Interview: ‘JAMES WHITE’ writer/director Josh Mond and star Christopher Abbott talk about this visceral film that takes hold of the viewer.

James White poster

I had the opportunity to sit down with writer/director Josh Mond and star Christopher Abbott of JAMES WHITE this week. We chat this volatile and spectacular film and how it effected everyone involved.

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

Liz: Congratulations. I love everything from the structure of  the film to how in your face it is from absolute go. There is no moment of downtime, which I appreciate as a viewer… who sees a lot of movies.

Josh: Well, thank you.

Liz: I also really liked that you used Mátyás (Erdély), and I just saw Son of Saul at the NYFF, and I hadn’t  known you used him initially, and I thought, “Well, that makes so much more sense.” So for you (Chris), how was that having someone in your face the whole time?

Chris: It never felt invasive. In a strange way, I got used to  it pretty quick. I was involved in the process early on so, I was prepared for it. I would go and meet with Josh and Mátyás and talk about it, so I knew going into the movie the style in which it would be shot. I loved it, just for experimental reasons, too, of working that way. I loved working with Mátyás and Josh in that sense. The opening sequence, when we were shooting it, it almost felt like a little performance art piece. Under the camera, Mátyás is holding onto my shirt and I’m tapping him on the hip when I’m gonna move left or right, I’m kind of directing him a little bit under the camera and he’s moving with me, so just in terms of working in that kind of waltzy way, I found it kind of exciting.

Liz: It’s really, really impactful because it’s this great balance of throwing the audience off kilter because you’re right there, but also feeling like  you’re inside your skin, so to speak, so it’s a really interesting way, like “fly-on-the-wall” but also ” point of view”. It’s very effective.

(To Josh) Where is the line between truth and fiction for you when you wrote this?

Josh: It’s not autobiographical, but I did lose my mother four and a half years ago  to cancer, and I was raised by a single mother. I grew up on the UWS and I wanted to explore something that I didn’t understand. And explore things I wanted to understand better and while doing it I realized I was desperate to connect. So, yeah, it’s coming from a personal place.

Liz: So many of us have lost people that are close (with cancer) but people don’t  talk about it. It was amazing to delve right into it and be completely raw. And with Cynthia, how was working with her, for both of you?

Josh: I mean, it was amazing. She was so generous and patient with me, being my first film. Also, she connected with the material and was nice enough to open up about her personal experiences in losing her mother to cancer just a coupe months prior to meeting. I mean, she’s worked with everyone from Altman to Mike Nichols to Sidney Lumet, and uh, it was amazing. I got to watch the two of them play off each other. I was very lucky to have both of them.

Chris: She’s  such a professional in that way. She showed up the picture completely painted. It made my job easier. Again, she’s a professional, so she knows how to do it, so she listens well and delivers well. It makes playing those kinds of scenes extremely fulfilling. She gives you so much to work toward.

Liz: How  long was the shooting?

Josh: We shot in NY for 18 days. And then Mexico in 4.

Liz: Was Scott (Kid Cudi) Mescudi in your brain while writing? Was he playing in the background?

Josh: Yeah, I wrote a lot of the film while listening to his music. I would put on the music to change mood or to encourage me. I started listening to the lyrics, so I found motivation not only through what he was doing but also how it sounded. I connected to him. I’m first a fan. So it was a fantasy when [ he got the script ].

Liz: “Here, read this. What do you think? Also, would you like to be in it?”

Josh: Yeah, and I feel very lucky because I now consider him a close friend. Having him do the score for the film was surreal.

Liz: Did he score after or during the filming?

Josh: I asked him towards the end of the shoot if he would be interested in doing it. During the editing and post-production process we just started discussing ideas.

Liz: You don’t really know what people are capable of until you give them that platform. The chemistry between everybody is shockingly real. It’s just really comfortable, something about it.

When you first read the script, did you get James immediately or was it something that you got once you two started to discuss?

Chris: I was lucky enough to be involved pretty early on so I got to read quite a few different variations of different drafts. I mean, it was both, I felt like the character was pretty fleshed out immediately and I felt like a knew the kind  of guy he was. Whatever kind of conflicts he had, I understood the reasoning behind it. Even in his worst moments, why he was acting in the way he was. It was a mix of that and being lucky enough to having been friends with Josh, it was very easy to get together and talk about it. And just get coffees for a while before we even started shooting.

Liz: There is so much going on in this film all the time. Did you guys take breaks emotionally from shooting? It’s so heavy. Did you ever get overwhelmed and just say, “Can we take 5 minutes?”

Chris: Not until the end really. At least not until Mexico.

Josh: I was overwhelmed a lot.

Chris: We shot 6 day weeks. It’s a bit of a blur, the whole thing, by now, but I think that served the movie. The lack of rest in that way, I think it served the anxiety for me at least. I never really got a break emotionally but that’s another reason I really liked it.  It was equally tiring and thrilling.

Liz: Did you have an intention of tackling hospice care issues?

Josh: No. I am extremely grateful for hospice care. I can only speak for my experience. The point of hospice is there’s no more treatment. So it’s now about the quality of life. You couldn’t go back to the hospital because then you’ll lose hospice care and then you’ll have to reapply. We had a wonderful, wonderful nurse who was there when my mom passed and was very informative of how to say goodbye and just was really very loving. They also provide grief counseling, you get the opportunity to get counseling from a hospice person, and not a therapist, for a year. I did some of that. If you feel like you just need some sort of help. I am absolutely nothing but grateful for hospice care and I hope that’s how it  comes across.

JAMES WHITE in in theaters today!

Review: ‘JAMES WHITE’ makes escaping reality impossible.

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Josh Mond’s

JAMES WHITE

Starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

James White poster

If you’ve ever watched someone die from cancer… if you’ve ever seen the downward spiral of a loved one… if you’ve ever been lost in a haze a grief and confusion, JAMES WHITE will speak to you. What does a young man, flailing in his own existence, do to cope with the idea that one of these days, his mother will not get better? Is escapism the answer? Josh Mond‘s directorial debut lets us into the skin and brain of one man’s story.

JAMES WHITE

JAMES WHITE- Christopher Abbot & Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

As James’ mother’s health deteriorates, his ne’er do well lifestyle is forced to come to an end, but not before attempting to escape reality after the death of his estranged father. Triggering a getaway trip to Mexico with friends to avoid dealing with life, this drug, alcohol, and sex addled stay comes to an abrupt end when a call from Gail forces him to return to the couch of his childhood NYC home and take care of Mom 24 hrs a day. Struggling to put his bad boy behavior on the back burner, James walks the line between telling the world to fuck off and dropping his very existence to protect the woman he loves most in the world. As the plot progresses, we learn the this is not his first go round with mom’s illness. Do we forgive his behavior because of this? That’s for the individual to decide.

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

Mond’s script is partially based on his own experiences with his own mother. It is unapologetic and raw. You cannot take that away from Mond. No arguing that the film is ever dull or full of shit. It goes there fast and hard. Using cinematographer Mátyás Erdély was a genius move. Having recently seen Son of Saul at this year’s NYFF, his literal in your face, ultra close-up style of shooting, gives James White the immersive feeling the script calls for. I cannot imagine the film being in any other style. From the opening sequence, scored to perfection by co-star Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, with it’s organic feel and LOUD introduction, we immediately enter the world of a man who is grasping at straws to figure out who he is and what kind of person he wants/needs to be.

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Christopher Abbott gives an purely award-winning performance. His truth is on his sleeve 1000%. Somehow, through all the distasteful behavior he exhibits, you love him. Scott Mescudi is outstanding. As James’ best friend and long time player inside the family, his genuine interactions with Christopher and Cynthia feel so authentic, it’s almost hard to believe that this film isn’t a documentary at moments. Cynthia Nixon‘s portrayal of Gail is epic. With the film’s structure presented from month to month like chapters in a book, we are privy to the physical and mental changes her character endures. No matter the form of media, Nixon creates her own presence and we are lucky enough to witness it. The entire cast deserves all the accolades in the world, as does Mond for delivering a bold story.

JAMES WHITE will capture part of your soul. It allows you to let go and perhaps forgive yourself for past transgressions. Do yourself a favor and see this film.


 

Nominated for Three IFP Gotham Awards:

Christopher Abbott (Best Actor)

Josh Mond (Bingham Ray Breakthrough Actor Award) 

Audience Award

About JAMES WHITE

James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. As the pressure on him mounts, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely.  The directorial debut of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE producer Josh Mond,  JAMES WHITE, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the “Best of Next” Audience Award, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son.  Abbott’s strong central performance is aided by a stellar supporting cast featuring Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Ron Livingston (DRINKING BUDDIES). Shot on location in New York City with an intimate visual style, JAMES WHITE follows its lead into deep, affecting places while still maintaining its fragile humanity. 

The Film Arcade will release JAMES WHITE on November 13th 

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