Ang Lee directing without cynicism

“I knew there were some hippie things going on,” Lee said. “To me it was the innocence of the generation: how you live peacefully with nature. But you have to give those half a million kids credit. They had three days of peace and music. Nothing violent happened. I think that’s something. I don’t know if we can pull that off today.”Ang Lee, Emile Hirsch and Brianna Domont.

Both Emile Hirsch — who plays Elliot’s friend Billy, a Vietnam War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder — and Demetri Martin weren’t even born when the legendary music festival happened. “For me, Woodstock was about hearing stories about not showering,” Hirsch said. “When my mom talked about skinny-dipping, I was like, ‘Stop, Mom. Enough. I don’t want to hear any more.’ I didn’t know people were that trusting back then.” Martin fielded the same question, replying, “Music was my first impression of Woodstock. I got a chance to research it in the context of the Vietnam War, which was rewarding.”

When the subject of the 1960s culture of drugs came up and how the actors handled shooting those scenes, Hirsch, without missing a beat, said, “We smoked a whole bunch of banana peels.” Martin chimed in, “We’re high right now.”For Lee, Taking Woodstock was a much-needed change of pace. “I made six tragedies in a row,” he said, “I was yearning to do a comedy-slash-drama again without cynicism. I thought after 13 years, I kind of earned the right to do it, just to be relaxed, to be happy and at peace with myself.” But Lee is aware that making a comedy might not be an easy sell to his fans. “With a comedy, if people aren’t laughing, you’ve failed,” he said before adding tongue-in-cheek, “[With a] serious movie, you can blame the audience; they didn’t understand it.” Source: www.movieline.com

Michelle Williams with Heath Ledger and Ang Lee.

Q: You are best known for your role in Brokeback Mountain where you worked with director Ang Lee. What was he like to work with?

MW: "With me he was very compassionate. He was almost like a woman he was just so gentle. He would just literally hold my hand and rub my back and say ‘I know, I know, I know'. He was just so dear to me. I think it's because that's what I needed, I think that's what he saw. I've noticed personally, I'm shy and I work best when I feel like somebody trusts me. When I worked with Todd Haynes and I was trying to do something that I'd never really done before and play this character that was very outward and edicentric creation I was nervous and it was all new to me, every time he would say ‘Great, do it again'. And I just got the sense that even if it wasn't great I blossomed because I felt so free and confident. I could make mistakes and I couldn't see him panic ever and he trusted me enough to make mistakes and not get nervous. And I think Ang probably saw something similar but with the boys [Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal] he was very tough. He would give more notes to the boys. They would do some big meaty scene and ask ‘How was that? How was that?' and all he would say was ‘Light was good.' And they had just poured their hearts out, so I guess that's what makes a good director too. Knowing what each actor needs."
Source: www.movies.ie