Director Sebastian Gutierrez has a big smile on his face. He’s got to. His latest film, Women In Trouble, has gotten rave reviews at every film festival since it’s premiere at SXSW… and its not hard to see why. This perfect “date” film is the interconnecting stories of eight women having a bad in L.A. Super sexy, hilariously funny and at times jaw-dropping outrageous, this movie has something for everyone. Actresses Carla Gugino (Sin City), Marley Shelton (Grindhouse) and Sebastian himself took a few minutes to hang with Jeremy Maron of HollywoodJam (Because they are awesome!) and talked about how fun it was to make their film, future projects and getting your girlfriend to dress up like a porn star.
HJ- ( To Sebastian) Obviously this is a project of love for you. Can you talk a little bit about your decision of who to cast?
SG- Yeah, it became a matter of I found myself in a situation where I knew a lot of actresses, or had worked with a lot of actresses, who weren't really being utilized that much. I felt that, in Hollywood, it seems like not that many women can either be the good girl or the bad girl, and I thought well, it's be cool to tie the good girl and bad girl together and give the actresses something to do. So I wrote a lot of the parts with people in mind, either people that I had worked with or friends of friends. Connie, I met through Carla (Gugino). Carla and Connie did Spin City together years ago. So I've known Connie for a while and I've been a big fan and we've always wanted to find something to work on together. And then through Connie is how I met Adrianne (Palicki) because they were doing Friday Night Lights together.
HJ- (To Marley) Did you know Sebastian and Carla from before as well?
MS- Yes, I've known Sebastian for several years, and Carla as well, she's a very good friend of mine. My husband produced a movie that Sebastian directed called Judas' Kiss, and Carla stared in it. And so I met the two of them through my husband originally and Carla and I have worked together a couple of times. We were both in Sin City and we did a movie called Our Lady of Victory, that hasn't come out yet.
HJ-(to Marley) What’s your role?
MS- I play a flight attendant who is engaged to be married and decides to have one last hurrah and join the mile high club, but unfortunately it all goes array.
HJ- Yes, it goes terribly south, in a hilarious way. But it was really fun to see Josh Brolin with that accent. I just kind of assumed he was trying to pull of a Mick Jagger-esque or Keith Richards…?
MS- Keith Richards, absolutely. Yeah, I'm not sure what his inspiration was, although, I thought he did a great send-up too. It was really -- he's so amazingly talented and just pulled that out of the hat and was so gracious to lend us his time and talent for the day.
HJ- Speaking of, (To Sebastian) talk about the men in this film. You’ve got some incredible actors there as well. Simon Baker, Josh Brolin, and Joseph Gordon –Levitt who had a very small role in this film, almost a cameo, but I understand he's going to be in the next film a little bit more.
GS-Yeah, it's definitely a cameo in this movie. What happened was once we were making the first movie, all these people came out of the woodwork saying I'll come and play. And Joe's somebody that I’m a huge fan of. So I wrote his character for him that we were toying with the idea of making these sort of internet web-isodes of this character Burt Rodriguez, who's this clueless sex blogger. And we decided to shoot one and we didn't know where it was going to go. And we thought the scene turned out so well that we put it as this sort of epiloge to this movie because his character becomes the narrator of the second story. So it's a tip of the hat to introduce where the story is going to go. (note to reader, watch this movie all the way through the credits. It’s hilarious)
HJ- Well, what some people don't know is that this is actually the first in a trilogy of films and the second is Electra Luxx?.
GS-Electra Luxx, which is Carla’s character.
HJ-So are you on your way to the third film? What's going on with that?
GS-Yes, well we're just finishing post on the second one, within a matter of days. And then the third one, the scrip is ready and the plan is to shoot at some point early next year. There's so many schedules to juggle here that it really becomes a matter of when do when have about 80 percent of the people available in a 2-week period that we can actually say we're going and then figure out how to get the other people in. But the second movie, I'm really excited by. It was really important to me when we decided to turn this into a trilogy, it was less this story requires three movies and more there's some interesting characters here, I've always liked in novels, for example, you can have a side character in one book but then he turns into the protagonist in the next book. I've always wanted to be able to do that with movies. So, there were certain characters here that I thought, there are other stories we could put these characters in that don't necessarily need to be an exact tone or exact continuation of remaking the same movie three times. So the second one has touches of other things like perhaps more comedy and there's musical elements in it and it takes about half of the characters of this story into other places. And then the third one kind of blends -- the third one is a whole different thing, more of a rogue movie. So it's been really fun turning this into a trilogy and having people say well, a trilogy like Lord of the Rings? I mean why shouldn't there be a trilogy about women and their misadventures in the modern world of L.A.? So, yes, that's what's happening with those.
