Exclusive Interview: Robert Luketic

Interview by Clint Morris

Interview with Robert Luketic
Directed the movie Monster-In-Law & Legally Blonde.
Monster-In-Law movie review.

She's got her much-admired buttocks insured for a pricely sum, requires an on-set luxury motor home and private villa, asked the producers of her most recent film to take her hairdresser's $10,000-a-day charge out of the film's budget, abuses her employees for no real reason but the fact that she can, is severely picky about anyone that's in her presence, has her bodyguards physically keep any admirers away - even those old friends "from the block", and reportedly went ballistic at a nail salon when she couldn't get in for an immediate appointment because they simply couldn't fit her in.

Just a few rumours about Hollywood mega-star Jennifer Lopez. And a few rumours Monster-In-Law director Robert Luketic is happy to put to rest, as Clint Morris found out...

Robert Luketic directed Legally Blonde and more recently Monster-In-Law, and is now gearing up for the new big '$' Dallas movie

"I can honestly look your in the face and say she was just the sweetest, most open person. More so than anyone else I've worked with," the director of Monster-In-Law, promoting the film in Melbourne, says candidly.

"I [too] thought I was going to be working with a monster. I thought I would have to bow to twelve people before the question [I'd asked] made it to Lopez who's sitting on a throne. That's really what I was led to believe - from tabloids and all that sort of shit."

One report said Lopez would arrive on the set with a mammoth entourage. "[It said] Jennifer Lopez arrived with an entourage of 56 people. I was like 'I was there - she [only] came in with a bodyguard," says Robert Luketic.

Luketic says Lopez's reputation can be blamed on her 'people'.

"You have to understand that in my business we are handled by many, many people. We have a lot of people in our lives who say they represent us - attorneys, managers, agents - and it becomes this huge thing, and sometimes they misrepresent the real people that we are.

"And they will do that - sometimes to create this air of mystery or air of inaccessibility. [Thankfully] Jennifer Lopez had a whole regime change - she fired everyone that was responsible for that monster."

Luketic says Lopez deserves a better rep. She didn't make $240 million dollars by sitting on her rump. She "deserves some respect," he declares.

As does he - the director has put in some hard miles to get where he is.

A graduate of the esteemed Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Luketic came to attention as the director of a low-budget short called Tisiani Booberini that went on to win rave reviews when it was unspooled in 1997. Unfortunately, it couldn't help him snag a paid job in Australia.

"I couldn't get a music video, or a TV commercial, or an episode of 'Home and Away' to save my life," he says. "I had debts of $30,000 from neighbours and family - and had to go to the Australian Film Commission, where I answered phones, to pay off the loan."

When it became apparent that he was going to have to cross the seas for work, Luketic came knocking on Hollywood's door. His first film, Legally Blonde (2001), a unique comedy about a seemingly daft blonde who turns super-lawyer, was a smash hit - but he never envisioned it being anywhere near as popular.

"I never expected Legally Blonde to do what it did. If it went straight to video I would've been happy. [I guess it was my] first feature - I had to keep my expectations in check."

When the film made a staggering $95+ million at the box office, the studio wanted a sequel - but Luketic didn't want in.

"That was a bloodbath - they couldn't understand why I didn't want to do it," he says. "I simply didn't respond to the material - it didn't matter how much money they threw at me, it wasn't the way I was going to go out. What happens in Hollywood is that there becomes a point when it's all about making money, which is the point of my whole business mind you, but every good film should still be a good balance of commerce and art."

The filmmaker says he couldn't even pull himself to see the sequel. "I saw a bit of it and I was freaked out."

After the success of Legally Blonde, the offers to direct more romantic comedies kept coming to Luketic though. Intrigued by its concept, he chose Win a Date with Tad Hamilton as his follow-up project.

Luketic seems forlorn to discuss the film.

"It didn't do as well as I wanted it do, and it was a hard movie to make - there was a lot of disagreements. Too many cooks in the kitchen," he says of the 2004 comedy that starred Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace and Josh Duhamel. "I guess I'm spoilt in that the first movie [Legally Blonde] did well [and this didn't]. They were all good kids and we had fun making it - but it just wasn't the typical set I'd like to have."

Luketic's latest film, Monster-In-Law, was a much more rewarding experience - it came about because of his life-long obsession with Academy Award Winner Jane Fonda.

J-lo and J-fo (Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda) in Robert Luketic's latest film

"I've always been a fan of Jane Fonda and I offered her a role in Legally Blonde, believe it or not, and was told she's married now and out of the business," he explains. "Anyway, I stuck around and waited and eventually my agent, who knew how much I was into her, got in touch with me about a script that Fonda was interested in."

When he was informed that Jennifer Lopez was keen to co-star with the legendary actress in this film, Luketic's brow was raised even higher. "I thought the idea of J-lo and J-fo at each other's throats could be really interesting," he smiles. "Jane wanted to come back and do something fun - something outrageous and fun."

Despite what those pesky tabloids say, Luketic says it was a really pleasant set - everyone got on marvellously. "First thing Jane Fonda said to me when she saw me was 'Oh God, you're a child,' so that broke the ice, that was good," he laughs. "All of us related as human beings."

Alias star Michael Vartan plays the role of Lopez's love interest in the movie, and comedienne Wanda Sykes plays Fonda's long-suffering live-in assistant.

"I've known Michael for a long time. He read for a role in Legally Blonde, the role Luke Wilson ultimately got, and we've maintained a friendship - seen each other at bars and stuff. He's one of the gentlemen of Hollywood," he says.

"Wanda Sykes is one of the great surprises of the movie. The role was originally written for a 45-50 year old Jewish woman living in Jane's house as her caretaker for many years. Something was too obvious about it. Someone showed me a tape of Wanda and I fell off my chair and called the studio and asked for an immediate re-write [of the character] - specifically for her."

Monster-In-Law opened at #1 at the U.S. box office, but surprisingly, the studio hasn't come to him with an idea for a sequel yet.

"We're not talking sequel, but on the set Wanda, Jane and I talked about the possibility of pairing them together again [for something else]. The dynamic they had as a sidekick couple was very funny."

That's a long ways down the track though, because Luketic has quite a few projects to get through first - including a film based on the character of adventurer Matt Helm, based on the novel by Donald Hamilton ("That's a very ambitious project. There have been quite a few writers that have come and gone. I've almost cracked it but that's such a special thing that that's going to be given the time it needs to."), and the highly anticipated film version of 80's TV fave, 'Dallas'.

"Robert Harling, who did Steel Magnolias, is writing that and I'm flying to Cape Cod when I get back (from the promotional tour in Australia) to see where he's up to."

Luketic says he hired Harling to write the film because he believes he's got what it takes to make it a unique picture and not simply another junky retool of an old TV show.

"TV shows that are [either] just a bunch of action sequences put together or some stupid high-concept '80s thing, and they really drive me crazy," he says. "This is a creative story, characters and narrative. It's politics, it's greed, it's family, and it's corruption - just incredible."

Luketic says he has even met some real life Ewing's. "We researched these families that are in Dallas. They have wealth beyond your wildest imagination - these people own nuclear power plants, they run their own healthcare facilities in small countries, [and] in one family - each of the children have jets, right outside the house. We don't know who these people are, and this is my Dallas."

Still, those that watched the unforgettable soapie won't be alienated. "It's a delicate balance. We have an audience that love these iconic characters. We can't fuck with that too much. What we can do though, is be innovative with the plot, the scheming, and with the things that this family does.

"We're also making it accessible for people who know nothing about Dallas," he says, adding that the first part of the movie will summarise how the war between the Ewing's and the Barnes's started. "It's not about who shot J.R. It's about meeting this family - and going for a ride."

Luketic says although it won't be a flat-out comedy, it's unavoidable that the film will encompass some comedic elements. "It's so outrageous in the wealth and the excess that one cannot help but laugh," he says. "[But] These people are going to play the screenplay straight."

There's been an abundance of casting rumours - most recently, John Travolta as J.R Ewing - but Luketic remains tight lipped on whom they're looking at to fill the key roles. "I'm not allowed to comment on anything to do with casting on Dallas. I can't even deny [that rumour]. It's going to be a big cast. Big."

He can corroborate though, that filming will indeed take place in Dallas, Texas. "We're going to build the new Southport, we're going to build runways besides the house and applying for permits with the FAA so we can build a temporary tower so we can get Boeing 747's in."

All of the main characters will have their own planes, by the sounds. "J.R has a BBJ (Boeing Business Jet), so does Jock, Bobby has a G5 - all the kids have G5's except Sue-Ellen who has an old lead jet, which she complains about because it makes a funny noise, and she asks J.R for a new one."

Monster-In-Law commences in cinemas on Thursday July 21st.

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