>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO "GREAT DAY WASHINGTON."
WASHINGTON." >>> "MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN"
PREMIERS THIS WEEKEND IN D.C.
IT IS ABOUT A LONELY PRIVATE
DETECTIVE WHO HAS TOURETTE'S
SYNDROME AND TRYING TO SOLVE
THE MURDER OF HIS MENTOR AND
ONLY FRIEND.
ONLY FRIEND. THIS FILM WAS WRITTEN, PRODUCED
AND DIRECTED BY EDWARD NORTON
WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE STAR
IN THE FILM.
I SAT DOWN WITH THE MARYLAND
NATIVE TO TALK ABOUT HIS LATEST
PROJECT AND ALSO HIS FAVORITE
PART ABOUT COMING BACK TO D.C.
DIRECTOR, WRITER, STAR, WHAT
WAS YOUR FAVORITE ROLE?
>> YOU KNOW, WRITING IS KIND OF
LONELY.
LONELY.
LONELY. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WRITING, YOU'RE LIKE ALWAYS
LIKE WANTING TO RUN OUT AND
TAKE A COFFEE BREAK.
WRITING IS HARD BECAUSE YOU'RE
ALONE AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO
KIND OF LIKE KEEP PUSHING
YOURSELF, PUSHING YOURSELF.
I THINK THAT I ALWAYS LOVE
ACTING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU
HAVE FELLOW CAST MEMBERS OF
THIS QUALITY, WHEN ALMOST
EVERYONE WHO IS FLOWING THROUGH
THE STORY AND YOU'RE
INTERACTING WITH, ONE IS
GREATER THAN THE NEXT AND THEY
ARE ALL BRINGING LIKE PURE
OXYGEN.
OXYGEN.
OXYGEN. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> RIGHT, RIGHT.
>> IT'S REALLY -- I NEVER
REALLY GET OVER THAT PART OF
IT.
IT.
IT. IT'S
IT. IT'S COMPLETELY THRILLING TO ME
TO WORK WITH LIKE WILLEM DAFOE
WHO WAS AN IDOL OF MINE AND/OR
A NEW TALENT LIKE GOO GOO BETHA
RAW.
RAW.
RAW. DIRECTING IS SATISFYING BUT
HARD.
HARD.
HARD. >>
HARD. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I SAW SOME OF THE OTHER
INTERVIEWS YOU DID WITH YOUR
CAST MATES AND TRYING TO GET
THEM -- WHILE YOU'RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE SCENE SHOOTING
IT, SAYING HE CAN DROP THAT
LINE OR SOMETHING.
WAS THAT HARD TO DO TO GIVE
THEM NOTES OF YOUR ACTING ALONG
OF THEM?
OF THEM?
OF THEM? >> THAT WAS MY BIGGEST ANXIETY
WAS THAT -- BECAUSE ACTORS HELP
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. IT'S LIKE RIGHT NOW PEOPLE
WATCHING AT HOME, THEY DON'T
SEE ALL OF WHAT'S AROUND US,
RIGHT, BUT THERE'S A LOT -- ON
A FILM IT'S THE SAME.
THERE'S LIGHTS AND MICS AND
THERE'S -- YOU KNOW, THERE'S
PEOPLE MOVING AND THERE'S A LOT
OF TECHNICAL DISTRACTION AND
ACTORS HELP EACH OTHER BY
CREATING THIS BUBBLE OF
PRETEND.
PRETEND.
PRETEND. YOU KNOW, YOU PRETEND TOGETHER
THAT NONE OF THAT IS GOING ON.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> AND WHEN ONE OF YOU IS
BREAKING OUT AND GOING, I'M
GOING TO GO LOOK AT WHAT WE
JUST DID OR I NEED TO CHECK
THIS OUT OR I NEED TO FIND OUT
WHAT -- IT'S LIKE YOU'RE SORT
OF SHATTERING -- YOU RISK
SHATTERING THE DEAL, LIKE
ALMOST LIKE THE ALLIANCE THAT
YOU'VE GOT AND I WAS WORRIED
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. BUT PART OF MY SOLUTION WAS
CAST LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE STONE
COLD PROS.
