Ben Stiller shares the good and the bad of new-age technology and why people must draw a fine line between reality and entertainment
The film is about characters accepting their maturity and realising the differences between generations. At what point in your life did you feel mature and that there was a generation gapIJ
That moment for me was when I realised all I listen to is the Beastie Boys (a 90s hip hop band from New York). I realised that I had to stop thinking about myself the day I became a father. I haven’t really thought about myself getting older but I start having these more mature responsibilities.
Having said that I realise that I’m getting older when I can’t keep up with the latest trends in music. That started years ago, when I started thinking, ‘I’m not aware of that type of music. I’ll try to listen to newer types of music.’ But it’s too much work and I always find myself going back to the music I enjoyed when I was younger.
What do you feel about the advancement of technology and the way it is impacting the quality of human relationshipsIJ
I think there are good and bad aspects to technology. I’m currently shooting on location, so to be able to FaceTime and Skype with my kids is amazing. But on the opposite end, with such technology as texting, it’s much easier to hide behind it and not have actual human interaction. A lot of kids in their 20s don’t talk to each other on the phone anymore. To them, texting is talking. Not that I know what the kids are doing (laughs).
The film shows that people often take the most poignant aspects of life from other people, like the documentary in the movie takes its most significant elements from Darby’s life. What do you think about that in real life, in relation to real artIJ
I think Josh (Ben’s character) in the movie is more concerned about truth in his work and cinema. I think that all art is based on other art, to a certain extent. But what I think Noah (director) is talking about in the film is a very real thing.
But this idea has been going on for a while, especially with reality television. That genre blurs lines in a lot of ways, in regards to what’s real and what isn’t, what’s scripted and what isn’t, and what people want to see in documentaries in particular. They want to be entertained but I think documentaries can actually tell you the truth while also being able to draw you in.
But I do not know the line of reality and entertainment because I am not a documentarian. That’s something people often have to deal with, and I’m sure it’s tougher today as people now are so used to being entertained by ‘reality’ television. But great documentarians know how to fashion a story to make it dramatic and truthful. So those creative choices are always artistic.
Do you relate to your character in real lifeIJ Are you skeptical when a younger or less established artiste approaches you with a projectIJ
I don’t know if the character Adam Driver plays in the movie would know the entire process of his project, since it has so many grey areas. In general, I try to be positive and give them the benefit of the doubt that they have a plan.
But I do relate to a lot of the issues that are going on with the characters in the movie. I think Noah has a great way of illuminating these little details about life and interactions between people. He also knows what it truly means to live life and these experiences that don’t translate into movies that often. Movies are usually about bigger and more dramatic events but Noah finds drama in life’s little moments. That’s what interests me about his projects. As an actor, you can think and I’ve had that experience.
There’s that running joke in the movie that Jamie’s never picking up the check. So you can relate to those moments that seem so dramatic and big in real life, and make you think about them for the rest of the night.
Your first movie with Noah, Greenberg, was shot entirely in los Angeles while this one is shot in New York. How do the settings and cities that you shoot in become characters in the movieIJ
I think the shooting experiences in the two cities are very different. Greenberg had a more laid-back feeling when we were filming it in los Angeles. Both cities have such a different energy. New York is always bustling. But both films had small crews that worked in a focussed way. I liked the energy Noah captured of both cities in each film.