225BatonRouge.com

James Carville.

How did you become a producer for All the King’s Men?

Well, it was my idea. I was on the set of Old School because I did a small part in that, and I was talking to [producer] Scott Budnick and told him it was my dream to make All the King’s Men.

It’s funny to think this movie might not have happened if you had not been asked to debate Will Ferrell in Old School.

Yeah. You know, and Budnick just thought it was a great idea. So we went to [producer] Mike Medavoy and [Sony Chairperson] Amy Pascal and they said, “Let’s do this.”

And the cast assembled is stellar.

When people first heard we were doing it, so many wanted to be a part of it. It was an incredible script that [Steven] Zaillian did, and that was what attracted them all.

Do you have a cameo in it?

No, but I did do a voiceover. It’s my voice doing the invocation at the impeachment trial.

Having been there from the beginning of the project, what was it like actually seeing it filmed?

It was a lot of fun for me. Something I’d always wanted to do. The cast got along really well. And our state just looks great in the film. You can tell that much from the trailer.

What was it like on location?

Early on, we were shooting at an old relay track on the West Bank for a scene where Willie’s son is practicing football. I had run track there in high school, and that was the day it hit me: “This is a real movie. We’re actually doing this.” We also shot in downtown Donaldsonville, and the principal there is a high school friend of mine. We took the senior class out to watch Penn, Gandolfini, Law, all of them film a scene. And beforehand, I said to them, “Do you realize what it is you’re about to see?” I think the girls were more interested than the boys.

Maybe that had something to do with Jude Law.

Well, had that happened to me in high school, I’d have wet myself.

Were you consulted about Louisiana accents?

Penn had a great accent coach. My thing is, just talk, and the story carries itself. Too many movies over-emphasize it, and they all drawl out the Southern “e.” One odd thing is that people have said Jim Gandolfini’s accent isn’t right, because of the false stereotype. But his is so accurate, it seems inaccurate to some. He sounds just like a scumbag politician from that area would.

Willie Stark is, of course, based on the infamous Huey P. Long. What do you think of Long, and what Sean Penn did with the character?

Long was a very skilled politician. People really respect Sean as an actor. Some people think he’s a little out there, but he’s a gutsy guy and a good guy. What he did with Willie Stark was so compelling.

Do you remember your first impressions of the book?

You were tortured with [the characters]. You were angry at certain people. You know, it was complex. People don’t write like that anymore. All the King’s Men is a story that’s very relevant. You’ve got an incumbent who is obsessed with power and an opposing party that is obsessed with the incumbent, so in the end everyone is compromised.

All the King’s Men is a classic American novel, but what kind of movie is it?

It’s not a typical Hollywood movie. You’ve got people you’re pulling for and then rooting against within the same five minutes. The story isn’t difficult to follow, but it does not draw any conclusions for you.

Yeah, a lot of people want all the answers handed over on a platter, but I think movies that allow you to draw your own conclusions can be more rewarding.

Right. I think Robert Penn Warren understood that. You know in the great state of Louisiana, if we learn anything from our colorful, entertaining and tragic history, it’s that there has been a lot of disappointment. This will be a film where people want to go to dinner after and debate it.