Four Seasons Philadelphia Interview: Ryan Coogler: FRUITVALE STATION

T&T: It’s amazing that you thought about making a film based on the Oscar Grant shooting and then access to the case fell into your lap through a lawyer friend working on the civil case. Do you feel like this whole movie has been charmed like that, as if perhaps Grant himself is leading you
on this journey?

 

RC: I definitely feel blessed. In terms of being fortunate – cause I know it’s rare that people get to make things they’re passionate about, especially not this fast. Really, all I wanted to do was make the best movie that I could and work hard at it. That’s was all I wanted to do. And hope when it was done, have something that people may want to see and think about it.  And that’s still kinda where I am. I’m surprised man, when we get any kind of honor.  She (Coogler gestures to fiance, who’s on her laptop nearby) can tell you, I’m as surprised as anybody,  ya know what’a mean?  Getting into Sundance was incredible. You know, and getting distribution (The Weinstein Co.) is a dream come true, cause when you make something you want to share it with people and talk about it.

 

T&T: But you don’t have like, sort of a spiritual view on the projection of this journey?

RC: Absolutely! I thank God everyday for all of this, ya know what’im saying? And I pray for strength to keep, to keep ummm… to keep working and making the right decisions, cause I had never done any of this before. I hadn’t done a feature before. Not that I haven’t made a lot of mistakes, and I’m the one who notices them the most. but… I definitely feel that way.

T&T: I was very moved by Fruitvale Station. Chris can tell you I was blubbering like a baby at the end. I haven’t been to a tearjerker like this in quite a while. But what do you say to the critics that say it’s manipulative and contrived. That based on true events still leaves a lot of room for the
filmmaker to tell the story he wants to tell?RC: I mean everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I can’t tell somebody how to think, ya know what’i mean? We did a lot of research on the film. Everything… every decision we made was based on that research.

 

T&T: Did you have access to his (Oscar Grant’s) actual cellphone? I like the way you superimposed the cellphone image on the screen in several scenes.

RC: Yeah, we had access to a lot! We started with court documents of testimonies, and with a testimony you’ve got everybody’s perspective. And then from there it was talking to the family. I mean people are entitled to their own interpretation, but one thing I often hear is that Oscar’s character is too positive. The funny thing about that is, I see what Oscar does in the film and I see him doing a lot of bad things. And it’s kinda shocking to me that somebody can look at it and say, that’s too positive. And I’m like, whoa – how comfortable are you looking at people that look like Oscar doing negative things? The movie starts off with him using drugs and talking to his girl about how he cheated on her.  We show this man in prison, we show him doing stuff that got him in prison. We show him getting in gang related altercations both in prison and on the train, Ya know what I’m saying? I don’t know what else… but cause he looks a certain way, people say “he should be doing more negative stuff, this ain’t real. This dude don’t brush his teeth with his daughter”. And I’m like, wait, what?

T&T: I can’t believe we’re out of time already, we didn’t get to talk about Harvey Weinstein or Sundance Labs, but because Tinsel & Tine is a film and food blog, here’s a quick question – What was the best thing you ate at Cannes?

RC: Some people we met at the festival invited us to their home for lunch. We had amazing spinach and mushroom quiche and roasted chicken with… what was it? (again addressing fiance)… Caprese salads of buffalo mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.

T & T Lamb Score: 4.5 out of 5

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