Speaker A
I would like you to welcome back to the stage the director of Jennifer's Body. [Applause] [Music]
Q&A session at Jennifer's Body world premiere featuring director, cast, and producers discussing film genre, roles, and production challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Jennifer's Body combines humor with emotional and genuine horror elements.
- The film is notable for its female-driven creative team including director and writer Diablo Cody.
- Actors embraced challenging physical scenes and method acting techniques.
- The film aims to stand alongside iconic horror works like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Production involved creative problem-solving and a strong collaborative environment.
Summary
- Director and cast including Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, and Diablo Cody participate in a Q&A at the Jennifer's Body world premiere.
- Discussion on the director's attraction to the horror genre and the film's blend of humor and emotional horror elements.
- Megan Fox shares her excitement about working on a Diablo Cody script following Transformers.
- Diablo Cody talks about her motivation to create horror films from a female perspective and her background influences.
- Amanda Seyfried compares her roles in Jennifer's Body and Chloe, highlighting the appeal of the script and cast.
- Technical challenges of filming, including body casts for levitation scenes and method acting during strangling sequences.
- Diablo Cody's desire to perform a full-body fire stunt was denied due to safety concerns.
- Cast members discuss their favorite horror films and the potential for Jennifer's Body to inspire merchandise and endorsements.
- Comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are welcomed by the filmmakers.
- Producers discuss filming locations, character traits, and the improvisation process on set.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Welcome
- 01:40Director's Genre Discussion
- 02:52Megan Fox on Her Role
- 03:28Diablo Cody's Background and Vision
- 04:32Amanda Seyfried on Dual Roles
- 05:25Technical Challenges and Method Acting
- 07:03Fire Stunt Discussion
- 08:12Horror Film Preferences and Merchandise
- 09:20Comparisons and Producer Insights
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Up, thank you. Um, gosh, um, I'd love to introduce our cast Megan Fox. [Applause] Cy Johny Simmons and Adam. [Applause] BR and our producers Dan Ducky Mason
Speaker A
Novic, Jason Wman, and Diablo. [Applause] [Music]
Speaker A
I'm going to start off with a couple of questions. Uh, first of all, I mean, you seem to be a director now who likes to kind of jump around from
Speaker A
various genres, so none of your films so far have been the same. What attracted you to the guy boy genre of, uh, um, well, I always feel like [ __ ] has a lot of, oftentimes incorporates a female component sort of under the radar
Speaker A
somehow, and, uh, some of my favorite movies have done that, and that was just something I kind of figured out as I started thinking about the movies I loved, and, um, this movie had that incredible combination of humor and sort
Speaker A
of emotional, some kind of fundamental emotional dynamic that really interested me combined with, I thought, a sense of genuine, uh, you know, horror, emotional horror too. And Megan, why did you jump for this role? I think just because it is, uh, written by
Speaker A
Diablo, and, um, I think we all have a lot of, is by the [Applause] way coming off of Transformers to get a chance to work with someone like her put me in a blessed position. I was just really lucky to get the
Speaker A
opportunity. And Diablo, why did you, your, your background? Yeah, press the mic down, thank you. Um, so growing up, apparently, four films were kind of a forgiveness fruit for you, absolutely. And so what, what made you want to dive into this gen
Speaker A
this is I'm avenging my childhood self because I was not allowed to watch these films, so now I shall create them and corrupt others like [Applause] myself in like a very kind of die-centric genre. What did you want to bring
Speaker A
to it? I don't, I don't know if I brought anything. I tried. Um, I don't know if I would necessarily describe the genre as guy-centric. The stories themselves seem to be told from male perspective, female perspective, uh, creature perspective, uh,
Speaker A
you know, I always thought of horror as being somewhat democratic, but in terms of who was creating it, uh, it was, it was to me a really wonderful opportunity to be able to make a big commercial horror film with a female director and female
Speaker A
writer. [Applause] Amanda, I ask you the interesting thing about the film festival for you this year is you got two films. You got Jennifer's Body but also Chloe where you play a very different character. What, what attracted you to this project, this one? I
Speaker A
