Diane Keaton in the film, BOOK CLUB, by Paramount Pictures
Out on digital download from today and on DVD and Blu-ray from October 8th is Book Clu, which stars the legendary Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary
Steenburgen
The film follows four lifelong friends whose lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club attempts to shake things up by tackling the infamous
“Fifty Shades of Grey.” From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter. The film also stars Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Dreyfuss and Ed Begley Jr.
We caught up with Diane Keaton to talk about the film.
QUESTION: What was it about the script that you really connected with?
DIANE KEATON: Well, her name is Diane, and so that means a lot to me. And so, also the way she’s written, it kind of feels right up my alley. Because, you know, in my past I’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of like insecure women and I think that she’s an insecure woman, do you know. And I think that she is, she has just lost her husband basically, and she has these two daughters who are raising her in a way. Now they’re trying to raise her and to change her kind of, well, and she’s kind of lost. She’s not even very sure of yourself, and doesn’t know exactly what to do or how to manage it. And then, of course, a couple of, you know, she’s, of course, supported by the, her friends.
But in a way, she’s kind of giving up. And really, for her, for Diane in this piece, it really is meeting the man that really changes everybody for her. Because she falls in love with him right away, Andy Garcia, played by And Garcia, who is really great in the movie. I mean it was like, that was fun. It was fun to kiss Andy Garcia. It was fun that he had to pretend like he liked me a lot. So, but anyway, what I’m saying is that but then that became complicated and that’s where I think for my character in this piece, it, it really, well, I was shaped and helped by my friends.
Just like for Jane and for, you know, everyone else, Candy and, you know, Mary, we all helped each other as friends and because our alliance had been, you know, when you have a long, well, I, I’m assuming that we’ve been friends for about 15 years. And so, therefore, you really trust them, and that’s who you have left because many people disappeared in your life. You know, I’m 72 and I’m playing my age and, and so that’s really hard to, to lose, your loved ones.
And then to have your kids take over and tell you you’re a kid, that’s not pleasant, you know. That’s really unpleasant. And so it, that was my part, and that was really something that I, I felt, I identified with that easily obviously. Because, you know, you get insecure and you’re afraid and you get worried and maybe you’re falling apart, and maybe it’s true, and maybe they’re right. I’m talking too long.
(L-R) Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen in the film, BOOK CLUB, by Paramount Pictures
And we’ve been doing our parenting over our kids to the point we hover, but I’ve never thought about the children doing that to the parent.
Yeah, it’s a really good gag. I mean you know, that, but, I, it’s just, it’s, it’s well written by Bill and Erin, and Erin Simm and Mr. Holderman. Despite the fact that I don’t want to give him any credit. And where is he? Let’s beat him up. It’s the most fun I ever had.
Do we find the women better after the chaos of this Book Club?
I think we find them united and it remains. I mean life will give you a lot of, well, I mean we’ve got future blows to deal with without a doubt, and we have each other, and so that’s really important in this movie. It just talks about that. And also, it’s funny. It’s funny. This is, funny is not a bad thing. Funny is money. Funny is great. Funny makes you feel better, so it’s a comedy.
How important is it for us to understand the reality if you are in charge of your own happiness. No one should ever dictate where you should be at any given point in your life.
Well, yeah. I mean I guess if, if you’re referencing the daughters, yes. But, I mean, you know, I, I, in the movie, you know, I have my problems with Candy. She’s so bossy, you know. She’s the judge. And so I think that that’s good, too. So, you know, you have to like, you’re always going to have something in the way, but you overcome that because when you really have troubles, your friends come in for you. They help you.
I think it was an aspirational quality to this friendship on the screen. But I saw my own friends up in there, too. I could pinpoint that’s so and so…
You did? (yeah) Well, that’s good news.
I can’t wait to share the movie with them as a result. I won’t even think who I think which one of you represents them.
Yeah. Oh, oh, they’ll see, they’ll know; right?
Why is this movie an ode to friendship?
What makes it important? Well, because it’s a bond, it’s a love. Because, you know, find, maybe find people that you can trust and you, you know, you, you’re happy to be with them, really, because you, you have your struggles with them. It’s like family in a certain sense. Really, the close friends, especially as you’re older because you’ve lost a lot of your family, you know, your initial family. And like I really, I, I feel bad. You know, my parents aren’t alive. It’s, it’s really a loss for me, a huge loss. And I think about it more as I get older because, you know, I really miss them, my mother and father a lot. And so, I have my siblings and my siblings mean everything to me.
