Roger Avary, director of Laws of Attraction: “James Van Der Beek had the makings of a star”

Roger Avary fondly remembers his actor and friend, of whom he knew nothing before filming The Laws of Attraction.

Last week James Van Der Beek left us at just 48 years old, after a long battle with cancer. In addition to his performance in the series Dawson who marked an entire generation, the actor also distinguished himself in the lead role of the sulphurous THE Laws of Attractionadaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ second novel by Roger Avary, notably co-writer of pulp Fiction. Contacted by email, Avary gives us his memories of filming and friendship with Van Der Beek.

First: You deliberately chose actors known for their roles in films and television series popular with teenagers, to play the idle students in the film. For what ? And to what extent did their very smooth public image serve your film?
Roger Avary: I was inspired by my friend Oliver Stone and his brilliant choices for the casting of Platoonwhere he subverted audience expectations regarding casting. Until this film, Willem Dafoe would have been the obvious choice for the role of the antagonist, and Tom Berenger as the hero. But Stone bucked the trend and cast Berenger to play the villain and Dafoe to play the hero. It remains for me one of the most brilliant casting choices of all time.

During the casting of Laws of Attractionthe entire production wanted James Franco to play Sean, but it was such an obvious choice that my wife begged me to consider James Van Der Beek. Honestly, I was undecided until I met him…

And suddenly, Franco was nothing more than a distant memory. After that, I defended James, and that casting influenced all the other decisions we made, like Jessica Biel for the role of the villain.

How did your collaboration with James Van Der Beek begin?
We had lunch in a small café with a terrace, and as I told you, I was undecided. But he arrived with sunglasses, already a little in character. When he took off his glasses and I saw his eyes – shark eyes – I knew right away he was my Sean. I wasn’t looking Dawsonand that show was still in production, even during our filming, so I expected him to be a nice guy with no apparent flaws. But he really amazed me by showing me the extent of his talent.

What kind of actor was he?
An incredibly professional, theater-trained actor. Moreover, his very first play was with Edward Albee (great American playwright) ! And he had hundreds of hours of television and Hollywood films under his belt. He knew how to find the light and how to move around the frame, something many young, less experienced actors don’t know how to do. He was super prepared and studied intensely, but he had never worked with someone like me, who allows a lot of freedom and encourages experimentation. Since he was very technical and physically gifted, we were able to play with ideas and concepts in real time. It was an extraordinary experience. However, his professionalism was sometimes his weak point. Once on set, after the scene where he hangs himself, he had a small mark on his neck.

He was so professional that he filed a complaint with the SAG (the american actors union) and our small production had to pay a fine. I told him that was too much, and he explained that during his years in TV, he had become accustomed to filing complaints like this because producers often abused SAG’s rules and guidelines. He was of course absolutely right, but it was me who ultimately had to pay the fine, because the production couldn’t afford it!

What surprised you the most about his game?
He constantly surprised me, but I didn’t expect him to have so much skill as a gymnast. He was as agile as a cat!

What was the working dynamic like between you and him on set?
I always started by filming Shannyn Sossamon, because she was immediately honest, and then she lost herself as the takes went on. Then I turned the camera to James, who was just warming up.

We shared it with the production of Dawsonwhich was on the east coast, in North Carolina. So he would tour with them, then take a night plane to join us, land and tour with us, and we would fly him back. So he was really schizophrenic at that time.

Then 9/11 happened and luckily he was with us. All planes stopped flying during this period, which was a miracle for our production! We kept it for the duration of filming, which allowed us to really get to the bottom of our collaboration.

How did James’ interpretation influence your directorial choices?
James considered that if something was in the script, then he would do it, as if the script were a contract. But if I asked him to do something that wasn’t in the script, then it became a discussion, even a debate… and sometimes even downright negotiation. We ended up finding our way of working together, and he always gave his all to what was happening at the moment, with great dedication and enthusiasm. Every moment and every image of Laws of Attraction was land clearing, an experiment. The first take was systematically reserved for putting together what was in the script, but after that, we explored, and each take was therefore completely different.

He was an accomplished actor and partner. We remained friends for life, and we even wrote together later. His passing made me feel like a part of me had left this world.

You could explain why his film career did not take off after The Laws of Attraction ?
The film was not well received in the United States. It came out after 9/11 and Americans weren’t interested in this kind of social debate in cinema. For a time, irony disappeared in the United States. The film also hurt my career to some extent. I had a lot of trouble making another film, because the executives thought I was too rebellious, or too punk. I actually made that movie for $4 million, which at the time, with that cast and that scale, was an accomplishment. I never made any money with it and I reinvested all my salary in it. In Hollywood, producers like to know that they can control you, and I was seen as someone who was out of control, experimenting with their money.

For James, it’s a mystery, because he had the makings of a star. If it is The Laws of Attraction who plastered it in Hollywood, then it’s my fault. And if that’s really the case, I’m terribly ashamed of it, because James was a great actor, a great professional and a great friend. He was one of the kindest, most gracious and dedicated craftsmen I have known in my career.

If you could go back and work on this film again today, would you do things differently with James?
No. Absolutely not.