Reel life: Sam Elliott liked what he saw in 'Grandma' script

'Grandma' director, actor dish on film

Actor Sam Elliott stars in director/writer Paul Weitz's new comedy “Grandma,” with Lily Tomlin as a middle-aged lesbian on a mission to help her pregnant granddaughter.

The filmmakers came to Chicago last week. We talked.

Q. Mr. Elliott, “Grandma” gives you the best written character (Tomlin's ex-husband) you've played in years. Did you know this when you read the script?

SE. You know I'm always looking for what's on the page, and it was there in spades with Paul's script. I felt there was something really special there. The opportunity to go at it with Lily Tomblin really allowed me to do what I wanted to do with the character.

Q. On HuffPost Live, you told an interviewer that Hollywood is hard on older actors and is focused on youth. Is it any worse today than during the late '60s or early '70s when movies such as “Wild in the Streets” championed putting people over 30 in concentration camps?

SE. It's different from it was in the '70s, for sure. I barely even remember them as I'm sitting here right now. But it's a typical thing with Hollywood, historically. I don't think Hollywood has ever been accused of celebrating old age. It's always celebrated youth and vitality. Out with the old, in with the new. At the same time, you're throwing the baby out with the bath water.

When you shove old people aside, you're losing something, I think. They have life experience. They're there to enlighten the youth of the world. If you deny those people these opportunities, you're selling society short.

Q. Let's be fair. At 71, you're practically the poster guy for vitality as a Hollywood elder statesman.

SE. I appreciate that. It's all an act, I assure you.

Q. Paul Weitz, what was the best part of directing Sam Elliott?

PW. I got to be the first audience to see the performance that he was giving with Lily Tomlin. There's that moment when, as director, you let go, and watch the actors do things you didn't anticipate. Then, you support them by making sure what they're doing winds up in the movie.

Q. You movie lasts 80 minutes. It's an extremely lean piece of filmmaking. You weren't tempted to fill out the running time to 90 minutes?

PW. I was liberated by the very simple story and plot. I wanted every character you saw to be the tip of an iceberg. I liked the pressure I put on the movie. It was a real sprint, in a way.

Q. Mr. Elliott, you've been married to the lovely Katharine Ross for 31 years. What's your secret to longevity in a relationship, especially on the war-torn domestic front of Hollywood?

SE. You have to be fortunate and get together with the right one. After that, it's hard work. We've been together for 35 years. Married for 31.

Q. Any advice for the poor souls caught up in the Ashley Madison scandal?

SE. You've got to be a real idiot in this day, of where we are technologically, to think you can get away with anything. Someone's going to find out.

Film critics notebook:

• The romantic comedy “Coasting” (2010), shot in the Northwest suburbs, will be presented by the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the Star Cinema Grill, 53 S. Evergreen Ave., Arlington Heights. Directed and cowritten (with David Grelck) by Fremd High School grad Michael Noens. $6 online admission; $8 at the door. Go to starcinemagrill.net or bwiff.com for tickets.

• It's back! Dann & Raymond's Movie Club begins its ninth season of film commentary with “Presenting the Films of Robin Williams” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. Free admission! Clips from such classics as “Good Will Hunting,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Hook” and a special montage tribute. Go to schaumburglibrary.org.

Mark your calendars for upcoming Movie Club programs: “Off to See the Wizard! The Great Fantasy Films” (Oct. 1), “Our Verdict is In: The Great Courtroom Movies” (Nov. 5), “There is No Try: 'Star Wars' We Do!” (Dec. 3). Check in with Facebook's Dann & Raymond's Movie Club public group.

• Dann Gire's Reel Life column runs Friday in Time out!