An Interview With Jerry Bruckheimer

[Naj]

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Nov. 17, 2003


Jerry Bruckheimer, producer


By Stephen Galloway
After a quarter-century at the top of the business, Jerry Bruckheimer is the envy of almost every producer in town. Not content to rest on the laurels of such films as 1984's "Beverly Hills Cop," 1986's "Top Gun" and his latest blockbuster, the July release "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," Bruckheimer this season has six TV series on the air, and at one point, three of his series ranked among the top 10 in the ratings -- unique in the annals of television. Somehow, in the midst of all this, he manages to find time with his novelist-wife, Linda, on their farm in Kentucky, and also runs a twice-weekly ice hockey game that, insiders attest, is not for the faint of heart. But just what makes Bruckheimer run is the great unknown. He ascribes his drive to a fear of failure, an opinion seconded by his close friend and frequent collaborator, Michael Bay. Still, with combined earnings for his feature films in excess of $13 billion -- and a reputed 7.5% of the studio's take on each movie he makes -- failure is a long way off for the multi-multimillionaire. Stephen Galloway for The Hollywood Reporter asked him recently about the man behind the movies.

The Hollywood Reporter: Everybody knows who you are, but few people know much about you. Where does the name Bruckheimer come from?
Jerry Bruckheimer: Both my parents were born in Germany. They must have come here in the '20s. They met each other here. They spoke German when they didn't want me to understand, but otherwise, we spoke English. I'm an only child.

THR: Did they instill your drive?
Bruckheimer: I don't know where it comes from -- fear of failure, I guess. I don't know. I like to do good work and get inspired. My parents were disappointed I didn't become a doctor or lawyer -- but they are pretty pleased with the outcome now. My dad was a salesman his whole life; my mom was a bookkeeper and housewife. I was born and raised in Detroit, didn't leave till I was 17 and went to the University of Arizona, where I majored in psychology with an algebra minor.

THR: What did that bring you?
Bruckheimer: It gives you an enormous amount of confidence as you survive it and get through it. It also gives you a lot of people skills -- all kinds of things.

THR: Is that where you became interested in film?
Bruckheimer: I was interested in film ever since I was a little kid and went to my first matinees. I remember loving (1957's) "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and (1962's) "Lawrence of Arabia" and (1959's) "The 400 Blows"; they inspired me. But did I think of going in the business then? No. You dream of it -- but I never thought it was for me because I had no introduction to the film business. I had no idea what to do.

THR: When did your thoughts turn to Hollywood?
Bruckheimer: That started in New York (where Bruckheimer worked as an ad executive) when I saw that other individuals had brushes with Hollywood. A producer who'd worked in Detroit had gone there and was involved with a movie, and I thought that if he could do it, maybe I could do it, too. Then I was producing a commercial for Pepsi-Cola, and (the) director said, "I'm going to do a movie, and I'd love you to work on it." And I said, "Sure, let's do it." That was (1972's) "The Culpepper Cattle Co."

THR: When did you meet the late Don Simpson?
Bruckheimer: I met Don at a screening of (1973's) "The Harder They Come" at Warner Bros. He was then a publicist for Warners and worked on their movies, and I was producing movies. I think I was working on (1975's) "Farewell, My Lovely." What happened is, I then got divorced and had no place to live, and he had a big house up in Laurel Canyon (an area of Los Angeles), and I moved in. We were only acquaintances -- I wouldn't say we were friends then, but we liked each other. He was there a year or two and then moved out, and I was there all that time. We didn't become partners until 1983, after he left (an executive job at) Paramount and after we'd produce (1983's) "Flashdance" together.

THR: He seemed to be your polar opposite. Is that a fair assessment?
Bruckheimer: That's true. He was very smart, had a great sense of humor, very funny. And he was an interesting guy, had a lot to say, very strong opinions. We had a lot of the same likes and dislikes.

THR: What did you learn from him?
Bruckheimer: Don was the consummate inside-the-studio guy. He was head of production (at Paramount) and knew how the studio system worked and how to make it work for you. He had a great sense of story: He developed hundreds of movies for Paramount, and that was something I hadn't done a lot of.

THR: How did things change after Simpson's death in 1996?
Bruckheimer: I'm always worried, never that confident. You worry: Can you do it on your own? And it turned out all right. I was worried about failure: Would the movies succeed, would I continue to be able to make movies -- which is what I love doing.

THR: You had so much success at Paramount, but then you moved to Disney and began a new pact with the studio in 1991. Why?
Bruckheimer: There was a management change. Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg left, and they both moved over to Disney. They made a real strong play for us -- our deal was coming to an end, and they wanted us over there.

THR: When does your present deal with Disney end, and will you stay there?
Bruckheimer: The deal is up this year or next year. Stay? We'll find out!

THR: What do you look for in a movie?
Bruckheimer: Something I want to go and see. It's that simple. Everything I do is like that -- (the October release) "Veronica Guerin," about this journalist who lost her life writing the truth, or a big movie like (July's) "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- I have a very broad range of movies I like. I just want it to be entertaining. I want you to like the characters. I want to take you on a ride, have strong themes -- just like any good novel.

