A new existential tragicomedy «In Memoriam» , which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, will be the perfect platform to showcase Marc Maron's acting chops.
In the film, Maron, exploring the insecurities, anxieties, and contradictions that have long driven his comedy world, plays Langston, a TV veteran who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, becomes obsessed with creating an Oscars montage of "In Memory of the Dead," while reconnecting with the teenage daughter (Talia Ryder) he never knew and helping him rethink his priorities.
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At the core film "In Memory"« The film centers on the father-daughter relationship, and features a star-studded cast including Lily Gladstone, Judy Greer, Michael McKean, Justin Long, Alan Rook, and Sharon Stone. The film was directed by Rob Burnett, David Letterman's right-hand man for nearly 30 years, who worked on two late-night television shows and his production company, Worldwide Pants. This is his next film after «"The Basics of Care"» starring Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, and Selena Gomez, which Netflix acquired at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Burnett experienced a touching personal story when his son accidentally broke one of his Emmy Awards, which led him to think about legacy and what's truly important in his life.
Ahead of its Tribeca Film Festival premiere, Burnett and Maron spoke with Deadline about the making of their new film, with Maron opening up about his feelings about the death of his co-star Lynn Shelton and the existentially "terrifying" experience he had.
Burnett shares Letterman's commentary on fame, reflecting on show business's tendency to fill an inner void "through the adoration of many," while Maron opens up about his emotional journey of overcoming loss and how he's coping with the "emptiness" he faced after ending his 16-year podcast. WTF .
DEADLINE: Rob, what was the initial impetus for starting this project?
ROB BURNETT: The topic of heritage has always interested me greatly. Several circumstances prompted me to pursue this. Firstly, when I was working at «The Late Show» , We won several Emmys, and all my Emmys were going straight to Florida, to my parents, where all show business trophies are supposed to go. Because they could proudly display them. But one of them somehow ended up in my son's room, literally on a shelf next to his little hockey trophies and stuff. One Sunday morning, I was making pancakes in the kitchen for my daughters and my wife, and he walks in. He was about eight years old, and he was holding the Emmy, and he dropped it, and it shattered. His face was pale, and he was in complete panic, because something so important had happened, and I remember that moment, I looked at his face, I looked at that Emmy statue, and I said to myself, "This face is all I'm going to remember. This Emmy means nothing compared to everything that's going on in this room." And eventually, my writer's brain started wondering, "What if that weren't the case? What if all I cared about was this Emmy? What if I didn't have this Emmy, but I always wanted one?" Somehow, that became the main plot line, which I think is the "In Memoriam" montage at the Oscars.
DEADLINE: This is your first film after «"The Basics of Care »", published ten years ago. Do you tend to develop a number of ideas simultaneously?
BURNETT: Yes, I've been working on various projects quite steadily that never got off the ground. So, like a farmer, I'm constantly growing something, and you never know what's going to happen. I wrote this script quite a while ago, it was sitting on my computer. Nothing much was happening with it, and then I pulled it out, looked at it, and said, "I think this is something." And it all became reality when Mark said yes.
DEADLINE: Were you familiar with each other from your work on late-night TV shows?
BURNETT: Well, here's the funny thing: "Not really." But when I moved from head writer to executive producer in 1996, «The Late Show» , the first comedian I booked was Marc Maron. I don't want to exaggerate like I found him. What actually happened was we had a woman named Zoe Friedman, whose father was the great Budd Friedman. She was in charge of booking our comedians, and the first day I took over, I said to Zoe, "Okay, who are the comedians you've been trying to book on the show that you couldn't get?" She brought me this big stack of tapes, and I looked at them and just said, "Oh, let's book this guy." It was Marc. And I said, "And then, 30 years later, we'll make a movie together." Laughs ]
MARC MARON: Yes, I remember him saying that. It was strange.
BURNETT: He came out and I remember you were absolutely amazing. You made me look good.
MAROON: Oh yeah, that was a good show, the first episode. «Letterman» . On the day of the show, for some reason I wore a shiny suit I bought at Calvin Klein here in New York, and it was a little big on me.
