[Warren Beatty] I think it's important as one ages
to realize that you can learn a hell of a lot
from somebody who's a lot younger.
[♪ music ♪]
I came to Hollywood at an early age,
and I've kind of been around for a while.
It used to be that I was the youngest guy in the room.
The converse of that is now true.
[What I Learned From Warren Beatty & Alden Ehrenreich]
Tomorrow we're testing a little plane.
Oh really? >> And I want you there with me.
Yes, sir. >> You understand?
Yes, sir. >> You get it?
Yes, sir. >> OK. Good.
[What Was It Like Working Together?]
[Alden Ehrenreich] I met with him after my first film.
I was 19 years old, and I was about to go to college.
And I went and had a four-and-a-half-hour lunch with him,
where I just got to ask him everything I ever wanted to know
about his career and life and life in Hollywood.
And that sort of continued on for a five-year mentorship.
[Warren Beatty] I like to tell this story about him.
He begged me to let him read for a part
in this movie, and I said, "You don't really have to read.
I've seen your work, and you're very, very good."
And he said, "No, no, no, no. I want to read."
Somebody else had read for one of the parts,
and he heard them read.
And I noticed that after he heard them read,
he seemed much more convinced and assured
that they were right for the role. So I figured if he can hear me
say the words, then I have a better shot of getting the role.
Then a few days later, he'd say, "I really want to read for you."
And finally I thought, well, OK.
Maybe he's insulted that I'm not reading,
and he doesn't think I seriously want him to play this.
So he came up to my house, and then we read a lengthy scene
that I'd written. And then I thought, oh, that's very interesting.
Let's read it again. So then we read it again.
And then I got more out of this scene, and I had written this scene.
But I thought, “Boy, this scene's better than I thought.”
And then we read it again, and then we read it again.
And then about the fifth time, I thought,
“Oh, I'm reading for him.” [laughs]
And I got the part.
I remember walking away from that experience
and feeling like if this doesn't happen or if this happens
with another actor, I'll always have that memory of one in the morning
at Warren's house, me and him reading that scene together.
And that's one of my tenderest memories of the whole thing.
[What Advice Would You Give Your Older Self?]
Wow, that's an interesting question.
I don't know where I'll be then.
I can only hope that at that time,
I still have the love for the work that I do,
as much as I have for it now. 57 00:02:38,131 --> 00:02:40,610 And that I'm still chasing the same goal,
which is playing characters and making movies the best they can be.
My advice would be to politely defer
and say, "How much time do you have?"
[What Did You Discover In This Process?]
Warren's conducted his entire career in a way
where he was really only doing things exactly the way he wanted to,
sometimes in the face of what expectations were
or how people thought he should conduct himself.
For instance, when he produced "Bonnie and Clyde,”
it was kind of very uncommon for an actor
to also produce one of their movies.
And it seemed almost presumptuous.
But he's always remained true
to this kind of his own internal sense of right and wrong,
and how he wanted things done to this day.
And that's why he takes his time and knows himself,
and does things the way he wants to do them.
I think it's important as one ages
to realize that you can learn a hell of a lot
from somebody who's a lot younger.
Well, I'm finding that all the time now with my kids.
I've got a 16, a 19, a 22 and a 24.
I can't tell you how much I'm learning from them.
And it's a pleasure.
[#DisruptAging]
[Real Possibilities from AARP]