Irrational Man Interviews: Woody Allen On Donald Trump, Amy Schumer, Emma Stone And More

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Irrational Man, the latest film written and directed by Woody Allen, is out now in selected cities. As usual, Woody Allen himself has done a number of interviews. We’ve collected some of the best comments.

The biggest interview feature comes from the Chicago Sun Times. Allen spoke about a wide range of topics with Richard Roeper.

On Joaquin Phoenix

Abe is a ladies’ man, and Allen said at first he thought a Leonardo DiCaprio or a Brad Pitt should play the role, but his longtime casting director Juliet Taylor suggested Phoenix.

“And I thought, he would be perfect because the vibe he gives off is so erratic and so neurotic and strange, we thought, ‘Gee, he would be perfect.’ Of course he’s a wonderful actor, but if you were sitting here with him and having dinner and you said, ‘Pass the salt,’ he’d be like Hamlet. It would be five minutes of agony and self-doubt and guilt, and finally you’d get the salt.”

Woody Allen on Twitter.

When I explained the basics of Twitter to Allen, he said, “Oh, is that what the Twitter is? Twitter is not a blog? I would have no time for that and I probably would never know how to turn it on. I don’t Twitter, I’d never be able to do it. I’m too preoccupied with my own stuff. I’m shallow. I want to make the movies, I want to watch the Knicks, I want to take a walk with my wife and practice my clarinet. I’m just not into the real world.”

The Sun Times also published comments made by Allen about Donald Trump.

I do find him amusing. I know him to say hello to in New York, he’s always very nice and very affable. I used him in a movie once [1998’s ‘Celebrity’] and he came through, he’s a very extroverted performer. But I don’t see him for a second, nor do I really believe that he sees himself, as a serious presidential candidate.

Is Trump the only ever presidential candidate to appear in an Allen film? We think so, but we might have missed something?

To US Weekly, Allen raved about Irrational Man’s other star, Emma Stone.

“Emma can do everything: She can act, sing, dance, astonish, and she’s beautiful and intelligent. She’s really got it all. I was writing this script and I was worried about who could possibly pull off this part, and of course Emma could.”

He also explained that many share his sentiment. “Nobody ever has anything bad to say about Emma Stone,” he said. “Whenever I’ve mentioned I’m working with her on a movie, people brighten up, ‘Oh I love her!’ I know why they do. She’s just adorable.”

He also revealed that he first saw Stone in ‘Crazy Stupid Love‘, a film we love a lot.

Allen had nice things to say about Amy Schumer in Vulture. Schumer’s new film ‘Trainwreck‘ features a nod to Manhattan in a scene with Bill Hader.

Allen is familiar with Schumer and says he’s a fan of her work. “You know, being a comedian myself, I have a tremendous admiration and respect for all these people,” he said. “I used to think that, Oh, I was so great, and there’s so many comedians, and they’re second-rate. And then I watched them on cable television, and I thought, My God, I’m nowhere near as good as any of these people! I have a tremendous respect for all of them; it’s amazing how good they are and how much better than I was all of them are, including her.”

3 News in New Zealand picked up on some comments from Allen about his diet.

Cholesterol will kill me and I’m trying to live long – so I’ve given up all the joys in life. Chocolate malts, spare ribs… All the things that really make life worth living, I can’t have any more. You give them up because you have the illusion that if you do that you’re going to live longer.

My father lived to 100 and he smoked Chesterfields [cigarettes] every day and ate two eggs every morning. He also ate ribs and ice-cream!

Finally, WSJ has a video of Allen from the recent red carpet in New York.

Irrational Man‘ is now open in many cities in the US and will open wide on 7th August. Find all cities at the Irrational Man website.

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3 Comments

  1. Trumps quick cameo in Celebrity was great. If I remember right, in his scene he said the he wanted to do a little rip down job on St. Patrick’s Cathedral and put up some condos.

    And speaking of Celebrity, hey Twilight Time, if you’re out there, how about some Celebrity on bluray. Lets be honest, whats better than Charlize Theron AND especially Famke Janssen in high-definition. Famke looked incredible in black and white in that film!!!

    Woody always has the best taste!

  2. “Cafe Society” was a masterpiece. Like the Coens’ “Hail Caesar!,” it was a self-referential look at the old Hollywood studio system, and all the ambition and backstabbing that went along with it. Brilliantly lighting, color and set design. So why wasn’t it nominated for a few Oscars? Better that than “Moonlight.”

    Woody lives. And that’s all that is needed to be said.

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