From the Reeler Archives: Page, Gondry, Yelchin

No more gimmicks: Page at the Toronto premiere of Juno, Sept. 8, 2007 (Photo: Getty Images)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Before they were some of this weekend's higher-profile movie stories, The Reeler spent time with the likes of Ellen Page, Michel Gondry and Anton Yelchin to discuss then-upcoming projects like Juno, Be Kind Rewind and Charlie Bartlett. Obviously, nobody came quite out of nowhere like Page, whose awards-season trajectory ends Sunday at the Oscars. I spoke with her last September at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the sensational response to Juno had yet to sink in:

R: Your profile is growing, not just in terms of the roles you're getting but potentially with regard to influence. At some point your name could probably help get a film like this made, couldn't it?

EP: I hope so. Mind you we're still having problems finding the money to shoot [another] film. We hoped we'd be shooting this fall, but we're not. So that's upsetting. And there are other things I'm attached to that are taking their time, so I don't think I'm anyone who's going to make anyone any money yet.

R: A lot of actresses will produce, though, for roles in films that wouldn't get made otherwise. You're pretty independent-minded; do you have any such ambitions?

EP: I don't want to be famous. I don't want to deal with what people who are famous have to deal with: The loss of privacy and just the amount of judgments and pressure that exists. But I also want to do what I love. I don't know if it'll happen, but if it doesn't there are lots of other things I'm interested in. I'd like to make my own films someday, so who knows?

I think we all know by now. A few months later, Michel Gondry checked in with potentially encouraging comments for Page from the Sundance premiere of his new film Be Kind Rewind (opening today in New York):

R: There is something cathartic about do-it-yourself, by-any-means-necessary filmmaking. Still, a lot of purists contend that digital video, online exhibition and other new media compromise that cinematic experience.

MG: But it doesn't matter if the cinematic experience is compromised. It's more important that everybody can express themselves than that a few elite do the greatest work. This could die tomorrow, and it wouldn't be important for society. It would be much more positive if everybody made movies. Even if the movies are crap, it's not the point. The point is that people would be active and creative and connected through making film. This is much more important than making good or bad movies. I don't care, honestly, if there are no good films made anymore. There are enough good movies made in the past that we'll never get to see anyway.

We could have almost counted Charlie Bartlett among those titles. Having premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and being pushed several times to its release date today in New York, the film was highlighted last April in a ReelerTV episode featuring star Anton Yelchin. Enjoy, and have a great weekend.

Posted at February 22, 2008 3:15 PM