THR: What are your own favorite films?
Bruckheimer: (1972's) "The Godfather," (1971's) "The French Connection," (1997's) "Good Will Hunting," "The 400 Blows" -- that's a good cross-section.

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[Naj]

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THR: What's the hardest aspect of making a movie?
Bruckheimer: They are all hard in their own way, but it is always the script that's the hardest to do. You work on it constantly. We worked on (1996's) "Dangerous Minds" for a year, and when the movie was finished, we worked on the script more and reshot four or five scenes.

THR: How much time do you spend on your movie sets?
Bruckheimer: I just came back from Philadelphia and Ireland, and I'll go back to both next week. One is for (the 2004 release) "National Treasure," and the other is for (the planned December 2004 release) "King Arthur." I'll be there for a week to 10 days, then go to the next set, depending on what's happening in L.A. But it's the script that is the most important (part for the producer). Once you have a script you are confident in, you're fine.

THR: How involved are you in the marketing and distribution of your films?
Bruckheimer: When you have the strength of Disney, they are a great team -- they carry the banner for us. They'll consult with us and show us stuff. But they are the ones who do it, not me. It is all about surrounding yourself with talented people. When I have a talented director, or strong marketing and distribution people, they are going to do their job and do it better than anyone else -- and I know that. They've been doing that their whole life; I haven't. Everything goes through my desk, but they are the ones that do it. I don't do the trailers, they do -- then they show it to me. And the posters -- they are very collaborative.

THR: This year, you've had four movies -- "Pirates," "Bad Boys II," "Guerin" and "Kangaroo Jack" -- plus all your TV shows. How do you put them all together?
Bruckheimer: I have strong people working with me -- a strong cadre of executives who are all terrific. It is all about choices. TV is easy when you have great showrunners -- and we have the best in the business. These people are really, really talented; they take the load off.

THR: What do you look for in your executives?
Bruckheimer: I look for people who are creative and smart and want to work hard. I like ambitious, hardworking people. We speak every day, even when I'm not in the office. Let's hope they also (have the same taste,) or they wouldn't work here: If they wanted to make (1981's) "My Dinner With Andre," they wouldn't work here.

THR: How has the film business changed since you started?
Bruckheimer: It's the same for me: It is about trying to tell good stories. The costs have gone up; the risks have gone up -- it's more risky for a studio to greenlight a movie. But there are a lot more ways to exhibit -- we have DVDs that we didn't have in the past, for instance.

THR: You have never sought outside financing. Why?
Bruckheimer: That becomes the focus of your energy, and I'd rather focus on the creative.

THR: Have your own tastes changed? Is "Guerin" a step in a new direction?
Bruckheimer: As you get older, things do change. You have more life experience. You are also affected by what's around you -- what you read, what you see, what's on the news. It affects your taste, what interests you.

THR: Does it bother you that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has yet to recognize you?
Bruckheimer: I thought (2001's) "Black Hawk Down" (was Oscar-worthy) -- but nobody else did. Fortunately, they nominated (director) Ridley (Scott). But everybody wants to be recognized by their peers for what they do. Sure.

THR: Why did you decide to move into television?
Bruckheimer: I just saw the kind of interesting work that Dick Wolf and David E. Kelley and John Wells were doing -- there is a whole group of them, Steven Bochco, too -- and I said, "We should try it. If television is accepting that kind of talent, we should throw our hats in." With the talent involved, of course, it gets better and better. And then HBO keeps pushing the envelope and forcing (the rest) to do better work.

THR: How involved are you in each TV show?
Bruckheimer: I will be involved in the pilot, in the casting; I read the scripts and give notes. I look at the cuts and work on the music. I look at all the dailies. But I am not there there, if you know what I mean. You hire the right guys because they are better than you are.

THR: How is television different from film?
Bruckheimer: It's faster -- it is really quick. I just love the pace of it. I don't know what the downside is, other than it is a real tough grind -- you are producing 23 shows a year for each show. And that is a grind, to keep the quality up. You have only 40-something minutes to tell the story. But other than that, I love it.

THR: Do you also love the negotiating part?
Bruckheimer: You are involved in it, but usually, it is the studios that do the negotiating for you. I don't really enjoy it, but you have to do it.

THR: What advice would you give to upcoming producers?
Bruckheimer: Understand story, understand character, understand themes. You have to be tenacious and believe in your convictions and follow them through.

THR: With all the work you do, do you ever sleep? What is an average Bruckheimer day?
Bruckheimer: I usually get up around 6 and work out -- I'll take a run and ride a bike. And then I have breakfast and start the day. Then it is all about the phone -- my business is on the phone and in meetings. I am in my office every day, unless I am traveling. I look at dailies, go through the mail, talk to journalists. I travel -- I was in town two weeks this whole summer. I get home at 10:30 or 11 p.m., on average. But this isn't work. My dad used to work. He worked on his feet from 6 in the morning till 10 at night. That is hard work; this is fun.

www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/interviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2031154

~Naj

[CC Fan]

cool, thats an awsome interview. thanks for posting!