And then in this movie, I mean, it’s friends. You know, I don’t really have other friends. And we’re, we’re united together.
It’s amazing how all four of you, the fact that you guys have never worked together before, you’ve never been in one movie together, and here you are, and you would think we’re looking at a long-running history. (Do you think?) It was extraordinarily real.
Well, maybe that has something to do with age, too, do you think?
I think this is —
I don’t know.
(L-R) Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen in the film, BOOK CLUB, by Paramount Pictures
What was it like working with all three women and yourself in this context? What made it special for you?
I’ll tell you one thing, there was no problem. There was no problem at all. Because everybody was very generous and everybody was perfect for their parts. And I think that when you feel good about your part, and you know you’re, you’re well cast, and you feel fine, and you like the writing and you’re surrounded by it, it goes well, you know. It’s simple. It, it’s like, but when you’re struggling, it’s, it’s much harder, it’s much more difficult. But that wasn’t the way at all.
So now we might be friends, we might become real friends. That’s hard to do though, you know, particular if that doesn’t happen with people flying all over the place having these lives that take them all over and you kind of get lost. And so, it would be nice if we could be really, if we could solidify our friendship. Maybe if we had another, you know, another Book Club, you know, two, or something like that, then we’d have to be together again and that would be very nice. We’ll have to speak to Holderman about that. He’s got to get to work. He’s going to write another one right away, that idiot. And, and they’re bringing Erin on, too, because she’s a good writer. So I mean the both of them, so too bad for them. They’re stuck.
We’ll make them put in some reading time.
We could continue on with sex. I mean I don’t have a problem.
Now, you talked about kissing Andy Garcia and having him pretend to like you, but I think he does like you very much. And also it helps like he’s extraordinarily hotter now than I think when he was like just starting out in his career, like in Godfather Part 3.
He never really had, and did he play very many romantic roles or?
He was kind of like the dark figure.
Well, he’s really, I mean he’s an excellent improviser and I like that. You know, we didn’t know for sure what we were going to do on that plane together and he was just loose about it. He was really relaxed. He’s very masculine, he’s very competent and he’s very smart and he’s very talented. And so he just goes with it and he’ll make up his own inventions as well. And Bill was great about letting us be loose together because for me, that means a lot as an, as an actress when you’re not being, I’m not, look, I’m not, you know, basically what, no, I don’t want to get into that. Never mind. It’s over. I don’t know what to say. That’s bad. Yeah, that’s not important.
I know design has played a huge role in some of your films, and I think of the Nancy Myers show that you’ve done. And it’s extraordinary how this all plays a role in giving a character context. And you like the design of this film.
I’ll tell you one thing, I love the chair. And that chair meant a lot to me. I mean I remember seeing that chair and just going, “Oh, no, I’ve got to have the chair.” Now, do you, did anybody tell you what the chair looks like? It’s pretty, it’s, it’s Mitchell Gold. Did you know who Mitchell Gold, yes, so you like design, so. So that chair is just white, and it’s kind of an old fashioned comfortable sitting chair, but it has a big black stripe going, well, all the way in the middle, all the way down. And it’s just so bold so, of course, I mean, I fell in love with it. I love black and white. I just love any combination of black and white. And so I got lucky and, you know, I, I got the chair.
Donna Marie gave me the chair, my hairdresser. She said she got, she bought me that chair. I love her. Where is she? I wish she were here.
How do you have the chair displayed?
It, it’s sort of, I have a silo, you know, I mean I, do I really want to go into my house? It’s not that interesting.
I was just curious.
I don’t really want to go there. No. I, I, I, I wrote a book on it. It’s called The House That Pinterest Built and, you know, there’s a lot about it. S, the, but the, but the chairs in a kind of a, it’s, I don’t want to go into it. It’s strange. Like me, strange.
I love design but I have no taste in my own home. That’s the weird part. And I wish I could —
Yeah. I mean, I’m, I don’t know anything, you know. I don’t want to talk about it. Right.
Now, what do you think the audience is going to love about this one?
It’s hard for me to say, you know. I mean honestly, I think that they’re going to, it depends. I mean it’s a certain kind of audience, it’s probably older women and maybe their daughters will be part of it, too. I don’t know exactly except that it’s, it’s a, what can you say? I mean I, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll have to ask them when they come out of the theater, if they like it.
Book Club is available to Download & Keep September 24 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD October 8.
Book Club © 2018 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved
