What was the first movie you fell in love with?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I saw it at a drive in movie theater when I was around 5 years old and it's a mix of musical fantasy, joy, heroism and actual horror (the child catcher was literally terrifying to me - he still is) that spoke to me in ways I still feel and inform my work to this day. Around that time I saw Oliver as well. It occurs to me now that it's strange that both films are musicals that share elements of child indentured servitude...I may need to look into that a bit more.
What is one skill people would be surprised to know you have?
Baking. I got really good at it during the pandemic and would deliver baked goods to my friends every week during quarantine in a mask and gloves, leaving the food on people's doorsteps and then running. It was very weird but filled my days with productivity and service at a time when I was desperate for things to do.
What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I pray, read from my recovery books (oh! I'm proudly 8 years sober), meditate, make my bed and write out a gratitude list to launch me into the day feeling positive before life comes careening at me, which it does every day, because...well...that's what life does!
Which movie do you watch when you need to escape?
Jaws. Always Jaws. It's still a perfect piece of storytelling to me, and that is incredibly relaxing. The fact that its construction is (famously) an accident born of the mechanical shark's inability to operate properly (which is why you don't see the shark until an hour in the movie) makes it even better for me. That's my go to.
What's one movie you enjoy watching with your friends/family?
Valley of the Dolls. There's nothing campier and more fun than watching a group of people who like seriously twisted camp melodrama and can recite the lines with the characters. Patty Duke and Susan Hayward act like truly insane people from top to tail. This definitely won't be for everybody, but it's one hell of a good time with the right group.
What movie would you describe as "perfect" in every way?
I can't think of a single flaw in the movie Moonlight. Barry Jenkins made a beautiful movie that's so quiet and simple, devastating and still optimistic. It's poetry and alchemy and almost impossible to do, but he did it.
What is the one movie you would recommend to someone to get them started on their journey into classics?
Probably Casablanca. It's a must for a reason. Many reasons actually. The construction, the romance, the blatant power of movie stardom, the illusion of its size when most of the movie takes place in a restaurant bar! It's extraordinary. That or Sunset Boulevard. Don't get me started on Sunset Boulevard. That movie is as close to perfect for me as they come.
What movie have you watch so often you can quote it?
Jaws! Also All That Jazz. It's obscene how many times I have seen those movies.
If you could watch any movie with someone living or dead, whom would it be and what movie?
This is going to be a bit inside baseball, but I was the choreographer on Boogie Nights, and I think going back and watching that movie with Paul (Thomas Anderson), whom I adore with all my heart, would be pretty wild. I remember how challenging it was in production and Paul was so young, and now we are both kind of old(er) and it would be fun to just hang and reminisce.
