Last week, I got to chat with one of the most legendary directors in Hollywood. The man in question is William Friedkin. While he may not be as well known as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron or Robert Zemeckis, if I told you that he’s directed The French Connection and a little horror movie called The Exorcist, it’ll probably grab your attention.
Aged 76, Friedkin has been there, done it and got the t-shirt but that doesn’t stop him making fantastic movies like his latest film, Killer Joe which hits cinemas this Friday 29th June. The latest film is a dark comedy about a hit-man / detective named Joe Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) who takes on a job given to him by Emile Hirsch and Thomas Haden Church’s characters Ansel and Chris. Things don’t go quite to plan and the movie unfolds to brilliant effect. With awesome performances from everyone (especially McConaughey and Juno Temple) and an awesome script from Tracy Letts, this movie is well worth your time.
Interviewing Friedkin was one of the most pleasant experiences in my HeyUGuys career. As I entered the room, he was standing there ready to welcome me in, offered me a drink or a pastry and made me feel completely at ease. From what I hear, this is the same thing that happened to every journalist who went in to speak with him. As the interview unfolded, I started to realise that I could chat with him literally all-day long about the movie industry, how it had changed over time and what he loves and really hates about it.
I was supposed to have 7 minutes with him but as you’ll see by the run-time on the interview, I went slightly over time by asking him about the TV series based on his 1973 movie, The Exorcist and the sequels which followed his film. As you’ll see from the interview, he is rather passionate about the subject and has some very strong opinions on these sequels called them ‘bollocks’ and that they make him sick. It’s a fantastic interview (even if I do say so myself) and is well worth a watch!
Now, without further ado, I give you… William Friedkin….
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