mean, Diablo, the script to read it, um, and, uh, obviously the first couple pages were just ridiculous and I had to do it. And then I, you know, met with everybody in audition and was part, it's just, it's, yeah, course it starts out
Speaker A
that way, just hope that you can do it with these people. But anyway, all right, I'd like to, uh, I'll open up the floor for questions if we can kind of keep to the topic of the film and, uh, yell your question very loud so
Speaker A
let's see. Was it fun? Was it harrowing? What was it? You, I thought it was very difficult but, um, rewarding. Um, some like the technical side of what was going on is they created these, um, body pans. I don't know
Speaker A
the technical word for it, but they do a body cast of your torso and they fit it to you. And so when I was levitating, I would be on one that was fit from my back and then she would be on one that
Speaker A
she was balancing on on her stomach. And that sounds like you're just going to be laying there and it's going to be an easy thing to do, but it was a, it was a, Hu, it was like physically it was a tough
Speaker A
task to shoot that for 12 hours or 10 hours or shot it over the course of 3 days. And, um, you know, it was a lot of wrestling and Amanda kind of gets really method with the strangling, so I had some marks on my
Speaker A
throat, but that I think it, it turned out good. I was pleased with it. I just feel like I never saw somebody say put it in during a sex scene, like whereas during a regular sexual encounter, I think a time comes where you
Speaker A
actually need to deal with the anatomical reality, like someone's got put in. But in the movie voice just magically glides into the beginning. I was like someone needs to go put it in and that happens in this movie and I feel like if
Speaker A
I made any contribution to cinema at [Music] all I don't, um, everything, no. Um, okay, well when, when the, the, the bar blew up, it was pretty crazy CU, you know, an explosion and, uh, it kind of set the
Speaker A
basis. And that day actually, I believe Diablo had requested to be set on fire from head to toe and somebody denied you that request. Who? I wanted to do a full burn because I heard there was a movie
Speaker A
where Burt Reynolds did one and like he totally defied, like there's like insurance issues which prevent people from being lit on fire who aren't stunt people, but Burt Reynolds did it and he got horribly injured. But I thought I, I
Speaker A
wanted to try it and in the end they would not allow that to happen. I did get to stand next to someone who got a full bar and I did get to be involved in the fire, but they come
Speaker A
me actually to, to Johnny. Are you actually welcome back to Toronto because, uh, you just spent a, a nice little, uh, period here on cameras go wild. You edar, right? Pilgrim, yes. And, uh, you actually went to the BL Cinema for some of the films that
Speaker A
edar presented there. Are you a horror film guy? Do you like horror films? Oh, yeah, for sure. What's a favorite? The Shining. I to say thank you. Jennifer's Body, if this becomes enough of a success, I will willingly make like fruit snacks.
Speaker A
Like I'll do anything. Do like Kleenex, any television show endorsement, uh, mineral makeup. I'm willing to go in any direction that I might be encouraged to go by studio. So if this movie makes a lot of money, like
Speaker A
look for children's toys, teething rings. I mean, I'm, I'm all for it. But do you see any concerns about, say, comparisons to other stuff in the past like, say, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example? I love Buffy the Vampire. There
Speaker A
that kind of comparison would make me very happy. This question to, uh, to Jason. Why a horror film? Why did you decide to put your producing strength on, um, we were actually able to really work in Vancouver with an incredible crew and
Speaker A
incredible base of people and it could kind of look like Minnesota. I mean, we were, we were, we were really lucky too. It, um, it's for me my character was extremely, she was sort of very unapologetic and really irreverent and
Speaker A
um, that's enjoyable to have the freedom to do that. And, um, there's still jokes that I did in the scenes that I'm just now catching on that I'm just not understanding what they, and there were days like Diablo couldn't be
Speaker A
on set with us all the time and so there were days that I would go to K and I would go what the [ __ ] does this? Well, I don't [ __ ] know, shoot it anyway. Not okay. And then, um, as far as my stuff
Speaker A
and your stuff and your stuff, none, none of it was improvised. Um, Diablo had just been, you know, she just won an Oscar and, um, they, they, they didn't want us to straighten her words. How did you feel
Topics:Jennifer's BodyMegan FoxAmanda SeyfriedAdam BrodyDiablo Codyhorror filmfilm premiereQ&Afilm productionfemale director
