Puja Parekh
J. Bump E603A
October 27, 2005
A run-in with
Robert Rodriguez
It
was already dark by the time I left Kinsolving to head over to the Texas Union
theatre. I was on my way to watch a screening of the latest Robert Rodriguez
flick,
The lights in the theatre came back on around midnight, and all of my friends called it a night as they had early classes the next day. I headed over to Wendy’s to grab a bite since my earliest class was at eleven a.m. Besides, food always took precedence over sleep.
As I waited in line contemplating whether to order fries or a frosty, I noticed a familiar looking man with a light blue bandana walk up behind me. I tried to place him in my mind as I got closer to the counter, but I simply could not connect a name to his face.
I stood before the register dumbstruck, unable to make my food choice. “I’d take the frosty with the m&m mix-ins. It’s delicious.” The voice belonged the man behind me. “Frosty it is!” I replied, thankful that my decision had been made for me. I quickly paid for my dessert with my ever useful bevo-bucks and moved away from the cash register. I waited for friendly man to receive his food so that I could thank him before leaving.
“Don’t mention it. I’d hate for you
to make the wrong choice and regret it” he laughed. “I’m Robert by the way.”
Something clicked in my head as I shook his hand. “Robert… as in Robert
Rodriguez?” He smiled upon my recognition. “Wow. I’ve been a huge fan of yours
since I saw El Mariachi.” I shook my
head, still in awe. “I can’t believe that you are actually Robert Rodriguez.
You are the reason I fell in love with movies.”
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Robert Rodriguez directs The
Faculty. 1 |
“Really?
You must have been really young when that came out. I’m glad that my movies
touched you. Let’s have a seat, and you can tell me more about this love of
yours.” I was slowly coming back to reality as I followed Mr. Rodriguez over to
one of the wooden tables. “Ah, late nights at the
I blurted out the first question that came to my mind. “How did you know? I mean, when did you decide that movie-making was your calling?” Mr. Rodriguez laughed. “’In eighth grade a few of my friends and I, after seeing John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, decided we wanted to start making our own real movies.’1 I got to work immediately with my dad’s super 8 camera. Luckily with nine brothers and sisters, I had a great cast and crew at my disposal. Very soon I had to move up to a regular video camera as the super 8 was getting to be expensive. Most of my time, though, was spent not on shooting, but on editing the movies. I had to use the old-school method of pausing and playing between ‘camera and VCR’, because it was the only equipment I had access to.2 It was a great learning experience, so I’m not complaining. I must have made around twenty action comedies in those years.”
I
was completely absorbed in his storytelling. “Did you like having a big
family?” I asked. “Oh I completely loved it. Growing up, ‘there was always
someone to do stuff with’. I mean, ‘if I ever got mad at one brother, there was
always another one to play with.’3
I’m actually very close to my siblings. They’re an integral part of almost all
of my early works. They were in the ‘anthology which catapulted [me] into film
school’ here at UT, and were the heroes of my comic strip for The Daily Texan.”4
Looking down at my frosty, I realized that I had barely touched it since we sat down. I enquired about Mr. Rodriguez’s college years as I dug into my molten softy. “I actually got into UT on a scholarship. I was quite surprised, since I wasn’t exactly a great student in high school. UT had a film school though, so I decided to come here and try to transfer in. That didn’t work at first since I didn’t have the grades. They did let me in after they saw the anthology featuring my brothers and sisters, Austin Stories. After that, movies became my entire focus. That was also around the time I met my wife Elizabeth, who was ‘working in the vice president’s office’. She loved my movies and made me ‘enter them in contests and film festivals.’”5 Mr. Rodriguez looked down at his frosty and continued “Well I’ve been going on and on about me. I hope I’m not boring you.”
I
shook my head. “I am enjoying every bit of this. But tell me more about your
comic strip. I did not know you were an artist as well as a director.” “It’s
not a very well known fact. I drew cartoons instead of paying attention in
class all through middle school, so I was pretty good by the time I started for
The Daily Texan. My comic strip, like
my movies, was filled with action, and once again ‘featured [my] siblings.’6 Los Hooligans ran for about three
years.” “Los Hooligans… isn’t that
the name of your production company now?” “Wow. I’m impressed that you know.” I
shrugged sheepishly, “I remember noticing it when watching Once Upon a Time in
“I
think it’s funny that people still want to hear this story” said Mr. Rodriguez,
adjusting his trademark bandana. “I’ve already written a book on it. But you’re
right; it is a pretty remarkable story. You see, I knew that I wanted to direct
in
“My career took off at that point. I became too busy even to ‘get the last two credits’10 I needed to graduate. I don’t regret it though,” he shrugged “I knew what I wanted to do in my life, so I did it. A degree wasn’t going to make or break my career. I was living my dream. Desperado let me finally break Latino actors out of their stereotypical mold. Growing up, I always wanted to see them as the heroes in movies, and I eventually realized that it would not be done unless I did it myself.11 It wasn’t easy to get American audiences to accept Salma Hayek as the lead actress in the movie, but now that they have, it is easier for Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez to shine on screen.” I completely agreed, and pointed how the same problem existed currently for South-Asian actors trying to break into the film world.
