, but also the whole picture, as if she were a filmmaker. Meryl is always very thoughtful about the film and the storytelling.
You have worked with Steve Martin before. What is he like?
He is inspiring and a very offbeat person, because he is one way and then acts another. Steve looks so normal; but, as we all know, he can be a very explosive comedian. So, I thought he would be perfect for the role of Adam.
What can you say of Alec Baldwin's performance as Jake, Jane's ex-husband and the man she is now having an affair with?
Alec is also brilliantly funny, though in a different way. There is always a little sense of danger with his comedy because you never know what's coming, but he comes into the scene with an open mind and takes direction very well.
How personal is this story to you?
It's based on personal things; but the plot isn't personal, though there are some things I have in common with Jane: I work and live in California, I have friends like hers and an ex-husband, and I also have children of that age.
What's the best test for a comedy?
The audience's laughter. You can't fake that.
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