HJ- (to Carla Gugino)- What was it like to have your boyfriend direct you to be a porn star?
CG-It's funny. I hadn't really thought about the fact that Sebastian had written me the role of a porn star when I first read the script because I was just so excited about what a complex woman she was. Funny, sexy, in moments seemingly superficial and ultimately, painfully honest... So, when we were on set for the first day of shooting and I was covered in fake eyelashes, lots of lip gloss, VERY high heels and not much else, I looked over at the monitor and thought, "Thank God Sebastian is directing this!"
HJ-To (Carla) What was the best part of filming for you?
I think what was the most fun about making this movie was getting to come to work with all of my friends whom I deeply respect as actors and people and just play. We're all so busy and love our jobs so much that to get to act together and hang out together is such a treat!
HJ-Who is this movie going to appeal to: Men or Women?
CG- This movie has a surprisingly wide audience appeal. Women of all ages will love it because it follows 10 very different multifaceted women and all the trouble that they encounter. Men really appreciate the journey it takes you on as an audience, and of course the lingerie clad ladies...But in all seriousness, it is a really funny, character driven compelling ride that keeps you genuinely engaged.
SG-This is a comedy for both men and women. I would not consider this a chick flick, it's definitely got something for everybody. Ideally, we made a date movie that the guy's not going to be unhappy that he got dragged into. And that's the response that I've gotten. The most interesting response I've gotten is from men who've said, wow, I went to see this movie because there's a lot of hot chicks in it and I found myself really caring for these characters and seeing a whole different side to them that I really appreciated and it didn't offend my intelligence and they were good looking people.
Yes they are. Women In Trouble an outrageous, genre-bending, multi-layered comedy about one day in the lives of ten seemingly disparate women -- including a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender and a pair of call girls -- all with one thing in common: trouble. Carla Gugino ("Sin City") stars as Elektra Luxx, a world-famous porn star whose future is thrown for a loop with the news that she's pregnant and Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights") is Holly Rocket, a not-too-bright adult industry newcomer. Their paths intersect with, among others, a hilariously suave British Rock Star (Josh Brolin), a bright neurotic with a dark past (Connie Britton, "Friday Night Lights") and a call girl with a tricky client (Emmanuelle Chriqui, "Entourage"). The talented cast also includes Marley Shelton (“Grindhouse”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ('500 Days Of Summer"
Check out the website! http://www.screenmediafilms.net/wit/index.html
HJ- ( To Sebastian) Obviously this is a project of love for you. Can you talk a little bit about your decision of who to cast?
SG- Yeah, it became a matter of I found myself in a situation where I knew a lot of actresses, or had worked with a lot of actresses, who weren't really being utilized that much. I felt that, in Hollywood, it seems like not that many women can either be the good girl or the bad girl, and I thought well, it's be cool to tie the good girl and bad girl together and give the actresses something to do. So I wrote a lot of the parts with people in mind, either people that I had worked with or friends of friends. Connie, I met through Carla (Gugino). Carla and Connie did Spin City together years ago. So I've known Connie for a while and I've been a big fan and we've always wanted to find something to work on together. And then through Connie is how I met Adrianne (Palicki) because they were doing Friday Night Lights together.
HJ- (To Marley) Did you know Sebastian and Carla from before as well?
MS- Yes, I've known Sebastian for several years, and Carla as well, she's a very good friend of mine. My husband produced a movie that Sebastian directed called Judas' Kiss, and Carla stared in it. And so I met the two of them through my husband originally and Carla and I have worked together a couple of times. We were both in Sin City and we did a movie called Our Lady of Victory, that hasn't come out yet.
HJ-(to Marley) What’s your role?
MS- I play a flight attendant who is engaged to be married and decides to have one last hurrah and join the mile high club, but unfortunately it all goes array.
HJ- Yes, it goes terribly south, in a hilarious way. But it was really fun to see Josh Brolin with that accent. I just kind of assumed he was trying to pull of a Mick Jagger-esque or Keith Richards…?
MS- Keith Richards, absolutely. Yeah, I'm not sure what his inspiration was, although, I thought he did a great send-up too. It was really -- he's so amazingly talented and just pulled that out of the hat and was so gracious to lend us his time and talent for the day.
HJ- Speaking of, (To Sebastian) talk about the men in this film. You’ve got some incredible actors there as well. Simon Baker, Josh Brolin, and Joseph Gordon –Levitt who had a very small role in this film, almost a cameo, but I understand he's going to be in the next film a little bit more.
