It isn’t easy to write, direct and produce your first feature, even if you’ve got dozens of acting credits to your name like Famke Janssen. The desire to get behind the lens has always been there, it was just a matter of the stars aligning and in the case of “Bringing Up Bobby,” they did.
The film stars Milla Jovovich as Olive, a single mother from the Ukraine trying to raise her son, Bobby (Spencer List), in a conservative Oklahoma town. She’s got the best intentions, but her con artist ways don’t exactly set a good example for Bobby. When her charm wears off and the string of crimes catches up to her, Olive must decide what’s best for Bobby, even if it means giving up what she loves most.
Turns out, Ava Moore plus Jean Grey doesn’t equal directorial debut. Janssen had her work cut out for her and needed to take this step by step, turning a visit to Oklahoma into a script, developing a visual styling plan, recruiting her cast and much more. In honor of “Bringing Up Bobby’s” debut at the Beekman Theatre in New York City on September 28th, Janssen took a break from her “Taken 2” press run to sit down and talk about her experience behind the lens, an experience that looks as though it’ll lead to a sophomore directorial effort.
Check out everything Janssen had to say about “Bringing Up Bobby,” “Taken 2” and her upcoming Netflix show, “Hemlock Grove” in the video interview below. Would you rather skip around? Scroll down to find a time and topic breakdown of the interview just below the video player.
00:00 – On her desire to write and direct.
03:20 – On coming up with the story.
06:30 – On how her acting experience helps her as a director.
07:45 – On casting.
09:30 – On not wanting to star in the film herself.
11:30 – On making “Hemlock Grove.”
15:30 – On her next directing project … a little bit.