Daniel Bollag – Identical
Interview by Michael Rutkowski
Recently, IFQ sat down with Daniel Bollag, the writer and director of Identical starring Jonathan Togo and Ed Asner, to discuss his thoughts on his directorial debut and his future in filmmaking. Identical won Best Feature Film at the ITN Distribution Film and Webisode Festival. Because of the film’s success, it is now a part of ITN Distribution’s Cannes Market line up for the 2012 season. Identical is scheduled to hit Redbox in 2012.
IFQ: What was it like working with Jonathan Togo and Ed Asner?
Daniel Bollag (DB): Ed was such a pro, but I knew that coming in. What surprised me was his wonderful and wicked sense of humor. Jon was a dream for me. He was an untapped wealth of talent that was waiting to shine.
IFQ: What was the biggest challenge shooting one actor playing two roles in the film?
DB: It is always hard when an actor has to play two opposing parts especially when they are identical in appearance but opposites in nature. Jon put a lot of hard work into the role, which included a wonderful coach that helped Jon’s friend Sam Rockwell bring a similar feat into fruition with the film, Moon. The truth is, Jon nailed both characters in the audition. There was no one else we auditioned that could even touch him.
IFQ: The film has a twist; what are some of the challenges in keeping a secret from the audience?
DB: My thought was that in order to keep a secret from an audience successfully, it must constantly be revealed. By casually revealing the secret throughout the movie, the secret becomes invisible and will take an audience by surprise. On a second view, the reveals will seem quite obvious.
IFQ: The color scheme seems to be very dramatic. What is the symbolism of the hot and cold colors that appear throughout the film?
DB: It is meant to symbolize a dual reality of opposites. It is also meant to evoke passion and emptiness. Fire and ice.
IFQ: How did Jonathan Togo become attached to the project?
DB: Morman Boling Casting brought him to the table and he auditioned and killed it.
IFQ: How did Ed Asner become attached to the project?
DB: Our casting agency also brought him to the project. Of course, he required no audition.
IFQ: What was your inspiration in making the film?
DB: I was told a story in 1990. Captivated, I then transcribed the story for seven days into a novel called Memoirs of a Murder. Twenty years later, a producer in Hollywood read it and told me it was crying to be a movie. So here we are.
IFQ: What do you hope audiences get out of this film?
DB: I hope the audience understands how deep rejection can go and what the consequences can be when we withhold love.
IFQ: What’s next for you, new project in the works?
DB: I am doing a turn of the century gangster film, based on Vito Cascio Ferro, the first Boss to import the Cosa Nostra to America.