May 4, 2016

"I never, ever, ever read anything about myself. Not my interviews, not stories about me."

"I never, ever read any criticism of my films. I scrupulously have avoided any self-preoccupation. When I first started, that was not the case. [But now I] just pay attention to the work and don't read about how great I am or what a fool I am. The enjoyment has got to come from doing the project. It's fun to get up in the morning and have your script in front of you and to meet with your scenic designer and your cinematographer, to get out on the set and work with these charming men and beautiful women and put in this Cole Porter music and great costumes. When that's over, and you've made your best movie, move on. I never look at the movie again — I never read anything about it again."

Said Woody Allen.

Also, he doesn't read: "I never enjoyed reading. I was not a bookish guy.... I'd always rather watch a baseball game or a basketball game or go to the movies or listen to music."

One reason not to read — of the many, many reasons — is that people are writing horrible things about you. Allen is quick to say none of the scandal affected him — "Oh, no. Not in the slightest."

And let me excerpt the anti-travel sentiment — anti-travel being a theme of mine — "I never liked to fly on an airplane for six hours and get the time change. It makes me crazy; it takes me six months to get [over the time change]. Just from daylight saving time, I can't recover." By the way, I like the idea of relocating and living somewhere different for something like 6 months. That's very different from travel. You get the feeling of living there, no pressure to stack up the seeing of things in a particular set of days.

His view of religion: "I feel it's a pleasant fantasy for people to try and mollify the pain of the reality of existence."

On Donald Trump: "I've met Trump because he was in one of my movies, Celebrity. He's very affable, and I run into him at basketball games and at Lincoln Center. And he is always very nice and pleasant — hard to put together with many of the things he has said in his campaign."

23 comments:

Known Unknown said...

Funny, I never read anything about Woody Allen either. We have that in common.

Quaestor said...

And [Trump] is always very nice and pleasant — hard to put together with many of the things he has said in his campaign."

Pretty ironic coming from a nice, pleasant, affable nebbish with a thing for teenaged girls.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

"I'm the kind of guy who makes things up as he goes along so nothing's ever going to get finished."

-- Sonny Rollins (from memory)

Nonapod said...

He's very affable, and I run into him at basketball games and at Lincoln Center. And he is always very nice and pleasant — hard to put together with many of the things he has said in his campaign.

Trump likes to be liked more than he hates being hated, even more so than most people. That's been one of his defining characteristics to me. What that implies about what a President Trump would be like I can't say.

Quaestor said...

If Allen doesn't read anything, how is he so certain about what Trump has said in his campaign? Please don't tell us you watch television, Woody.

Owen said...

Woody and Donald, members of the Platinum Club for Narcissists.

Bob Ellison said...

The Kugelmass Episode suggests that Allen read at least a little.

Eleanor said...

Reading the backs of cereal boxes is time better spent than watching a Woody Allen movie.

David Begley said...

Based upon what I have read about Woody, I have not watched any of his movies in decades.

Curious George said...

"I never enjoyed reading. I was not a bookish guy.... I'd always rather watch a baseball game or a basketball game or go to the movies or listen to music or fuck my girlfriends teenage daughter."

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I have heard the word "mollify" used only twice and both times by Woody Allen.

The first time was on his standup album.

Something about showing a pocket watch to a bully because they are mollified by shiny objects.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Woody made a wise choice in not reading about himself. It's probably bad enough that he has to BE himself.

cubanbob said...

Bob Ellison said...
The Kugelmass Episode suggests that Allen read at least a little.

5/4/16, 9:31 AM"

I read it, actually it's quite funny. Woody should have taken his own advice and stuck with his comedic roots.

MikeR said...

Allen and I agree - we don't read things written about him. Don't know his reasons; with me it's because I don't care. I don't care about about most celebrities. Why does anyone?

Big Mike said...

I never, ever, ever read anything about myself. Not my interviews, not stories about me. I never, ever read any criticism of my films.

I suspect that's a lie. Not that it matters. It's been a long time since I last enjoyed watching a Woody Allen movie.

William said...

Woody Allen says the sanest things. That was his schtick. The flagrant neurotic being the sanest man in the room. That's what made his scandal so upsetting. Roman Polanski was innately scandalous, but Woody Allen just seemed to be someone with a moral center......Post scandal, there was something disqueting about his comedy. He isn't an evil man, but for all that introspection and psychoanalysis, he doesn't know himself and he isn't who he claims to be.

PB said...

I really don't care what Woody Allen thinks. I do like the near-free-associative dialogue that is in some of his movies for his character/him or as happens now, his chosen proxy.

As to travel. I'm not against it or for it, but the thing I hate is the concept of being a tourist and having to "see the sights" and the mini-Bataan Death March to take them all in. I like to go some place, settle in at one place for a week or two and not worry about cooking and cleaning. Just become part of the community for a while. Read the local paper, meet some local people, go to a local high school/college game, attend a local church. I've made a few friends that way that I've stayed in touch with through the years.

Harold said...

Kind of surprising how many commenters still think Allen is the bad guy. Been married to what's her name since 1997,seems to be a good match.
And, Mia Farrow is a vindictive, hateful, revengeful,psychotic, scorned, hateful woman still. Obviously still deeply in love with Woody.


Blue Jasmine was excellent.

Bill Peschel said...

Wouldn't he do enough thinking about himself being in therapy for several decades?

It's been awhile since I've seen one of his movies. I loved his humor writing and his standup, loved "Annie Hall" and "Radio Days." Don't particularly care for his darker stuff; but as I've gotten older and felt death's cool touch on my shoulder I find I don't need to be entertained by despair as much.

I'm not sure as much about his scandal, but if I were named Satchel, I wouldn't want to see him anymore either.

djs said...

Coffeehouse existentialist, circa 1959. What's Up, Tiger Lily? was good, however.

Chuck said...

Anybody in film production reads mountains of stuff. Scripts, treatments, proposals, correspondence, etc.

I take it that Woody doesn't do a lot of pleasure reading. But even then, see above.

My college roommate is a Golden Globe-winning film producer, with a law practice and a distribution company. His office, and his apartment, and his partners' and associates offices are all piled high with scripts. Plus contracts, contracts and more contracts.

Charlie said...

Compared to most American "celebrities", he sounds like a decent guy.

Etienne said...

As an artist (visual, or recording) the worst thing you can do is read the reviews.