GS-Yeah, it's definitely a cameo in this movie. What happened was once we were making the first movie, all these people came out of the woodwork saying I'll come and play. And Joe's somebody that I’m a huge fan of. So I wrote his character for him that we were toying with the idea of making these sort of internet web-isodes of this character Burt Rodriguez, who's this clueless sex blogger. And we decided to shoot one and we didn't know where it was going to go. And we thought the scene turned out so well that we put it as this sort of epiloge to this movie because his character becomes the narrator of the second story. So it's a tip of the hat to introduce where the story is going to go. (note to reader, watch this movie all the way through the credits. It’s hilarious)
HJ- Well, what some people don't know is that this is actually the first in a trilogy of films and the second is Electra Luxx?.
GS-Electra Luxx, which is Carla’s character.
HJ-So are you on your way to the third film? What's going on with that?
GS-Yes, well we're just finishing post on the second one, within a matter of days. And then the third one, the scrip is ready and the plan is to shoot at some point early next year. There's so many schedules to juggle here that it really becomes a matter of when do when have about 80 percent of the people available in a 2-week period that we can actually say we're going and then figure out how to get the other people in. But the second movie, I'm really excited by. It was really important to me when we decided to turn this into a trilogy, it was less this story requires three movies and more there's some interesting characters here, I've always liked in novels, for example, you can have a side character in one book but then he turns into the protagonist in the next book. I've always wanted to be able to do that with movies. So, there were certain characters here that I thought, there are other stories we could put these characters in that don't necessarily need to be an exact tone or exact continuation of remaking the same movie three times. So the second one has touches of other things like perhaps more comedy and there's musical elements in it and it takes about half of the characters of this story into other places. And then the third one kind of blends -- the third one is a whole different thing, more of a rogue movie. So it's been really fun turning this into a trilogy and having people say well, a trilogy like Lord of the Rings? I mean why shouldn't there be a trilogy about women and their misadventures in the modern world of L.A.? So, yes, that's what's happening with those.
HJ- (to Carla Gugino)- What was it like to have your boyfriend direct you to be a porn star?
CG-It's funny. I hadn't really thought about the fact that Sebastian had written me the role of a porn star when I first read the script because I was just so excited about what a complex woman she was. Funny, sexy, in moments seemingly superficial and ultimately, painfully honest... So, when we were on set for the first day of shooting and I was covered in fake eyelashes, lots of lip gloss, VERY high heels and not much else, I looked over at the monitor and thought, "Thank God Sebastian is directing this!"
HJ-To (Carla) What was the best part of filming for you?
I think what was the most fun about making this movie was getting to come to work with all of my friends whom I deeply respect as actors and people and just play. We're all so busy and love our jobs so much that to get to act together and hang out together is such a treat!
HJ-Who is this movie going to appeal to: Men or Women?
CG- This movie has a surprisingly wide audience appeal. Women of all ages will love it because it follows 10 very different multifaceted women and all the trouble that they encounter. Men really appreciate the journey it takes you on as an audience, and of course the lingerie clad ladies...But in all seriousness, it is a really funny, character driven compelling ride that keeps you genuinely engaged.
SG-This is a comedy for both men and women. I would not consider this a chick flick, it's definitely got something for everybody. Ideally, we made a date movie that the guy's not going to be unhappy that he got dragged into. And that's the response that I've gotten. The most interesting response I've gotten is from men who've said, wow, I went to see this movie because there's a lot of hot chicks in it and I found myself really caring for these characters and seeing a whole different side to them that I really appreciated and it didn't offend my intelligence and they were good looking people.
Yes they are. Women In Trouble an outrageous, genre-bending, multi-layered comedy about one day in the lives of ten seemingly disparate women -- including a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender and a pair of call girls -- all with one thing in common: trouble. Carla Gugino ("Sin City") stars as Elektra Luxx, a world-famous porn star whose future is thrown for a loop with the news that she's pregnant and Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights") is Holly Rocket, a not-too-bright adult industry newcomer. Their paths intersect with, among others, a hilariously suave British Rock Star (Josh Brolin), a bright neurotic with a dark past (Connie Britton, "Friday Night Lights") and a call girl with a tricky client (Emmanuelle Chriqui, "Entourage"). The talented cast also includes Marley Shelton (“Grindhouse”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ('500 Days Of Summer"
Check out the website! http://www.screenmediafilms.net/wit/index.html
Just in! Electra Luxx will premiere at this year's SXSW!
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