๐๐ช๐ต๐ด, ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด: ๐๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐บ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐บ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ is an absolute treasure for any movie fan, especially if youโre fascinated by the business and process of actually getting a film made. Ed Zwick has had an incredible career both in television and film and his reverence for his craft shines through in this fascinating memoir.
Zwick has called this a โtell-someโ, not a tell-all, but he doesnโt hold back when discussing everything from the dishonest bully Harvey Weinstein, to the very disrespectful behavior of Matthew Broderick during the making of the great film ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ (he has since apologized). Denzel Washington on the other hand is not only a brilliant actor but becomes a great friend of Zwick.
I loved hearing how the innovative show ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ต๐บ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ mirrored his own personal life at the time and also how difficult filmmaking has been on his relationships. Zwick gives much credit to his wife Liberty, a creative in her own right and part of the team behind ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ต๐บ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ and other groundbreaking shows.
The authorโs sage advice on keeping sane in a crazy industry is sprinkled throughout the book. Iโm not a film student but this book should be required reading for all film school students! This completely enthralling memoir gives the ordinary moviegoer a peek behind the curtain of the magic of movies. Itโs funny and poignant and captivating. Highly recommend!
About the Book:
This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond , The Last Samurai , Legends of the Fall , About Last Night , and Glory , creator of the show thirtysomething , and executive producer of My So-Called Life , gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
โIโll be dropping a few names,โ Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. โOver the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints.โ
He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, heโs known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people heโs worked with, especially the actors. In those intense collaborations, heโs sought to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.
Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love โand won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more.
Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir is also a meditation on working, sprinkled throughout with tips for anyone who has ever imagined writing, directing, or producing for the screen. Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteriesโas well as the unsightly, often comic truthsโof crafting film and television wonโt want to miss it.