[P.3]

JARBOE : What is the "Hollywood system"?

SCOTT : Uh, I guess the system of the five or six major studios and the two or three major agencies. Plus big money stars and producers. But, there is also an "Indie System." Think Hollywood is cliquish? Hang with some Sundancers, Telluriders, Slamdancers or any other defined group sometime. If you think a director sitting out in the middle of Nebraska is going to be less egomaniacal than a guy in Burbank, you are deluded. If anything, they tend to have "big fish in a small pond" syndrome. The great thing about the Hollywood System is it’s so competitive, there are about a million people that will cheer the second you get booted out on your ass. It’s ugly on twenty different surfaces, but also kind of remarkable and fun.

JARBOE : How difficult is it to make an art house film within the Hollywood system?

SCOTT : Well, I can say that, had it not been for the reputations of Cameron and Tom, Vanilla Sky would have never happened. It’s so complex and so incredibly bizarre that I think Hollywood wouldn’t touch it. So, the answer is generally very difficult. Look at the genius Tim Burton. This is a guy who should be making living abstract painting on film. Instead, he’s got a bunch of talking monkeys running around. David Lynch is getting by lately, but long gone are images that have Eraserhead’s power. I’m hoping that some upstart will make an art house movie that has the same success as Blair Witch and that doors are opened to more expressionists and impressionists. If I could ive a multi million-dollar budget to Guy Maddin, The Brothers Quay or Stan Brackage, nothing would make me happier. This discussion is again, why Vanilla Sky is such a Hollywood anomaly. I want to cry at the end when Tom jumps to his death (life) to the strains of a bootleg recording of Sigur Ros as images of Betty Boop death cartoons and children playing go whizzing by. I’m still a little stunned it happened. Anyway, I’ll stop hailing Vanilla Sky. I just watched it yesterday for a final dvd thing and it just caught me by surprise how moved I was. Sorry. It’s just exciting to be able to putout such an abstract canvas of ideas on such a large scale.


ON THE SET OF VANILLA SKY
Penelope Cruz turns the tables on Scott.

JARBOE : Tell me something not commonly known about Cameron Crowe.

SCOTT : He likes Joy Division. How and why I have no idea, but it makes me very happy. Oh, and he’s not into avocados.

JARBOE : Hmm. What are some perks of your job?

SCOTT : Meeting people that I have respected for years. Meeting Warren from His Name Is Alive was a big deal for me. Their record Home Is In Your Head is one of my all time favorites. We put them on the Jerry Maguire soundtrack. Drinking with Sigur Ros, Hanging with Diaz and Cruz. Doing two movies with Tom...with more to be made. Talking about film with Kurt Russell. Meeting Phil Hendrie. Becoming friends with Fairuza Balk. Meeting the most beautiful woman in the entire world — Tilda Swinton .Actually, I could talk about the perks for about a week. I’m really blessed.

JARBOE : A playful question: What is it like having access to the world’s most beautiful women?

SCOTT : Humbling. And it makes me very self - conscious about my own appearance.

JARBOE : And what about dating in Hollywood?

SCOTT : Great! But, I don’t have enough time off. It’s a bit of a straight guy’s paradise that I think too many guys take for granted. I don’t know how it is for women. Probably not as good. I meet a lot of doofusy guys.

JARBOE : Those guys are on the EAST Coast, too. ;-) How did you think it would be when you first arrived in Hollywood compared to the way you view the film industry there now?

SCOTT : I can’t say that I can talk about the way I thought it would be in Hollywood, because I really had no preconceptions about Los Angeles or the film business. I come from a very small town in rural Illinois and truly had no idea what to expect. I had never even been out here for more than a couple of days before I actually moved out here permanently. We all have stereotypes of SoCal and "Hollywood," but, as to what it would be like to actually move here and start a new life, I was absolutely clueless. I knew nothing and nobody. What I have found is that the film industry, and Los Angeles as a whole, is incredibly diverse. I have met many brilliant and wonderful people out here, as well as many fools. But, the same can be said for virtually everywhere you go. I suppose the film industry1s most unique attribute is that it collects people from around the globe, who alter their lives to come out to LA and follow irrational and unlikely dreams. Some to staggering success, most to compromised complacency and many to utter disaster. It’s a really volatile environment.

JARBOE : What have you had to ‘overcome’ in Hollywood?

SCOTT : Total ignorance. I’m from a farm town in Illinois, so I started from scratch. No knowledge - No contacts - No nothing. So ignorance was my biggest hurdle. The learning curve out here is massive. And yes, I’m still hurdling!

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