Do you think Charlie Kaufman was embarassed...

[BrainSushi]

Do you think that while Charlie Kaufman was writing Being John Malkovich, he was embarassed to tell people what it was about?

Sure, today, many think of that movie as being one of the most original ever, having, specifically, an extremely original screenplay. But honestly, before anybody had heard of this guy, don't you think he felt a little weird explaining the premise to friends/family when they asked, "You're writing a script?! Ooooh, what's it about?"

"Um... well, you know John Malkovich?"

"Yeah... writing it with him in mind?"

"Well... um... kind of. It's about a puppeteer who finds a portal into John Malkovich's head."

::Blank stare:: "Uh... huh... that's uh... that's... ::trying to find the right word:: ... interesting."

[Sleuth]

Yeah, probably.

[ShanghaiOrange]

Does anyone know if he wrote it with Malkovich in mind, or was it just "Being Insert Available Semi-obscure Character Actor Here"?

[Ernie]

Does anyone know if he wrote it with Malkovich in mind, or was it just "Being Insert Available Semi-obscure Character Actor Here"?

I was just recently wondering that same thing. It almost seems like he always had him in mind...the title sounds so catchy w/ his name in. I was trying to imagine other actors they could have used...haven't been able to think of a single one yet.

[Ghostboy]

I remember reading that he wrote it specifically with Malkovich. No one else really had the same ring to it...so they were REALLY hoping that he would okay it, or else they wouldn't have had a movie.

[ShanghaiOrange]

Being Steve Buscemi

[BonBon85]

I also read that he always thought of it as Malkovich. He also said he kept waiting for a studio exec to ask if they could change it to "Being Tom Cruise".

[MacGuffin]

In the script, it was supposed to be Kevin Bacon instead of Charlie Sheen, but I also read somewhere that they tried to get Gary Sinise since he and Malkovich were in the Steppenwolf theater and in "Of Mice and Men" together.

[The Silver Bullet]

He also said that the public perception of Malkovich worked well for the story. He is famous, but not too famous, and sort of mysterious, thus Kaufman was able to take a fair amount of poetic license. Who really knows what Malkovich does in his spare time? Kaufman could write the script without people later going, well, you know, he goes to the basketball a lot, and he has a thing for hookers, where was all of that? Getting into someone elses head is all very good and well, but you would sorta know what you were getting if it was Jack Nicholson's head, or someone else like that. Malkovich was mysterious; a final forntier. Like space.

[Pubrick]

He also said that the public perception of Malkovich worked well for the story. He is famous, but not too famous, and sort of mysterious, thus Kaufman was able to take a fair amount of poetic license. Who really knows what Malkovich does in his spare time? Kaufman could write the script without people later going, well, you know, he goes to the basketball a lot, and he has a thing for hookers, where was all of that? Getting into someone elses head is all very good and well, but you would sorta know what you were getting if it was Jack Nicholson's head, or someone else like that. Malkovich was mysterious; a final forntier. Like space.

plus he looks like a bald monkey.

[The Silver Bullet]

And you've gotta love that.

[Jeremy Blackman]

plus he looks like a bald monkey.