DEADLINE: Mark, in some ways, the lead role seems like a perfect fit for you. What was it about the script that so captivated you?
MAROON: Well, I understand that feeling. I understand the guy. It's weird when people say he was made specifically for me, because, frankly, I feel much more neurotic than the guy. I notice that there's a bit of selfishness in my personality, but I don't think the guy really, until the third act or the middle of the film, reflects on his actions, on who he is, or anything like that—which is what I'm doing now. But that selfishness, I definitely found funny, and I felt like I understood it.
DEADLINE: When I say "custom," I'm referring to the interest you've shown in previous projects in honestly examining things like petty insecurities and vanity for comedic purposes.
MAROON: Sure. I think I understand the guy on that level. But what I found interesting, and this is something I relate to from my experience growing up, is this real lack of fundamental self-awareness about how you impact other people. The idea that the entire balance of this movie hinged on this dynamic with Talia, my daughter, was fascinating because it really had to work, otherwise everything would fall apart. So of all the people I worked with in this movie, working with her, in terms of trying to do different things as an actor, was a real breakthrough, and I thought it was a really enjoyable experience.
DEADLINE: You and Talia demonstrate excellent compatibility. Tell us more about how you will work with her to create a father-daughter relationship.
MAROON: I think she just showed up, and I met her there. I don't have children, and I think that probably helped the character because I didn't really understand how to live with my own child. Because that's exactly what was going on in that situation. But I think we just clicked. If there's one thing I'm confident in as an actor, it's being open and being able to listen and connect with the emotions that are written on paper if they're coming from the person I'm talking to. And the script is so well written that a lot of that is there. So I think our emotional openness just led to the chemistry between us, and it happened pretty quickly.
BURNETT: When we were casting, I was so happy and excited that Mark agreed, but everything he says is absolutely true. I knew the success of the film would depend solely on the chemistry between him and his daughter. And I didn't think we'd get Talia. I really wanted her, and in the end, we got her. But still, you never know: no matter how good the actors are individually, they have to find something special.
But what was funny from my perspective was that we had a very informal table read at our producer's house. It was the first time I'd seen them together, and the first time I'd heard the script out loud, and I had this feeling of, "I think we have a chance. They're just reading the script." But then I actually remember we went out and had a little dinner. There weren't many actors there. I think it was Michael McKean, Mark, Talia, myself, and a couple of producers.
MAROON: Yes, at Crossroads.
BURNETT: Right. I seated Mark and Talia next to each other because it was important. But at one point I was talking to Michael McKean at the other end of the table, and I looked down and saw the two of them. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but just watching them, I said to myself, "We're going to make a movie." Because I thought they were such different people. I was watching Mark, watching his body language, and I was thinking, "He can't be himself around this girl. He needs to somehow control himself around her." And that's what the whole movie is about: this girl transforms him from his inner world to his outer world, and that's not easy to play. And he has to understand the nuances of that, which he did better than anything I've written. So everything Mark says is true: the movie hinges on their chemistry, and I give it all to the two of them.
DEADLINE: At the heart of the film is the contradiction surrounding Langston's values—he prioritizes the admiration of many over the love of a few, which works to his detriment. How common do you think this mindset is in show business?
BURNETT: I think that element exists in everyone who works in show business. I think it's heightened if you're in front of the camera, but at the core of show business for anyone—for me, for anyone I know who's in it—there's a part that's like, "Hey, look at me, look at what I can do. Like me and what I do." Then, it depends on your personality, and I think that's definitely heightened if you're in front of the camera. Because it's really you; I can hide more. But yeah. It's probably a cliché, but cliches exist for a reason. I think a lot of people are trying to fill some gaps in order to gain everyone's admiration.
David Letterman once told me something about fame that I'll never forget. I remember him saying, "It's never about you, it's about them." I've seen fame firsthand many times thanks to David and my travels. «The Late Show» . Selena Gomez was more famous in my last film than I've ever seen her, to be honest. And that's interesting. Mark, as someone who's actually famous, can talk about it better than I can, of course. I think it all depends on how much you decide to use it for. But I think there's a limit to how much it can truly fulfill you.
MAROON: I'm lucky that my fame is still fairly specific and average. My fans know me better than most in terms of parasocial relationships, thanks to my public persona, and they're all quite polite. But lately, I've realized, simply in terms of how social media works and what we really need, that the need for that kind of approval or just those "Good job" comments—I probably rely on it more than I should, and I need to figure out how to let go of it.
DEADLINE: What was the process of getting funding for the film like?
BURNETT: I think when Mark said, "Yeah, we have a movie," I was in a weird position. My last movie, «"Fundamentals of Care"» , did surprisingly well. Netflix bought it as an original project before Sundance, and I know with independent films, you just hope to survive, but we actually made money. So I had a group of investors, and they were constantly trying to get me. They wanted to say, «Let’s try it again. We really loved it.» But I wasn’t going to risk their money—and some of my own, too—until I felt like we had a real chance. I remember Mark calling me and saying he was on board. I said, «We’re going.» And, frankly, I raised the money pretty quickly.
Here's the funny thing about the script being written specifically for Mark: he's so good in the role, and it's so much like him, that I could lie and say I wrote it for him. But the truth is, I didn't. But I'll be honest, as soon as his name came up… I don't know why I hadn't thought of him before, because I loved him as an actor and a comedian; I just hadn't thought of it for some reason. But as soon as my producer, Nicky Weinstock, said "Mark," I said "yes," even before the second syllable of "Maron." I was like, "Yeah, that's the guy, that's the one." And I said to Mark's manager, "Now that we have Mark in the movie, I'm going to go and do a draft with Mark." And he just said, "How?" And I went into a rewrite, and I was like, "Yeah..." I mean, I only changed three words. Like, "I don't think he would say that." That's it. I think it really was meant to be.
MAROON: Well, I didn't know that. It's pretty funny.
DEADLINE: You had quite a stellar cast—great roles for Alan Ruck, Justin Long, Lily Gladstone, Sharon Stone, and many others. What did it take to make this project happen in that regard?
BURNETT : [It's] a better cast than I deserve, and for the two most prominent roles, I have to give Mark credit as a producer. He had a relationship with Sharon and Lily, and without that relationship, I don't think the movie would have worked. In fact, the day before her scene with Mark, we set up a Zoom call for Sharon and I. I was working; it was during lunch on the day of shooting, and I was on Zoom, and Sharon says to me, "I just have to tell you something." That's the scariest thing a writer/director can hear from an actress, let alone an actress of Sharon Stone's stature. The first thing she says is, "I just have to tell you something. I agreed to do this because of Mark. I haven't read the script." And my jaw literally dropped. I just thought, "Okay, this is a disaster." [But] she said, "And then I read it," and then she started praising the script and how much she loved it. I just thought, "Oh, this is not how I expected it to turn out.".
So, Sharon and Lily came into being thanks to Mark. I've had a long-standing relationship with Justin. I kind of discovered Justin when he was still a kid and invited him to appear on my TV show.« Ed"» , when he was 19. He only had one line in the pilot, and he was so good that he became a regular, and that's how it all started. Judy [Greer]—I know a lot of people who know her, so I kind of had a relationship with her, and Rak…
I think they liked the script. I also think Mark is well-liked and truly captivating. Besides the people he's developed special relationships with, Mark's presence adds a certain coolness and credibility to the character.
MAROON: It's weird because over the course of my podcast and interviews, I think, other than Justin, all of these people have been on my show before [ WTF ] before. I feel like I have a pretty deep connection with people on the podcast, and sometimes, in situations like this, it makes me believe it. I mean, I have really long, in-depth conversations with these people. I don't know what impact I have or what they think of me, but I always feel really close to these people, even if I've only talked to them for an hour or so.
Sharon became very close to me. We were recording a podcast, and she was very supportive… We weren't romantically involved, but after my partner Lynn Shelton died, Sharon was very supportive and always there for me, reaching out.
