Long before Cameron Crowe wrote a classic movie about a fictional band, a real Georgia outfit with the same name shared a label with the Allman Brothers and scored a minor (and very bizarre). "We did it a lot of times I don't know, maybe 40 times. He covered the bands that hated Rolling Stone. But I wonder if Crowe might have a little more perspective on the women in his films if he werent so reverent toward those women in real life. Say Anything. In a wide-ranging interview for this week's issue of PEOPLE, the Heart guitarist opens up about finding lasting love after her difficult divorce. The film starred newcomer Patrick Fugit as William Miller, the baby-faced writer who finds himself immersed in the world of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and Kate Hudson co-starred as Penny Lane, a prominent groupie, or, as the film refers to her, a "Band-Aid". Cindy Crowe - Biography - IMDb But few American filmmakers have paid tribute to their mother so often, or so baldly, as Cameron Crowe. Getting to this place hasn't be an easy road for Nancy, who waited two years after separating from Crowe, 63, in 2008 to officially file for divorce. We're seeing William fall in love with these guys, and we're seeing how Russell is comprehending that William is vulnerable in that way. "That was just beautiful to make because you really felt that lowness in the bus after [Russell's acid trip at the house party]. Its Me, Margaret is as lovely and amazing as the Judy Blume novel, Review: Joyland, a Pakistani queer-cinema milestone, lays bare the complexity of desire, Review: Big George Foreman saddles the former champ with a squeaky clean, lightweight story, Holocaust memorial film featuring San Diego students heads to L.A. 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[20], In 2000, Crowe used his music journalism experience roots to write and direct Almost Famous, about the experiences of a teenage music journalist who goes on the road with an emerging band in the early 1970s. In late 1999, Crowe's second book was published, a question and answer session with filmmaker Billy Wilder entitled Conversations with Wilder. We went to other Shakespeare plays at the Globe, but he still wouldn't walk next to me!". Cameron Crowe is rummaging through an upstairs nook in his Los Angeles-area home that he affectionately calls "The. Cameron Crowe Looks Back at 'Almost Famous' 21 Years Later - SPIN During production, bands like Nirvana were not yet national stars, but by the time the soundtrack was released, their song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had to be cut from the film because it was too costly to buy the rights. The film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Actor (for Cruise). ", Lee and Hudson aboard the bus, site of one of the film's most memorable moments. The scene contains some personal Easter eggs for Crowe. ", "This was the original end of the movie," says Crowe of this family breakfast scene, where Elaine (McDormand, left) surprises her kids by playing a Neil Young song, "On the Way Home." He began corresponding with music journalist Lester Bangs, who had left the Door to become editor at the national rock magazine Creem, and soon he was also submitting articles to Creem as well as Circus. Obviously, the bands loved him." Shes a person who's always happy when something is serving humanity.". Former colleague Sarah Lazin described of the youthful Crowe: "He was a pleasure to work with, a total professional. [35], It was announced in early June 2008 that Crowe would return to write and direct his seventh feature film, initially titled Deep Tiki and Volcano Romance, set to star Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon, and to be released by Columbia Pictures. Nancy Wilson is thankful she no longer needs to get by on her own. (A lifelong teacher, Alice Marie cant resist scolding McDormand, either. Thats not Alice Maries faultshes just here for the ride, and who can blame her? I want you, at that point, to look over at the empty chair andyou realize your dad is not here. "It's a healthy, full-blooded relationship. He had to get that right. [10] Crowe was Rolling Stone's youngest-ever contributor. That's us trying to figure out what Stillwater was. ", In 2020,Almost Famouscould read like music journalism fan-fiction an unseasoned writer on a freewheeling assignment that becomes aRolling Stonecover story. Cameron Crowe Movies - IMDb Making a big Hollywood film that really affects people is as hard as making a small movie on a credit card. She married Cameron Crowe in 1986, and the couple had two sons before getting divorced in 2010. ", "It's not hard to fall in love with Billy Crudup. And David Geffen goes, 'Jerry Maguire was what brought you there. "My mom and (veteran film director) James