AW: Do you think you’ll continue to work out of Australia and use the country’s culture as the subject of your films?
AE: Oh yeah, every time I go back to LA, so many people come up to me and say how much they love Australian films. It’s a shame; the only people who don’t like Australian films are Australians! (laughs)
But I think it’s because a lot of Australian films of recent years have just been, well, bad! That’s the simple truth. And I think I’ve become a Patriot in my ‘old age’. I really love staying in Melbourne, that’s where all my family and friends are. If you can tell an Australian story, then go for it, because the rest of the world is listening. The proof is in the pudding; if we can get audiences to laugh, and get them to cry – not just in America, but in Germany and all these other countries we have sold to – then were doing Australia a favour, I suppose!
There is definitely the temptation of Hollywood and the money you get over there. I mean, I’ve had to turn down some really lucrative offers. The main reasons I turn down these offers is because I wouldn’t have creative control; I’ll be directing somebody else’s script, not my own. Also our shoots go for so long; Mary and Max took 57 weeks. It’s different if you’re a live-action director because you can go over to Hollywood for a couple of months and come back. But I’d have to go over for a couple of years!
“I need to get that fire in my belly,
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AW: Any ideas brewing for your next film?
AE: No, not really. Well, I do have a kids book I’ve been working on for fifteen years! I’m determined to get that finished by the end of the year.
But I need plenty of think time. I need to go and live life a bit and actually find the next person to write about. I need to get that fire in my belly, because I do write my scripts from anger. I really write my scripts from anger and I need to get angry about something else! (laughs) I’m running out of family and friends to write about too – I need to find someone else.
AW: In the span of two films you’ve premiered at Sundance and, of course, won an Academy Award. Some filmmakers spend their whole life aspiring to such achievements. What’s left to tick-off on your “to do” list as a filmmaker?
AE: (laughs) My dad said the same thing a month ago! He said, “Well, it’s all downhill from now…” Oh, thanks dad! (laughs)
To be honest, I don’t know; most directors probably say this and actually don’t believe it, but I don’t actually make the films for awards. Most awards don’t come with any money, so there’s not much you can actually do with ‘em. I’ve got this cabinet at home with all my awards in it, and I look at them and say “Why aren’t I happy?” (laughs) “What’s missing…?”
But I got this email just before Christmas – which I actually forgot to tell people – and it’s from this woman who was trying to track me down, and she finally got my email address and she wrote;
‘look you don’t know me…but I’m just writing to let you know that my Son died six months ago. He was 9 years of age and he died of cancer. I’m just writing to let you know that in his last week of life he watched Harvie Krumpet over and over and over.’
And, you know, it hit me in the guts! It reminded me of why I make films. It’s not about awards, and it’s definitely not about money, because there is not much of that. It’s because you have this enormous power and influence over people and it’s really humbling. It doesn’t give you an ego, it really just grounds you. That’s why in Mary and Max I was keen to express positive human values. I mean, there is plenty of dark stuff in Mary and Max but I really tried to make the ending as uplifting and as hopeful as possible. I wanted people to leave the cinemas and have a better understanding of what it’s like to have Asperger’s, what it’s like to be lonely and what it’s like to be perceived as weird or different and have a bit more empathy for their fellow man, I suppose!
Elliot with his Oscar winning character
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AW: Is there one piece of advice you would want to give aspiring filmmakers that you wish someone gave to you when you were studying?
AE: Oh, look, there is a lot of stuff. I mean, I wish they told me it would be this hard. Each film just seems to get harder.
Even after the Oscar I thought, ‘Oh this will be easy, I’ll get hundreds of millions of dollars to make my film and i can sit back and relax.’ But no, it definitely gets harder. I wish someone told me that. I wish someone told me I wouldn’t have time for other things; I love playing the piano and drawing, but I never get time for those things. You do sacrifice a lot of friendships and birthdays and you don’t get to see your parents as much. You become a slave to your own creativity, really.
AW: It sounds like your saying they shouldn’t bother!
AE: No, No! (laughs) I suppose I’m actually saying DO do it. Because I love it that much, I do sacrifice all these wonderful things like friends and family. I mean, you practically can’t get me out of the studio when I’m there. Sure there’s days you just want to, you know, pack up and go home but…you either have the passion, or you don’t. I get up at 5:30 every morning. I work really hard. So I think you have to be slightly mad to do it.
The biggest advice I give to students is watch as many classic films as possible. Don’t watch as many films as possible, but watch as many classic films as possible. They are classics for a reason; for whatever reason they work, and you have got to work out why they work. Don’t watch every Spielberg film, but watch the ones that are classics, like Jaws. Just this year, I’m determined to read a lot of classic books; The Grapes of Wrath, and after that I’m going to read Moby Dick. All just to work out; ‘why are these books classics? What did they do right?’
But I say that to a lot of students and they just look at me strangely. (laughs) It’s not usually what they want to hear.
AW: Well, Mary and Max is a fantastic film and, in all honestly, I suspect we will be seeing you at next year’s Oscars, hopefully giving Pixar a good run for their money.
AE: Well I’ve already started hearing about their new film Up…
AW: What did you think of their last film WALL-E?
AE: WALL-E was pretty amazing. Well, I took to half of WALL-E. I liked the first half, but I got sick of all those fat humans! (laughs) But they [Pixar] release a film every year now and every year they will be competitive. It would be great to give them a run for their money again, I mean, we did beat them last time! It would be nice to do it again!
AW: Thank you so much Adam for your time!
AE: Not a problem. Thank you!
Mary and Max opens across Australia on April 9th. For my review, click here.
Follow the author Anders Wotzke on Twitter.
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