Monday, February 23, 1998
Fools fall in love
FILM David Schwimmer, Jason Lee and Mili Avital find chemistry
and versatility in their new roles
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
A young woman is torn between a sensitive writer and a macho,
womanizing sportscaster. This sounds like a typical romantic
comedy. But look at who’s playing who.
In "Kissing A Fool," which opens on Friday, David Schwimmer,
best known as sympathetic and vulnerable Ross on the hit show
"Friends," plays the philandering ladies’ man Max. Jason Lee, who
was such an obnoxious loudmouth in Kevin Smith’s "Chasing Amy," is
the emotional and lovelorn Jay.
While audiences may be jolted at the actors’ character switches
in this independent comedy from first-time director Doug Ellin,
both actors relished the chance to break out of their
stereotypes.
When longtime friend Ellin first approached Schwimmer about
participating in "Kissing a Fool," the actor says he had no doubts
over which man he would play.
"Doug said, ‘Read Max; you’re Max.’ There was no question,"
Schwimmer recalls. "He’s known me for a long time. I’ve done three
short films with him already, and in one of them, I play a
character similar to this guy. He knew that I had no desire to play
a character that close to Ross as I play him eight months out of
the year."
For Lee, starring as the quieter leading man gave him the
opportunity to play someone who was more neurotic and self-aware
than his previous characters.
"It was an interesting challenge," Lee says. "Jay’s more
soft-spoken, and he’s trying to figure things out without hurting
people. He’s a lot more introverted, whereas Banky was more
extroverted. But I liked both approaches, and it was interesting to
play similar confusing characters but treat it differently."
Schwimmer agrees, "It feels good. I hope (audiences) like it. I
guess I expect that the first couple of minutes, they’ll be like,
‘Whoa, what’s going on ?’ My only hope is that they’re so caught up
in the story and the characters that they leave the theater
realizing that, ‘Oh, that was Schwimmer.’"
"Kissing a Fool," which Universal is distributing, revolves
around three unique and successful young people trying to find love
in Chicago.
When Jay sets up his new editor Sam (famous Israeli actress Mili
Avital) with his best friend Max, the new couple instantly hit it
off, get engaged and move in together within weeks. But when Max
experiences insecurities about his fiancee’s faithfulness, he asks
Jay to test her and find out if she will cheat on him. But as
guilt-ridden Jay spends more time with Sam, he starts to fall for
her as well, and soon both men are vying for her affections.
The woman caught in the love triangle is a character as neurotic
and confused as her suitors, something that actress Avital
appreciated when she first read the script.
"I loved that she wasn’t a typical girl," Avital says. "She
wasn’t the girl who just wants to get a boyfriend. Usually when I
read scripts, I really get pissed off, like does she really have to
wear a miniskirt in the first scene and say nothing throughout the
whole film? But here, I liked that she was intellectual and smart
and a good example for a modern woman."
One of the primary elements that makes a romantic comedy work is
chemistry. Without that certain spark, no matter how good the
script is or how pretty the actors look, the movie will bomb. But
all the actors agreed that the chemistry between them was obvious
from the first days of meeting each other.
"When I first met David and Jason for my reading in this movie –
which was my audition – we had immediate chemistry," Avital says.
"As soon as we started doing the scene, it immediately worked. It
just flew, and I think you really can see the chemistry on the
screen."
Schwimmer and Avital have their own theories about exactly what
chemistry encompasses but agree that it’s a powerful, if at times
indescribable, phenomenon.
"I think it’s about reacting to someone," Schwimmer says. "In
this movie, there are some great reaction shots because I think
we’re really in the moment and really reacting to each other. Part
of my problem with a lot of actors is that I don’t believe that
they’re really listening to each other. Sometimes you have it,
sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you can manufacture chemistry
through editing. But you know when you’re acting if you have
chemistry with someone or not."
Avital adds, "I don’t think there’s a reasonable explanation to
it. I think it has to do with intuition. But when it’s not there,
you feel it. Especially in comedy because you’re relying so much on
timing and relying on responding to each other all the time, so
it’s extremely important."
But having chemistry doesn’t make doing those love scenes any
easier.
"It’s very technical," Avital says. "I always compare it to
action scenes when you have to hit people. You just pretend. I’ve
never really had a hot, steamy love scene but from the little
kisses I’ve had on screen, it’s pretty boring."
But while Avital’s attitude toward love scenes is mostly
apathetic, Lee actively fears and dreads them.
"I don’t like it," Lee says. "It’s very uncomfortable. I try to
do as little of it as possible. In this movie, I did it in a scene
that didn’t even go into the movie. No one was cutting and I moved
away and said, ‘Cut already! Jesus, you got the kissing part!’"
FILM: "Kissing A Fool" opens Friday.
(Left to right) Mili Avital, Jason Lee and David Schwimmer feel
the tension.