Lily, I was in Vancouver filming. TV series "Stick"« for Apple TV, and I interviewed Lily again. She was in Vancouver, and we had dinner, and she was just talking about how much she wanted to do a comedy. And then, a few months later, when Rob told me about this project, I was like, "I know Lily wants to do a comedy." So I just texted her and said, "I think I have a comedy for you." And that was it.
DEADLINE: Tell us how you were able to convey the existential reality your character faces. I imagine your experience of losing Lynn somehow influenced your performance.
MAROON: The thought of cancer, of course, was something I kept going over and over in my head, being a hypochondriac, and the feeling of actually being confronted with something terrifying—that element, I hope I played well, because there's horror in it. I think I really connected with Lynn in the scene with Sharon, and I've said this before, because I wasn't confident in myself as an actress. Before we started filming, I was insecure about acting, and the thought of playing an actress made me think, "Oh, okay. Well, I'll give it a try." But when I got to the scene with Sharon, I didn't know if I could cry. You know, it called for crying, and I told her so. I said, "I just don't know.".
It happened after I panicked before shooting a scene. We did two takes, two key ones, then we had lunch, and I just didn’t think I could perform. I felt like she was going to eat me for lunch, and I was about to lose my mind in my trailer thinking, «What am I doing? This is Sharon Stone, how am I going to do this?» And then I had just interviewed Al Pacino, so I wrote down some of what he was talking about, and that calmed me down a little bit. Then, after lunch, we shot the scene, and I told her I didn’t know if I could cry. She said, «Don’t worry. You either can or you can’t. [Maybe] we’ll have to use mentholated water or something.» Then she said, «I think you can cry. What makes you cry?» And I said, «I’m an old man. A lot of things make me cry.» I understood that she was talking about Lynn and tried to use it, but my acting isn't that precise and reliable. I didn't quite know how to use it, but I tried to immerse myself in that state to experience similar feelings.
I asked her, «Are you talking about Lynn?» She said, «Well, yeah.» I said, «I’m thinking about that.» She said, «Well, look, do the scene for Lynn, and I’ll make sure she’s here.» That’s what she said. And I was like, «Wow!» I think what ultimately pushed me into it was the feeling of Lynn watching over me. Lynn has always been very supportive of my acting career and very protective of me; I don’t know if I would have pursued it as much as I did if it weren’t for Lynn. She directed me in the movie and a few specials, so the thought of her seeing me in action really pushed me into it.
DEADLINE: You were featured in the wonderful documentary "« Is everything okay with us? »", which tells the story of your experience of Lynn's death. Could you talk about how you've dealt with the issue at the heart of your character's journey—the search for hope and joy, even when loss is inevitable? stands before us?
MAROON: As for my personal life, I don't know. I still have some issues, you know? But I think in the film, and probably in life, opening yourself up to love of any kind, whether it's an estranged daughter, a partner, or whatever, seems to be the essence, what you really want to get to. You want to be open and available to love. Lynn and I haven't had a lot of time together, and I don't know where that leaves me, but emotionally, I'm not in the best place. But I'm trying to figure it out.
DEADLINE: You ended your podcast last fall. WTF After 16 years and nearly 1,700 episodes, leaving on your own terms. Was it strange for you to return to that? It seems like the conversations you had on the show helped you cope with life's ups and downs.
MAROON: It's weird. No one misses this job, and for 16 years I've interacted with pretty much everyone I wanted to talk to or who was willing to talk to me. My producer [Brendan McDonald] and I were working together, and it was a huge job—two new shows a week, which we hadn't missed in 16 years. So we were a little burned out. I don't know if I noticed it as much as he did, but oddly enough, I feel empty. It's not an unusual emptiness for me, because I've spent half my life as a comedian, so I'm used to just wandering around and thinking. But I think the emotional connection has been really good for me spiritually and psychologically. Not having shows is taking a toll on me a little bit, and it's not great, but I don't think I should rely on him for that. I need to figure out how to do that in my life, rather than just inviting strangers a few times a week. I think it's not easy and it throws me off a little bit, but I don't regret not being on the show anymore.
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