Soaring internet buzz equals powerhouse promise for Daniel Waters’ cinematic return in Sex and Death 101. News about Waters and his movie have wallpapered Los Angeles in anticipation of its big Friday night debut.
Writer-director Daniel Waters made his first splash in Hollywood with Winona Ryder’s breakout hit “Heathers”. Since then he has authored big-budget studio films like “Batman Returns” and Sly Stallone starrer “Demolition Man”. Almost twenty years later he has returned with a much-anticipated movie and again starring his good luck charm and now-double Oscar nominee Winona Ryder and TV’s Simon Baker.
Waters’ second directorial effort, “Sex and Death 101” is about when a guy’s (Baker) life is turned around by an email, which includes the names of everyone he’s had sex with and ever will have sex with. His situation gets worse when he encounters a femme fatale (Ryder) who targets men guilty of sex crimes.
The film is a date movie that is truly multi-genre. Romance. Comedy. Thriller. Even horror. Its depth is refreshing and it succeeds with character development where simple sex comedies like “American Pie” often limp along. The visuals are an upgrade for Waters from his first film “Happy Campers” and the supporting performances offer great moments with recognizable faces. Stars Simon Baker and Winona Ryder sparkle on screen together asking for perhaps…a sequel?
LA’s the Place sat down with cult auteur Daniel Waters for a conversation:
LA’s The Place: Congratulations on the movie. I really enjoyed it. I walked in expecting a sexy romantic comedy. I didn’t anticipate the twists in the story.
Daniel Waters: Well, thank you. It’s not just a romantic comedy or a sex comedy. There’s thriller and horror throughout too. I call it a sex farce for people who have actually had sex. There’s some depth and feeling to it. It is supposed to be an adult sex farce from the 1970s with themes and ideas common in movies like “Carnal Knowledge”, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice”, and “Shampoo”.
Back then, the guys played offense and now I think we play defense. We’re not calling the shots anymore, which in this movie is a good thing. [In our movie] even though he has this list saying all the girls he’s gonna have sex with, he still ends up getting an education. It isn’t just a fun-filled romp bedding women right and left. He does learn something along the way.
“’Groundhog Day’… with sex”
LATP: How did you pick this story?
DW: I open up the newspaper [and ask myself] what movie do I want to see, that I’m not seeing. That’s how “Heathers” got made too. These other high school movies aren’t dark enough.
[For ‘Sex and Death 101’] I wasn’t satisfied by the movies about sex that were out there. They were either too giddy, I call them ‘immature ejaculation movies’, or art films [that were] way too depressing and dark. Isn’t sex supposed to be fun? There’s got to be a happy medium between ‘sex can be fun’ and ‘sex messes up your mind’.LATP: How long did it take you to bring this story to the screen?
DW: The premise, beginning, middle and ending came pretty quickly back in the early 1990’s. But it goes in so many directions that I just let the idea soak in my brain for years and years, so I could just come up with different tangents. What if this, what if that. I came up with different combinations until you finally write something and then you have all these different acorns you’ve collected and that makes it a more fun process to write.
“It’s almost like I got 10 different movies with 10 different female leads all in one movie”
LATP: You have a great cast. How did you find your actors?
DW: The script freaked some people out. There’s always going to be people who don’t get my mixture of tones and how far I go with my humor. I guess women are used to being looked at as sexual beings, where some of the men took some time to get used to it.
Simon not only got the script, he [was comfortable with the character’s sexuality].
Trixie [Simon Baker’s on-screen assistant, played my Mindy Cohn] was an interesting part. She has to be this warm, comfortable figure. Almost an oasis we go back to after all these weird digressions.
For the other supporting cast, I have this thing, everyone there gets to do something fun. I try not to do “Waiter #3”. I want everyone, even the smallest part, to matter and for them to have a bit of business. I think it’s especially fun with the females of the movie. Some of them, their roles are smaller, but for that screen time they’re the star of the movie.
“Winona had this instant mystery to her already”
LATP: Obviously you have worked in the past with Winona. Did that make her casting an easy decision?
DW: Winona had this instant mystery to her already. We presented her initially [in the story] as a psychopath. She’s an unsettling presence nowadays and I kind of exploited that in a good way, in a way that she was involved with.
LATP: The story is very sexual. But it has several interesting ties with food.
DW: The parable of meaningless sex is like eating fast food. At the height of his sexual powers, [Simon’s character is] literally grabbing burgers off the conference table and eating them. And at the end, he’s finally having his first nourishing, healthy meal. That’s how you know he’s found the one.
LATP: The story has a lot of risque ideas. How do you think the audience will react?
DW: For my movies the audience needs a frame of reference through marketing or press to let them realize they’re in for something more dangerous. It’s not your typical sweet and fuzzy story.
LATP: A good portion of our readers are aspiring filmmakers and actors/actresses. As someone who’s had both studio and indie success, what kind of advice can you share with our readers?
DW: A lot of people are overly concerned with what’s hot and cool. You can’t be concerned with that stuff, just with whether you respond to the material. To make a splash it’s good to take a chance. So write that original piece. Or maybe as an actor, do that role that’s maybe not the most mainstream. Nobody likes generic.
LATP: What’s next for you?
DW: I have three projects going on. One is “The Dice Man”, based on a famous book. I’m developing it with my brother [director Mark Waters] (director of “Mean Girls”, “The Spiderwick Chronicles”). The second is adapting “Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy” a true story about a woman in the CIA. Lastly is a TV series for SciFi channel called “Earthlings”. A dark, subversive, perverted version of “Mork and Mindy” or “3rd Rock From the Sun”.
Sex and Death 101 is a fun date-movie with a bite. Sex and Death 101 stars Simon Baker and Winona Ryder. It opens Friday, April 4 in select theaters. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena and Manhattan, NY. For more information, please visit: www.SexandDeath101movie.com