COLD PROS. ♪[ MUSIC ]♪
>> I THOUGHT THE MUSIC REALLY
PLAYED A GREAT ROLE IN THIS
MOVIE.
MOVIE.
MOVIE. TALK ABOUT THE THEME SONG.
YOU GOT AN E-MAIL FROM -- AT
6:00 A.M.
6:00 A.M.
6:00 A.M. THAT SAID, HERE'S WHAT I AM
THINKING OF THE THEME SONG AND
IT REALLY MOVED YOU AND PLAYED
A BIG PART?
>> TOM YORK, WHO IS THE SINGER
AND MUSICIAN AND RADIO HEAD IS
AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE.
I AM LIKE A MASSIVE FAN OF
THEIR BAND AND HIS MUSIC ALONE,
AND HE WROTE THIS SONG CALLED
DAILY BATTLES FOR THE FILM THAT
WAS JUST -- EVEN HIS FIRST DEMO
OF IT ON THE PIANO WAS SO
MOVING, THAT IT AFFECTED ME TO
THE DEGREE THAT IT MADE ME
REALIZE THAT I WANTED TO
ACTUALLY EMPHASIZE CERTAIN
THEMES THAT THE SONG MADE MORE
CLEAR TO ME IN SOME WAYS.
>> YEAH, YOU REWROTE A COUPLE
OF LINES?
OF LINES?
OF LINES? >> I ADDED -- EVEN THE PHRASE
DAILY BATTLES COMES INTO A
SCENE NOW IN THE FILM.
>> WAS IT FUN TO GO BACK TO THE
1950s TO PUT THIS TOGETHER?
WAS THAT A TIME PERIOD YOU HAD
ALWAYS BEEN IN LOVE WITH?
>> NO, NOT IN PARTICULAR.
I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN
THESE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN
NEW YORK IN THAT PERIOD THAT
WERE VERY DARK.
I ALWAYS FELT -- THE CHARACTER
HAS TOURETTE'S SYNDROME AND
COMPULSIVE DISORDER AND I THINK
BY -- IN THAT ERA, I THINK
PEOPLE WERE LESS SENSITIVE TO
DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS.
PEOPLE, THEY CALL HIM FREAK
SHOW.
SHOW.
SHOW. IT'S NOT A KIND ERA.
IT WASN'T KIND TO PEOPLE IN --
YOU KNOW, MINORITIES, AFRICAN-
AMERICANS WERE SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE DISCRIMINATION IN
THE POLICIES OF THE CITY AND
PEOPLE LIKE MY CHARACTER WERE
NOT TREATED KINDLY.
>> BEING FROM COLUMBIA,
MARYLAND, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU
HAVE TO DO WHILE YOU'RE BACK IN
D.C.?
D.C.?
D.C.? IS
D.C.? IS THERE A RESTAURANT YOU HAVE
TO GO TO WHILE YOU'RE HERE?
>> IT'S FUNNY, THINGS CHANGE SO
MUCH.
MUCH.
MUCH. I
MUCH. I WAS DRIVING THROUGH
GEORGETOWN COMING IN HERE, AND
I WAS THINKING ABOUT CLUBS WE
USED TO GO TO WHEN I WAS IN
HIGH SCHOOL AND THE OLD 9:30
CLUB WHERE YOU USED TO SEE PUNK
ROCK.
ROCK.
ROCK. IT'S NOT WHERE IT USED TO BE
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. SO IT'S LIKE THE SAME AND NOT
THE SAME.
THE SAME.
THE SAME. IT'S -- THINGS CHANGE.
BUT I ALWAYS LIKE -- THERE'S SO
MUCH GOOD THEATER IN D.C. AND I
HAD SUCH A HISTORY IN MY YOUTH
OF COMING HERE TO SEE THEATER
THAT I LOVE THAT STILL.
>> WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> "MOTHERLESS