(l - r) Director/Writer Scott Frank on set with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Goode.

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About Scott Frank:

Is the brother in-law of director Phil Joanou. “The Lookout” is his first time at the helm but this is no rookie; Scott Frank has penned some of the most memorable films to be seen including:

In a 1-1 interview, we talk about the riveting crime drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode and Isla Fischer. Now to be found on DVD in widescreen and Blu-ray formats.

Question:

Can you talk about the character of Chris Pratt? Do you know anyone who had suffered brain damage?

Scott Frank:

“Yeah I did. A brother of someone I knew had a pretty horrible head injury and woke up essentially a new person. And , I’ve always thought that was pretty incredible just to sort of get to know yourself again, I thought that was an astonishing thing, that that could actually happen to a person. And, just sort of remember who you were but not be that person at all. Later as time went on I couldn’t shake that notion, I just sort of started to think about it more in terms of the character and story. At the same time I had read a lot about all these farm communities and for some reason I wanted to locate this character in that world, I don’t know really know why or how it happened.  Sometimes you just wake up with something melted that way.”

Question:

The character of Lewis is very brotherly, did you ever consider making him a brother?

Scott Frank:

“No, but it’s funny, when people read the script they all automatically assumed that Lewis was African American. I don’t know why but they all said “No Lewis, he’s African American isn’t he?” and I went “Well, he could. I did not…it’s not specifically said that he is.”

Question:

This is your first time in the director’s chair. Any restrictions to working your own material?

Scott Frank:
“The only restrictions were time and budget and so that was always tough, that you begin making compromises in your story because you don’t have time to shoot it the way you need to shoot it to tell that particular facet. That was tricky, but also I think good for the material because you end up getting at the essence instead of just sort of finding your way through the production; I actually liked having that kind of limit. It was mostly for me, you know, the experience of directing more than anything, even though part of what made it great was that it was my own material, but just the actual experience of it was such a different creative muscle and that’s really what I enjoyed most.”

Question:
On that point of material changing, looking back, was there anything you would have liked to have left in?

Scott Frank:

“There were a couple of things that I didn’t shoot as well as I might have that I would have liked to have had in the movie but I’m glad I cut them out because I don’t think that I executed them as well as I should have.”

Question:

How much did the story change throughout the years from the initiation until now?

Scott Frank:
“Not much. There was more of Willis. The major change was that in the initial concept for many many years, they kidnapped Lewis before they robbed the bank; they grabbed him in order to force him [Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character] to rob the bank. And it made the movie much longer but it was…while he was in captivity the person who’s supposed to watch him is Luvlee and their relationship was a much bigger relationship than it is in the movie; in the movie they have just that one scene, which sort of encapsulates what their entire relationship was.”

Question:

Was this the cast you always dreamed of?

Scott Frank:
“I’d be very careful not to dream of cast too much while you’re writing a script because you’re disappointed so much when you can’t get who you want. When I finally arrived at this cast, I have to say I was enormously excited and once I had everybody I didn’t feel like I compromised in any way, shape or form and sort of couldn’t see the roles any other way.”