L. Brooks have been my biggest influences as screenwriters, because they're both so invested in the privilege of storytelling. And he was like, 'Yeah, I'm using the first one. The character was based on Crowe's own mother, who even showed up at the film sets to keep an eye on him while he worked. "And Cameron admittedly spent this time saying, 'I don't know who he is either, but maybe we could find him together. To read an in-depth interview with Cameron Crowe about his new film, "We Bought a Zoo," go to: 'Zoo' director Cameron Crowe on film & San Diego. ", "Very rarely do movies just hold up, and when your kids watch it they have the same experience that you had when you watched it for the first time. I didn't care what I was doing, I just wanted to be in a Cameron Crowe movie," she says. But this reverence is turning his female characters, mothers and love interests alike, into movie-land clichs. Nancy Wilson. Crowe's grandfather was Greek. Alice Marie Crowe more or less co-chairs the Almost Famous directors commentary, and she also has cameos in each of her sons six films. Nancy first met Crowe in 1982. At. ", "This was a big scene that we shot part of in the exterior in Santa Monica [standing in for San Diego], and then part of in a studio in Manhattan Beach," Deschanel says of this moment with Crowe. Russell is torturing Bebe. The writer-director Cameron Crowe was already a beloved voice in cinema for high school tales like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Say Anything." Then came "Almost Famous" (2000). "What I loved about our relationship in that movie is that my personality and Billy's personality are very different. [22] The film, starring Tom Cruise, Penlope Cruz and Cameron Diaz, received mixed reviews, yet managed to gross $100.6million at the US box office, making it his second highest grossing directorial effort behind Jerry Maguire (1996). this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. In that audience is Alice Marie herself, playing a minor role as an aunt, guffawing along with everyone else. See also. And she'll say: 'Do you really need that? "I was a little lost," he says. Crowe had signed members of Pearl Jam, shortly before their burgeoning, nationwide success, to portray Dillon's fictional band 'Citizen Dick'. Following that success, Crowe wrote the screenplay for 1984's The Wild Life, the pseudo-sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. "She's an amazing collaborator, she's so sharp," Cameron Crowe said of his mother, who has made a cameo appearance in every movie her son has written and directed, except "Say Anything," his first. We look back at Crowe's rocking 2000 film, with tales about these exclusive never-before-seen photos from the set. And she was the first person to take me to movies and point out artists like Mike Nichols or Woody Allen. Curtis Crowe (niece or nephew) Cameron Crowe (sibling) Trivia (1) Former sister-in-law of singer-songwriter Nancy Wilson. He chronicled their activities in typical teenage settingsat school, at the beach, and at the mall, where many of them held afterschool jobsand concentrated on details of their lives that probed into the heart of adolescence. She took me to many of the Shakespeare productions; I remember at last eight or nine times -- something where I'd go: 'Oh, no! "[Penny's line] 'You are home' wasn't even written, and I can't remember if that was an ad lib of mine or if Cameron threw that out to me, but it wasn't a line [in the script]. "I thought that would be in there if you knew what to look for." A version of this story appears in the September 2020 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Tim Appelo wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "With an ambling, naturalistic style, Crowe captures the eccentric appeal of a town where espresso carts sprout on every corner and kids in ratty flannel shirts can cut records that make them millionaires. He is channeling the guy on the exact corner where I met him. Reviews were almost universally positive, and it was nominated for and won a host of film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Crowe. Cameron likes to have a lot of options in the editing room. 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Slate is published by The Slate I want to learn to cook! she says to her grieving daughter. "That's why we lived in Linda Vista, near the University of San Diego. And, I did. "For a number of weeks, the band rehearsed to playback," recalls Lee, "and all the while I'm letting my hair grow and it's getting longer and longer. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes.[1]. I was 20 years old filming this movie, [and] it brought me so much focus and experience because he was 10, 11 years older than me. (Another Easter egg: Standing next to Alice is actor Charles Walker, who played the principal inSay Anything. When he hits his sweet spot, there's nobody like him. [43][44], Crowe also attempted to make a biopic about Marvin Gaye titled My Name is Marvin. Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres (2022). (A little Stillwater Easter egg: The song the band would sing to hype themselves up before going onstage was ad-libbed by Lee during one of their early rehearsals. "I tell him I'm not (like) the average audience, because I love art films. ", Eventually, Crowe brought more people in to give them an audience. "I do read his scripts," she allowed. [39], In 1997, it was reported that Crowe was in talks to direct a biopic about Phil Spector, with Tom Cruise in talks to portray him. We didn't have to work on it," says Hudson of her costar. Cameron Crowe wrote this story in 1996 for a short-lived magazine named Live! "He didn't say much, and I couldn't get a handle, really, on what [Crowe] wanted from the character from the script so I was a little timid at first about how I was going to effectively play this guy, since I didn't really know who he was," Crudup remembers. Billy takes it very seriously. "We didn't quite know what the band was yet. "But in the meantime I want to walk on a beach, get my hands in dirt and just keep being creative.". Cameron Crowe movies: 10 greatest films ranked worst to best The family reconciled when the project was complete. I have to go,' and he hung up. I kept waiting for life to start, she says in a daze, and now its over? But soon after this delicate aside, the character morphs into a scattered self-help nightmare. The divorce was finalized on December 8, 2010. "Cameron would put it like this," Fugit remembers, "'Polexia is the one that William will end up finding in 15 years and have a deep, long relationship with.' I want to learn to laugh! "She came to the office and I put her in a room and she watched all four hours, and when it was done, she said, 'Your best movie is in here so get to work.' He also felt the excitement of his career was beginning to wane. For those of us watching the movie, the sequence induces sighs and embarrassment. I said to her, 'Well, you are the soul of this movie,' and she was like, 'What are you talking about I'm the soul of the movie?' Born in 1957 in Palm Springs, California, Crowe got his start as a teenage music journalist for "Rolling Stone," touring with the Allman Brothers when he was just 16 years old. ", The Stillwater actors went through what became known as "Rock School," where they worked with real-life rockers Peter Frampton and Nancy Wilson to convincingly play musicians and solidify the band as a group. In the end, Nancy realized it "was just not meant to be," and she and Crowe made the decision to separate in 2008. His mother, Holly Baylor, is played by Susan Sarandon, and regardless of what details Alice Marie might nitpick here, it cant be the casting. ", "It was as much of a moment for us as people and as a cast, what it is to be a circus together when you're making a movie," Hudson shares. Oh, Frances, please.). "I'm a little nervous because Philip is formidable and he's been listening to Lester on earbuds every time where I'm not talking to him. My mom is a real hero to me. He was like, 'I never did.' This included scenes about homecoming and graduation as well as social cliques and sexual encounters.[13]. On March 2, 2011, the documentary was announced to open the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. @CameronCrowe. . In this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, the iconic Heart guitarist, 67, opens up about finding the love of her life in husband Geoff Bywater after her difficult 2010 divorce from Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe. Everybody just hung out and played guitar, told jokes, and lived the life. The music industry is very different now Hollywood is, too. Almost Famous is Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical film about coming of age and 1970s rock music. Group, a Graham Holdings Company. I get the feeling through Anna's performance that Polexia was tracking the whole time like William and I could end up making something happen, but he's not ready yet. [11] He went on the road with them for three weeks at the age of 16; he interviewed the band and the road crew. The year is 1973, a precocious 15-year-old journalist is on tour with America's hottest rock band, and he's about to get the story of his life. "[4][5][6] She worked as a psychology professor and in family therapy and often participated in peace demonstrations and causes relating to the rights of farm workers. He strikes out to form his own agency. Even in the pretend environment where I'm playing somebody else, I still felt the extraordinary and one-of-a-kind experience of having a moment as a rock star. Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites. And then, of course, there was Alice Maries fictional counterpart in Almost Famous, Elaine Miller, played by the divine Frances McDormand as a no-nonsense mama bear. That's not Russell. And its no surprise that a kid who famously left home at 13 to tour the country with the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin might have a little guilt to burn. Hudson calls the scene "beautifully innocent and sad." Behind them is Kelly Curtis, Pearl Jam's manager and a longtime friend of Crowe's. Much of this was due to repeated delays while studio executives debated how to market it. And we really had so much respect for each other. It was amazing to ask him to be in my movie at the same spot where my mom would drag me to see 'Hamlet' in the first place. He's my protector, and that helps me in the world.". Completely stressful but what I got a lot of joy over, and still do, is showing Patrick how much fun it is to make a movie. Over the course of two and a half hours, she reminisces about their life in San Diego, gushes about her sons talent, and, occasionally, scolds him. It was then that everything really started to come together. Then-senior editor Ben Fong-Torres also said of Crowe: "He was the guy we sent out after some difficult customers. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro . Digging into his most personal memories, Crowe used a composite of the bands he had known to come up with Stillwater, the emerging act that welcomes the young journalist into its sphere, then becomes wary of his intentions. He also appeared in this project, as a rock journalist at a club. I'm like, 'The first one?' I was listening on the headset as he's talking to the kid, and it sounded like Lester. When it comes to casting, Crowe, 65, knows what he's doing. [28], With production on Aloha delayed, Crowe set his next feature, the family comedy-drama We Bought a Zoo, based on Benjamin Mee's memoir of the same name. [4] His family finally settled in San Diego. It gives me chills thinking about it. On the verge of suicide, Drew receives a call from his . "[14], Branching into a new direction, Crowe wrote and directed Jerry Maguire. After the screening, Led Zeppelin granted Crowe the right to use one of their songs on the soundtrackthe first time they had ever consented to this since allowing Crowe to use "Kashmir" in Fast Times at Ridgemont Highand also gave him rights to four of their other songs in the movie itself, although they did not grant him the rights to "Stairway to Heaven" for an intended scene (on the special "Bootleg" edition DVD, the scene is included as an extra without the song where the viewer is instructed by a watermark to begin playing it). "If everything that Lester Bangs has taught William is actually true, in that moment we're seeing it play out. still makes bank", "The Towering Narcissism of Jerry Maguire", "A Boy's Life (in Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll)", "Cameron Crowe Is Finally Ready to Tell Us Vanilla Sky's Secrets", "Cameron Diaz Was the 'Soul' of Vanilla Sky, Says Director Cameron Crowe on Film's 20th Anniversary", "Why 'Jerry Maguire' still completes us 25 years later", "Cameron Crowe Says He Hid Nirvana's "You Know You're Right" In 'Vanilla Sky' A Year Before It Was Released", "Tribeca Opens With Cameron Crowe's 'The Union', "Matt Damon in Talks to Join Cameron Crowe's Zoo", "We Bought a Zoo (2011) Full credits writers", "Mike Talks Possible PJ/Cameron Crowe Film", "Cameron Crowe Hits The Streets For Pearl Jam", "Showtime Gives Series Pickup to Cameron Crowe-J.J. Abrams Comedy 'Roadies', "Al Pacino To Play Phil Spector In HBO Film Written & Directed By David Mamet", "Cameron Crowe Says His Marvin Gaye Film Is Titled 'My Name Is Marvin', "The Directors: Cameron Crowe wrangles emotions and ostriches", "Entertainment News, Celebrity and Pop Culture - ABC News", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cameron_Crowe&oldid=1147469295, Journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, playwright, This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 04:47. He's for sure being a scoundrel. ", Jimmy Fallon, another member of the movie's all-star supporting cast, played Dennis Hope, who becomes Stillwater's manager once the band's profile begins to rise. Crowe focused on six main characters: a tough guy, a nerd, a surfer dude, a sexual sophisticate, and a middle-class brother and sister. Michael was really into watching me and he would pick up on stuff that I was doing, and that's what Cameron wanted. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Cameron Crowe. And he did.". In the film, William meets Bangs at the same place (above) a teenaged Crowe first encountered the famed rock journalist. I didn't read even really think about it until Cameron pointed it out. The only reason it's safe to express himself [here] is because she's probably not gonna remember it. When Tom Cruise sat down with us for his May 1986 cover story, he was a quirky 24-year-old preparing to enter full-fledged Hollywood superstardom in a movie called Top Gun.His interviewer, the shaggy auteur Cameron Crowe, was still three years away from his first directing role and had only one screenwriting credit to his name (1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, adapted from Crowe's book . New Again: Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe - Interview Magazine The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and also had an accompanying book and soundtrack. The story centers on a teenage music journalist who is on tour with an up-and-coming band; it gives insight into his life as a 15-year-old writer for Rolling Stone. We Bought a Zoo is a transparently cloying effort by director Cameron Crowe, but Matt Damon makes for a sympathetic central character. I went across the street and watched the scene. [45] That project fell apart in 2010 due to casting and budget issues. With Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin. A group of twenty-something friends search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle. . [21] Though he asked her not to bother Frances McDormand, who played her character, the two ended up getting along well. ", The photo was taken during the scene where Penny overdoses on quaaludes and William comes in to save her but not before stealing a kiss. ", "They had to have production art for the albums that were going to be props on set," Crudup (top, with John Fedevich as Ed Vallencourt, Lee as lead singer Jeff Bebe, and Mark Kozelek's Larry Fellows) recalls of this early Stillwater shot. ), "Heart was stalled out for about three years in order to regain our balance," says Nancy. They had this big, open window there where they would display the latest great album that had come in. William Miller So we did it 40 times and then [later] he said, 'So yeah, you know how I made you do that line like, 40 times? ", For the part of a teenaged Zeppelin fanatic, Crowe cast a then-unknown Jay Baruchel, pictured here in his homemade "Stairway to Heaven" shirt. ", Jeff Bebe may have been zeroed in on the perks and perils of music stardom (you never want to be one of the out-of-focus guys on a band T-shirt), but Lee says his expression here speaks to the "special" energy of the set. "), Their collaboration, Hudson says, was "one of the great working relationships of my life. She earned her Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Southern California and has been seen on Good Morning America. I made sure that they knew it makes no difference whether or not they came from my egg. Almost Famous Billy Crudup and Kate Hudson, Almost Famous Cameron Crowe and Kate Hudson, Almost Famous Cameron Crowe and Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous Philip Seymour Hoffman and Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous- Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cameron Crowe and Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin and Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous- behind the scenes with the cast, Jimbo hilariously recalls stealing an (unconfirmed) 'lock of RuPaul's hair' before, Naysha Lopez hilariously previews 'fashion' and 'some ugly stuff' on. "I was blown away that we actually got him to come in because I was already a fan; he was fantastic. Tom Cruise played the title role of Jerry and Cuba Gooding, Jr. played Rod Tidwell, an aging wide receiver. We were still in our rehearsal phase, trying to figure out the dynamic between all of us. But by treating these women as sacred, he also makes them less than human. Because Crowe was a fan of the 1970s hard rock bands that the older writers disliked, he landed a lot of major interviews. ", RELATED VIDEO: Say Anything: "In Your Eyes" Was Actually the Second Choice for Boombox Scene. And I'm seeing that when I show my son this movie, it evokes the same feeling that I had or that my mother had when she saw it, or my brother. "He wanted to get the ambiguity right whether or not Russell is taking advantage of William, or William is giving license to Russell," says Crudup. That's Billy Crudup at f---ing work. "It was literally like filming a mini concert. There's a good reason director Cameron Crowe had his mother, Alice, do an on-screen cameo in his new movie, "We Bought a Zoo" -- and, no, Mrs. Crowe doesn't harbor any aspirations to achieve belated stardom as an actress.
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