January 7, 2010

Matthew Broderick's Wonderful World

By Aaron Hillis, Independent Film Channel

Still boyishly handsome at 47, actor Matthew Broderick ("The Producers," "Election," and, lest anyone forget, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off") continues to split his workload between stage and screen. In the last few years, however, his film career has been more low-key, from voiceover work ("Bee Movie," "The Tale of Despereaux") to indies like "Then She Found Me," "Diminished Capacity" and "Finding Amanda." Could it be that "Inspector Gadget" himself no longer finds Hollywood roles as satisfying to the soul?

His next stop in Indiewood is writer-director Josh Goldin's bittersweet debut "Wonderful World," which premiered at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. Broderick stars as bitter misanthrope Ben Singer, a failed children's folk singer and divorced dad who only seems to find solace in smoking too much pot and playing chess with his Senegalese roomie Ibou (Michael Kenneth Williams). After Ibou is hospitalized, Ben begins a heartfelt but frivolous lawsuit against the city for "depraved indifference," and begins his ascent from rock bottom with the help of Ibou's sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan). Broderick called me to chat about pessimism, marijuana, still being Ferris Bueller and his 2010 resolutions.

Ben's glass isn't just half-empty; the water itself is probably poisoned in his mind. What are you pessimistic about in these turbulent times?

Well, that's a big question. I can be pessimistic about show business. As soon as I don't have a job, I think I won't work again. I'm definitely one of those. I don't know if I'm all that pessimistic, but I am about show business. I think things aren't going to work out right: "Oh, this play won't work. This movie won't be good." I tend to do that too much, but I fight it. I don't like to bring others into my world of negativity.

Josh Goldin claims that the character was inspired by his own cynical demeanor. What's the reality of that confession, and what led you to trust and work with this first-time director?

We've been friends for, like, 20 years. I don't see him as particularly cynical, but he says he's from a long line of that. His grandmother was 90, and basically said before she died, "This has really been a terrible century." He's very funny and charming, fun to hang out with, so I'm always a little surprised when he says how cynical he is. He's opinionated, and doesn't like a lot of things. But his demeanor is cheerful, until something bad happens, and then he thinks that was of course going to happen.

The funniest people I've ever met in my life have mostly been cynical.

You're supposed to see through the fake stuff to be funny, I guess. I don't know, "cynical" makes me think like he's pretending things are worse than they are.

Have you ever had career aspirations that flat-out failed, either because of bad timing, or it simply wasn't your forte?

Sure. I've had parts that I read for and wanted and didn't get. I've certainly had disappointments, so I can relate to that. It's never gotten to the point where I just dropped out the way Ben does. Something good has always come about, but I can see that feeling. It's not just his professional life. His divorce and the trouble with his daughter -- there are a lot of grim things in his world, including his personal outlook. You don't know how much he's bringing on himself, or if it's just circumstances.

Ben imposes that gloomy outlook on his daughter, which makes me curious if there are any beliefs or truths you have reservations about telling your kids while they're still young?

My son is right at an age when you start to realize, "Wow, he's learning how to deal with things by the way I'm doing it." I am the example for him, and it's hard. I'll lose my temper with the dog, and he says, "Why were you so angry at the dog?" I wasn't so angry. You just start having to be very careful. They really suck it in from what you do. The arguments you might have in the family, they're going to remember all that forever. I wish I had a solution as to what to avoid with children, and what not to. I can relate to Ben. It's hard to know what kind of worldview to give a kid.

Your stage debut was with your father, in a workshop production of "On Valentine's Day." Would you ever want to work with your kids professionally if they showed signs of wanting to perform, or is that a line you wouldn't want to cross?

My father never encouraged or discouraged me from show business, really. Once he saw that I really was serious and could do it, he was very supportive. So I hope I would be the same way. That said, I'd not want them to work when they were children. It seems hard on children to me, although I know a lot of them love it, and my wife [Sarah Jessica Parker] did it as a kid, and loved it. So who am I? But I would be very careful about that.

Besides singing and dancing, do you have any other musical prowess?

When I was a kid, I played the cello. When I got to be a teenager, I just wanted to do sports and after-school stuff -- I didn't keep up, but I kind of regret it. I played until I was about 16, but I don't remember how to play at all. It did not help in learning to fake the guitar, by the way. They're very unrelated. [laughs]

Your son is old enough to have kiddie music inflicted on him, or I should actually ask, have you had any kiddie music inflicted on you because of him?

Yes. Now he's seven, so I'm inflicting "old person music" on him. We've been to Dan Zanes' concerts, and The Wiggles. He grew up with a CD of Raffi that I really liked. We have a lot of good kids' music. When I make him listen to any kind of show tune, or Fred Astaire or something, he just thinks it's the craziest thing. He makes fun of my old-fashioned songs.

I'm a big fan of "The Wire," so it was fun to see Michael Kenneth Williams playing a warm-hearted role instead of Baltimore badass Omar Little. What could you say about your time working with him?

We had a good time together. Neither of us are great chess players, it turns out. We spent tremendous amounts of time trying to figure out how to move a piece on a piece of dialogue, and then also get to checkmate at the right time. Which is really pretty simple, but we could barely manage it, and had to get the entire film crew involved, standing around the table: "No, no, set this up like this!" One of us would forget which piece to move.

Ben is a habitual pot smoker. Have you ever had any dalliances with marijuana?

In real life? Well, I'll tell you I went to a private, very hippie-like high school in New York City, right on Central Park West. We spent a lot of time in the park. That makes things pretty clear, doesn't it?

One of my colleagues said you were absolutely extraordinary in Kenneth Lonergan's play "Starry Messenger." Do you think theater has, in any way, eclipsed your film career?

Maybe at the moment, but yeah, I think I've had more critical success in the theater. What has always been my thing is to do a movie or two, then go back to the theater. This time, I did two plays in a row. The play before "Starry Messenger," by the way, everybody hated me, so it's not always so clear. I like to go wherever I find the better material -- I don't care that much if it's a movie or play. I think plays are probably what I can be the best in, honestly. But I really love movies. I love taking my time, being able to be quiet and not [having to] yell for an audience to hear me.

It's been 25 years since you filmed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Is it frustrating or strange to have amassed a large body of work since, but still get recognized for this iconic role you did as a young guy?

No, it's okay. I'm used to it and pretty honored to have been in something like that that really has lasted. This [past] year, with John Hughes dying, put things in perspective -- reading about his place in moviemaking. I think that movie's going to live on beyond us, which is impressive. It has more meaning than other movies I've done since that have been as popular.

I read recently that you've grown disillusioned with your beloved Mets. Aren't you supposed to stick with the underdogs, through thick and thin?

Yes, and I don't know what I must've said. Somebody else told me that. You're allowed to get pissed off at your team. Nobody hates the Mets more than a Met fan. But I love the Mets, and I will stick with them.

Ohio police chief Barry Carpenter was just sentenced to prison last week after breaking into your surrogate's home to steal legal documents and ultrasound photos, which is pretty scary. Has anything positive come out of that situation, now that it has been resolved?

I don't know if there's anything positive about it. I'm glad nobody got hurt. It was very terrifying for Michelle, the surrogate, and I'm very glad these guys got caught. But I don't know what you learn from all this, to tell you the truth, except that people steal.

You're my first interview of 2010. Do you have any new year's resolutions?

I don't have any. Aren't I boring? [laughs] I would like to have some time with my new little daughters, wife and son. I would like to have more family time this year. We all want that... and a couple of good jobs.

"Wonderful World" opens in limited release January 8th.