Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Interview With Stanley Tucci, Michael Burke

Aired January 20, 2003 - 10:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood does not miss a beat, going from the Golden Globe Awards last night on to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Hollywood looking for the next big hit, the next big surprise hit. So, a ten-day movie marathon has started in Park City. It started out as a small alternative to the big Hollywood movie scene, but the film festival has grown into a magnet for Hollywood headliners, also award hopefuls, including down the line Oscar hopefuls.
One of the films playing at Sundance is called "Mudge Boy." It is movie described as a modern American fable about a boy who loses his mother and he finds comfort in, of all things, his pet chicken.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can calm a chicken by putting its head in your mouth. My mom showed me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mom was a weirdo, too?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: I think he just put that chicken's head in his mouth. We're going to have to find out more about that. We have joining us, from the Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah, Stanley Tucci. He is executive producer of this project, and we also have the director, Michael Burke. Gentlemen, thanks for getting up and bundling up and coming to join us this morning.

STANLEY TUCCI, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

MICHAEL BURKE, DIRECTOR: Thanks for having us, yes.

KAGAN: First, explain to me that clip, because I think our viewers might be a little taken aback. Did he really just put that chicken's head in his mouth?

BURKE: Yes, he did. He really did.

KAGAN: Go ahead.

TUCCI: It's a true thing, right? It is an actual thing.

BURKE: It is a true thing, yes. That's a real chicken, and he did put it in his mouth. That's part -- it's one of the things -- the young man is dealing with the death of his mother, and this is -- through the story we sort of find out about her character and their relationship, and this is one of the things that she had shown him, how to calm a chicken.

KAGAN: OK. So we're not cutting away before some kind of Ozzy Osbourne moment or something?

BURKE: No, no.

TUCCI: It's not that kind of movie, no.

KAGAN: Stanley, you know, we're so used to seeing you -- of course, you wear many hats. You're wearing a snow hat today.

TUCCI: I am wearing a small, black hat today, yes.

KAGAN: Yes. As actor, director, executive producer this time around. What brought you into this project?

TUCCI: Well, I go to the Sundance Institute in the summer to work as an adviser and I saw Michael there -- met Michael there a couple of years ago, saw his short film, and read the script. I thought it was beautiful, and talked to my producing partners about getting it done, and we did get it done. It took us about two years to get the money, but we got the movie made. It's a beautiful movie, and has great response here at Sundance. So we're very happy we have come full circle.

KAGAN: And Michael, since this is your movie, tell me the basic story, a little bit more than what we just talked about.

BURKE: Sure. "The Mudge Boy" basically -- it's a story of a father and son dealing with the recent death of the mother, and how the two men grieve differently. The boy acts out in strange and humorous ways, and his farmer father would like him to grieve like a normal person, just move on, and nobody wants to talk about it.

KAGAN: So, a very emotional getting to the core kind of movie. Stanley, you are the Hollywood veteran here. Explain to me how Sundance works. As I understand, it is about getting the deal, right? The movie is made, but you want to get it seen.

TUCCI: Yes, the movie's made, and the movie is made beautifully, and the people respond well. And then, you hope that a distributor latches on to it and buys it, and we've been very lucky to have a number of phone calls already, and so talks have already started, so we are very happy, but that is how it works, and that's part of what the festival is for. Sometimes you have a distributor simply for -- to get your movie seen, and to get some press. But a lot of times, it is for distribution, to help little movies sort of get a leg up.

KAGAN: So let's put a little plug out there. You have not signed a deal, right guys?

TUCCI: No, we haven't signed a deal yet. BURKE: Not yet. Not yet.

TUCCI: But the offers are coming in.

KAGAN: They're pouring in, so don't snooze on this one because this is your big chance. I'm just coming off the Golden Globes, spending the night watching all of the awards. How will it work over the next year, to go from where you are now, looking for a distributor, to perhaps seeing both of you on the red carpet next year at the Golden Globes and perhaps Oscar?

TUCCI: Well, it would be awfully nice. We'll keep our fingers crossed, but we won't hold our breath.

KAGAN: You won't hold your breath, but we can see your breath.

TUCCI: You can see our breath, that's right. That's right.

KAGAN: It's a little chilly there in Park City this morning. We'll let you bundle up and head back inside. We wish you good luck at the festival, and especially getting some big bucks for that distribution deal.

TUCCI: Thank you so much.

BURKE: Thank you.

KAGAN: Michael Burke, Stanley Tucci, thanks for joining us.

TUCCI: Thanks for having us.

