Cinema Scholars interviews Marc Turtletaub, director of the new sci-fi charmer Jules. The film stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Jane Curtin. Bleecker Street will release Jules in theaters nationwide on August 11, 2023.
Introduction
For as long as humans have had eyes, we’ve been gazing up at the heavens wondering what lies beyond the stars. Following suit, pop culture has always been rife with tales and accounts of visitors from outer space. In cinema, some of the most beloved (and maligned) film touchstones have centered on extraterrestrial travelers to our planet.
From The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and from the very serious to the seriously silly, movies about aliens on earth are as perennial as the phases of the moon. In Marc Turtletaub’s new sci-fi charmer, Jules, the little blue man trope gets a whimsical update in this heartwarming tale.
In Jules, Milton is an aging widower. He still lives in the same small town Pennsylvania home where he raised his family. And he still attends weekly city council meetings to voice his concerns over the town motto and the safety of certain intersections. Lately, however, Milton relies more and more on his daughter to keep the bills paid and the TV remote programmed.
ZOË WINTERS AND SIR BEN KINGSLEY IN “JULES” (2023). PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Right around the time his daughter starts picking up on early signs of dementia, Milton experiences a phenomenon far more pressing than the prospect of slowly losing his mind. He finds a flying saucer that has crashed in his yard. With dubious local first responders and his loved ones already doubting his sanity, Milton turns to his council meeting cronies who help him tend to his new charge.
Jules is a surprisingly funny and poignant version of a close encounter tale. Milton’s matter-of-fact attitude is a perfect juxtaposition to his absurd predicament. And the progression of the situation, complete with government surveillance and a euthanized pet, is as entertaining as it is batty. As Milton, Sir Ben Kingsley plays the slipping hero with heartbreaking realism. Thankfully, there is plenty of comic relief from co-stars Harriet Sansom Harris and Jane Curtin. Both practically steal the show from their Oscar-winning cohort with their humorous and divergent takes as nosy old ladies.
The prevailing good nature and simplicity of Jules is refreshing. Yes, it’s a story about the inevitability of aging and all that comes with it. But it’s also a lighthearted commentary on the value of friendship and helping people when they’re in need. While all that may still sound a bit heavy, it should be noted that this film also has an exploding head and a hunt for dead cats. Still too heavy?Because the combination of situational comedy and questions about the beyond is a truly heartwarming tear-jerker all wrapped up in a sci-fi bow.
JANE CURTIN, HARRIET SANSOM HARRIS, SIR BEN KINGSLEY, AND JADE QUON IN “JULES” (2023). PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Cinema Scholars’ Rebecca Elliott recently had the opportunity to speak with Jules director Marc Turtletaub. They talk about the personal significance of the film, working with his esteemed cast, and whether the truth is really out there.
Interview
Marc Turtletaub:
Hi, Rebecca.
Rebecca Elliott:
Hi Marc. I’m so pleased to talk with you today. Let’s get to it, then. How did this story find you? And how did it resonate personally with you? Why were you compelled to direct this story?
Marc Turtletaub:
It came to me, Rebecca, from another producer who had developed it with the writer for a couple of years. And then she sent it to me. I read it, and it sort of checked all the boxes that I look for when I look for a screenplay to direct. And those are rare because I read an awful lot. But this one checked them all.
Rebecca Elliott:
How did it resonate with you personally?
Marc Turtletaub:
Not necessarily on the personal level, which I’ll get to in a moment. But on the bigger level, I look for a few things, Rebecca. First, I look for a story that has some meaning. It’s about something, has something meaningful to say that we can talk about when we leave the theater. But with that said, it’s got to be entertaining. Because if it’s not entertaining, we’re going to leave. Or we’re going to be bored by it.
So it’s got to be entertaining. It’s got to be meaningful. And then most of all, it’s got to be something that I haven’t seen or read before. And when you see Jules, you realize there’s not going to be another movie like Jules in the next ten years. So I checked all those boxes.
