Rhode Island International Film Festival
NUFEC writer Dan Simeone had the opportunity to meet producer Christine Vachon at an educational screening of Kill Your Darlings, the recent film in which Daniel Radcliffe stars as young Allen Ginsberg of the beat generation. With credits stretching back to the 1980s, Vachon has had quite the career. She was a co-producer on Kids, which NUFEC screened in the past, producer on Boys Don’t Cry, and producer on the recent Bob Dylan film I’m Not There. She has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy’s, nine Independent Sprit Awards (including one victory), two PGA awards, and won the National Board of Review’s Producers Award. She has worked with directors including Todd Haynes, Todd Solondz, Ethan Hawke, Robert Altman, and John Waters. Vachon is currently working on a new film with Todd Haynes called Carol, starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett.
Dan Simeone: What inspired you to be a producer?
Christine Vachon: I was inspired after having worked in many departments of production, and decided that producer was right for me.
DS: You work on a bunch of films each year. How do you choose what you'll work on and manage all that time?
CV: I decided what to work on based on if I could get financing for it and above the line actors, and director’s schedules. And I manage it, just like anyone in any other business, by calling people, taking meetings, etc.
DS: How did working on the set of Kill Your Darlings compare to other films?
CV: Working on the set of Kill Your Darlings was not different from others. Period pieces have their challenges, ambitious directors and not enough money.
DS: Why are you telling a beatnik story now? Were you inspired by other recent efforts like Howl, Big Sur, and On the Road? Why do you think the beats are such a hot topic right now in independent cinema?
CV: Beatniks have a timeliness to them. It’s like a pendulum, sometimes it’s up more than other times. Due Walter Salles’ unsuccessful film [On the Road, a recent adaptation of the beat classic novel of the same name starring Sam Riley, Garret Hedlun and Kristin Stewart], we had to make ours stand out and be different.
Dan Simeone: What inspired you to be a producer?
Christine Vachon: I was inspired after having worked in many departments of production, and decided that producer was right for me.
DS: You work on a bunch of films each year. How do you choose what you'll work on and manage all that time?
CV: I decided what to work on based on if I could get financing for it and above the line actors, and director’s schedules. And I manage it, just like anyone in any other business, by calling people, taking meetings, etc.
DS: How did working on the set of Kill Your Darlings compare to other films?
CV: Working on the set of Kill Your Darlings was not different from others. Period pieces have their challenges, ambitious directors and not enough money.
DS: Why are you telling a beatnik story now? Were you inspired by other recent efforts like Howl, Big Sur, and On the Road? Why do you think the beats are such a hot topic right now in independent cinema?
CV: Beatniks have a timeliness to them. It’s like a pendulum, sometimes it’s up more than other times. Due Walter Salles’ unsuccessful film [On the Road, a recent adaptation of the beat classic novel of the same name starring Sam Riley, Garret Hedlun and Kristin Stewart], we had to make ours stand out and be different.
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