KAGAN: Appreciate it. Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 20, 2003 - 10:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood does not miss a beat, going from the Golden Globe Awards last night on to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Hollywood looking for the next big hit, the next big surprise hit. So, a ten-day movie marathon has started in Park City. It started out as a small alternative to the big Hollywood movie scene, but the film festival has grown into a magnet for Hollywood headliners, also award hopefuls, including down the line Oscar hopefuls.
One of the films playing at Sundance is called "Mudge Boy." It is movie described as a modern American fable about a boy who loses his mother and he finds comfort in, of all things, his pet chicken.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can calm a chicken by putting its head in your mouth. My mom showed me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mom was a weirdo, too?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: I think he just put that chicken's head in his mouth. We're going to have to find out more about that. We have joining us, from the Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah, Stanley Tucci. He is executive producer of this project, and we also have the director, Michael Burke. Gentlemen, thanks for getting up and bundling up and coming to join us this morning.

STANLEY TUCCI, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

MICHAEL BURKE, DIRECTOR: Thanks for having us, yes.

KAGAN: First, explain to me that clip, because I think our viewers might be a little taken aback. Did he really just put that chicken's head in his mouth?

BURKE: Yes, he did. He really did.

KAGAN: Go ahead.

TUCCI: It's a true thing, right? It is an actual thing.

BURKE: It is a true thing, yes. That's a real chicken, and he did put it in his mouth. That's part -- it's one of the things -- the young man is dealing with the death of his mother, and this is -- through the story we sort of find out about her character and their relationship, and this is one of the things that she had shown him, how to calm a chicken.

KAGAN: OK. So we're not cutting away before some kind of Ozzy Osbourne moment or something?

BURKE: No, no.

TUCCI: It's not that kind of movie, no.

KAGAN: Stanley, you know, we're so used to seeing you -- of course, you wear many hats. You're wearing a snow hat today.

TUCCI: I am wearing a small, black hat today, yes.

KAGAN: Yes. As actor, director, executive producer this time around. What brought you into this project?

TUCCI: Well, I go to the Sundance Institute in the summer to work as an adviser and I saw Michael there -- met Michael there a couple of years ago, saw his short film, and read the script. I thought it was beautiful, and talked to my producing partners about getting it done, and we did get it done. It took us about two years to get the money, but we got the movie made. It's a beautiful movie, and has great response here at Sundance. So we're very happy we have come full circle.

KAGAN: And Michael, since this is your movie, tell me the basic story, a little bit more than what we just talked about.

BURKE: Sure. "The Mudge Boy" basically -- it's a story of a father and son dealing with the recent death of the mother, and how the two men grieve differently. The boy acts out in strange and humorous ways, and his farmer father would like him to grieve like a normal person, just move on, and nobody wants to talk about it.

KAGAN: So, a very emotional getting to the core kind of movie. Stanley, you are the Hollywood veteran here. Explain to me how Sundance works. As I understand, it is about getting the deal, right? The movie is made, but you want to get it seen.

TUCCI: Yes, the movie's made, and the movie is made beautifully, and the people respond well. And then, you hope that a distributor latches on to it and buys it, and we've been very lucky to have a number of phone calls already, and so talks have already started, so we are very happy, but that is how it works, and that's part of what the festival is for. Sometimes you have a distributor simply for -- to get your movie seen, and to get some press. But a lot of times, it is for distribution, to help little movies sort of get a leg up.

KAGAN: So let's put a little plug out there. You have not signed a deal, right guys?

TUCCI: No, we haven't signed a deal yet. BURKE: Not yet. Not yet.

TUCCI: But the offers are coming in.

KAGAN: They're pouring in, so don't snooze on this one because this is your big chance. I'm just coming off the Golden Globes, spending the night watching all of the awards. How will it work over the next year, to go from where you are now, looking for a distributor, to perhaps seeing both of you on the red carpet next year at the Golden Globes and perhaps Oscar?

TUCCI: Well, it would be awfully nice. We'll keep our fingers crossed, but we won't hold our breath.

KAGAN: You won't hold your breath, but we can see your breath.

TUCCI: You can see our breath, that's right. That's right.

KAGAN: It's a little chilly there in Park City this morning. We'll let you bundle up and head back inside. We wish you good luck at the festival, and especially getting some big bucks for that distribution deal.

TUCCI: Thank you so much.

BURKE: Thank you.

KAGAN: Michael Burke, Stanley Tucci, thanks for joining us.

TUCCI: Thanks for having us.

KAGAN: Appreciate it. Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com