On a personal level, it touched me. The subject matter touched me because I sort of saw my father go through the early stages of losing his faculties. And while this movie is not sad, there’s emotion in it, and we’re touched. It’s actually hopeful and humorous, really humorous. And so on a personal level, it reminded me a lot of my father watching him go through some changes. But then that’s just the beginning. Then it goes off in all kinds of directions.
SIR BEN KINGSLEY IN “JULES” (2023). PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yes, it does. You are a prolific producer. I mean, you’re responsible for some of the best of the best in the last twenty years. But this is only your third feature to direct. Is that transition organic for you? Or is there a steep learning curve? How do you bring your producing brain to directing?
Marc Turtletaub:
It’s organic, and it’s also vastly different. So I was in the world, I knew the vocabulary. I saw other directors’ work. But until you do it yourself, it’s kind of like somebody saying, “This is how you ride a bike. You sit on the seat, and you put your left foot here and your right foot over that pedal, and then you start moving.” Well, that’s great.
But until you do it, you really don’t know what it’s like. And when you’re producing, you’re primarily talking to one or two people. Mostly the director. Sometimes an editor at some point. Sometimes some of the other crew, but usually mostly the director. When you’re directing, you’re talking to over one hundred people, and it’s a whole other experience. And I love it because I love working with groups of people.
Rebecca Elliott:
You’ve worked with tons of incredible talent in your career. And of course, Sir Ben Kingsley is no exception. He’s such an incredible actor, he can do anything. But when I think of a doddering elder, Ben Kingsley doesn’t exactly come to my mind, but of course, he nails it. Can you talk about working with him to craft this great character?
Marc Turtletaub:
Milton yeah, I think Kingsley’s going to probably have a good career.
Rebecca Elliott:
Ha!
JADE QUON, SIR BEN KINGSLEY, HARRIET SANSOM HARRIS, AND JANE CURTIN IN “JULES” (2023). PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Marc Turtletaub:
I was so fortunate. He’s the first person I thought of, actually, and all of the main actors in the movie. We sent the script to them and within five days they all said yes. Which tells you that the writing was really exceptional. But my approach is not to craft the character with the actors. We talk about what the movie’s about beforehand, we talk about key scenes. So we talk about those kinds of things, but we don’t rehearse.
And I came to that after my first movie. I started saying, you know what, I think it will be more interesting if I let these great actors bring in, as I put it, bring in what they’re going to bring in without my mediating it. And they’re going to surprise me, and that’s good. There is a famous director who I won’t name, who said, “Every time I cast an actor, it’s like a little death.” I thought, wow. What he was saying was, I know how these words should be said. And I know how the body should move when they say them. But no actor is going to do it exactly the way she or he is going to do it the way I’d like them to do it.
And I thought that was pretty limiting. When you’re working with these kinds of actors, I would much rather let them do something which totally surprises me. And then there’s always room later on after they’re done a take or two, to whisper in their ear and say, hey, can we try something different? For me, a long-winded answer. I don’t craft the character. I talk about it with the actor, but then I let the actor come to it themselves.
HARRIET SANSOM HARRIS IN JULES. COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yes, well, I love long-winded answers in interviews, so thank you. I appreciate your insight. You mentioned the co-stars of the film, Harriet Sansom Harris, and of course, Jane Curtin, who are just incredible, and added this wonderful element of comedy throughout. Tell me about working with an ensemble of veteran performers from film and TV. That must have been a lot of fun. Can you talk about collaborating with this ensemble?
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah, and I would expand it to Zoe Winters, who was just in Succession.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yes, I love her.
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah, and I do, too. And Jade Quon, who played Jules, is sort of the secret sauce of this movie. She’s the catalyst for everything. It’s wonderful. I’m interested in movies that are ensembles. I worked with Alan Arkin, who just passed away, on a couple of movies. He said to me one day, “I’m only interested in movies that are ensembles.” He certainly could carry a movie, but movies that are just about one person are less interesting.
The dynamic of several really talented actors playing off of each other, to me, is where the juice is in making movies. And each of these people is a consummate professional. I mean, you’re dealing with people who have won Tonys, Emmys, Oscars. You have these incredible talents, and it’s just nice to get out of their way.
Rebecca Elliott:
I hear you. You mentioned Jade Quon. Her performance is pivotal to the story, yet she plays a character who doesn’t speak or have facial expressions, yet somehow emotes. You also have the challenge of practical effects with that character. Can you talk about working with her and the body language? But then also dealing with the challenge of the practical effects?
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah, I think the first decision was, do I do this CGI? For those who haven’t yet seen the movie, there’s a four-foot eleven-inch alien spoiler alert. And I had the choice of doing CGI or doing it practical, and I never thought about doing CGI. I wanted the ship to be practical, I wanted the alien to be real. And I wanted the actors to have someone that they could relate to. The first question Sir Ben Kingsley asked me after he said yes to the movie was, “Will I be acting opposite a stick and a ball?” And I said, “No, you’ll be acting opposite Jade Quon.”
And that made all the difference. Because even though Jade says nothing, she’s present in all of those scenes. And it allows not only the actor to read into her performance, but it allows the audience to go, what’s she thinking? Is she communicating with them? And is it telepathic? Is she judging them? Or is she even understanding what they’re saying? And it allows the audience to participate, which I think is always the best part of movie-making. So, yeah, I think she’s the secret sauce, and I was fortunate to get her.
SIR BEN KINGSLEY AND JADE QUON IN “JULES” (2023). PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEECKER STREET.
Rebecca Elliott:
Yeah, it was great. And I love how it stayed consistent throughout the whole film too.
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah. No, people said to me- even she did, she said, “Can I wave at the end?” I go, “No.” We’re going to keep consistent and let the audience have something to imagine.
Rebecca Elliott:
Right. It seems like a lot of alien encounter movies sort of drift toward children as the one who makes first contact. But of course, in this story, it’s older folks. I mean, it’s not like it hasn’t been done before with Cocoon and others. But why do you think aging is such an effective context for the sci-fi elements of the story?
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah, I think that was the genius of the screenplay, Rebecca. I think it’s interesting because we screened it for a lot of audiences and I’m fascinated by how many young people love the movie. I did an interview today with a fellow who said, “I’m not supposed to do this, but when I previewed the screener, I showed it to my seven year old and she loved it.” I’m not sure I would show it to my seven-year-old if I had one. But he did, and the point is that when we screen it for audiences of eighteen and above, even teenagers, they love it. Which is really interesting because it stars three older people.
But it’s because it’s about human emotion. And it’s got great humor in it, and everyone can relate to it. So the science fiction aspect, although it’s part of the movie, obviously, it’s a movie about people and connection. Those are the stories I’m interested in telling. So we minimized all the science fiction tropes that you would see of the police and national security. All that’s very small and contained. It’s really just a piece of a story about people finding connections later in life.
Rebecca Elliott:
Alright, I guess I have to ask. What are your thoughts on intelligent life forms out there besides us and the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors to planet Earth? Are you a believer? Is the truth really out there?
Marc Turtletaub:
Yeah, people think I’m an expert on this, and I wish I could say I was. But yes, I do believe it. I can’t believe there are trillions of galaxies and there’s nothing, no life forms out there. I’m absolutely certain there is, and I just hope they look something like Jules.
Rebecca Elliott:
Now, that would be great. Well, thank you so much, Marc, for chatting with me about Jules. It’s just a delightful film and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see it.
Marc Turtletaub:
Thank you, Rebecca. This is so important to me. I share this with you and your readers aboutthe importance of this with independent movies. And we’re opening on something like 800 screens around the country, which is nice for a small movie. But they depend on word of mouth. So please tell your readers, if you love Jules to spread the word.
Bleecker Street will release Jules in theaters nationwide on August 11, 2023.