Both Mr. Rodriguez and I had finished our desserts by this time. Luckily a large group of students had come into the large dining hall we were sitting in, helping disguise the late hour of the night. I tried to prolong my discussion with Mr. Rodriguez by asking more questions. “I know that Quentin Tarantino directed a scene for Sin City and that you have collaborated with him many times before.12 How did the two of you become so close?” “Quentin and I met at the Telluride Film Festival in 1992.13 I was there showing El Mariachi, and he was there for Reservoir Dogs. We both talked about how much fun we had writing and making our movies, and decided that it would be great to make movies together. From Dusk ‘til Dawn, our first co-write, followed soon after. We’ve been good friends ever since.”
“It’s funny how I
got him to direct the car scene in Sin
City. I don’t know if you’ve heard this or not, but I shot the movie almost
entirely against a green screen at my studio here in 
Mr.
Rodriguez chuckled. “I had to shoot the movie indoors because I wanted to be
true to Frank Miller’s original work. The lights and colors match actual panels
from the comic whenever possible. So much work was
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Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller on the set of |
put into the movie after it was shot that none of the actors knew what to expect on screen until they actually saw the film at the premiere. Thankfully, they were all impressed by what they saw.”
“The only sore
spot connected to Sin City was my
relationship with the Director’s Guild of America. They wouldn’t let me share
the directing credits with Frank Miller, so I decided to resign from the guild
because I felt that sharing credit with Frank was much more important to me
than being a member. ”14 Mr. Rodriguez went on to add, “It
wasn’t the first time I did something my colleagues would not have done. I
turned down The Mask of Zorro because
I laughed and told
Mr. Rodriguez how my brother had once spent three hours driving around
“Oh! I definitely
love the city,” I laughed. “What effect do you think this environment has on
the movies you make?” “Well, getting into the film school at UT was my primary
motivation to make exceptional movies. I knew that with my grades being as low
as they were, I would have to capture something special on film, something that
other applicants could not. You form a bond with the place that inspires you to
work, which is why I could not settle in
Mr. Rodriguez had
a good point, and on a smaller scale, I could relate. “
I shifted around in my hardwood chair and asked, “What advice would you give aspiring movie makers?” “Oh that’s simple. ‘Stop aspiring, start doing.’17 Everyone who watches movies has enough knowledge to make one. You have to accept the fact that you will make mistakes. Your first film will be far from perfect; in fact, your second one will be complete trash as well. The sooner you get them out of the way, the sooner you will be able to make good movies. Don’t worry about them being perfect. If everyone created amazing pictures, there would be no originality or innovation in cinema. Your mistakes are what give your movie artistic expression. They are what make your movie fresh.”
“What about the script? Isn’t it difficult to write something that an audience can actually relate to?” I had to ask, as writing is my Achilles’ heel. “It isn’t really all that hard. I’m a terrible writer. You just have to make it as real as possible, and write about things that you have easy access to. ‘When I did El Mariachi I had a turtle, I had a guitar case, I had a small town and I said I'll make a movie around that.’18 The movie was much more personal this way, and a lot cheaper too. Nothing, not even writing a movie script, is unachievable. As trite as it may sound, all you really have to do is believe in yourself and get to work.”
“Hmm… what do you want to do with your life?” Mr. Rodriguez asked. “I’ve been talking for so long, yet I know nothing about you. What is your major?” “Well, I’m currently majoring in Plan II, but I intend to get a degree in history as well. My eventual plan, at least as it stands now, is to go into entertainment law. I’d prefer to work with either the film or music industry.” “It’s good that you know what you want to do. Your next step should be going out and making the right contacts. It’s never too early to start, especially in the entertainment industry. If you work at it hard enough, you will definitely be rewarded. Anyway, it’s getting really late, and I have a lecture to give tomorrow” said Mr. Rodriguez, as he got up and stretched.
“Is the lecture why you’re on campus?” I asked. “Well I actually sat in on the Sin City screening to see how college students reacted to the movie. Are you coming to the presentation tomorrow?” I told him that I was, as I threw my empty frosty cup into the trash can by the door. “You’ll get to hear a lot more about the technical aspects of making Sin City as well as movies in general. Hopefully I won’t be too boring,” he said, laughing, as we exited out of the Union onto 24th street. “In either case, it was nice talking to you Puja. Go out and achieve your dreams.”
“I would, if it weren’t so much work,” I replied. “I’m extremely lazy. Isn’t there a way for me to achieve my goals without working so hard?” “It’s funny you should say that, because all I ever wanted to do was not work a day in my life.19 I guess I’m lucky that my hobby became my way of earning a living. If you truly love your job, in your case entertainment law, you’ll enjoy doing it so much that it won’t seem like work at all. All that matters is that you be honest with yourself. Don’t spend your life doing something you hate, and don’t stop looking for something you love until you find it. You’re a bright young woman; you will find what you’re looking for. Remember, ‘work hard and be scary.’20 Anyway, I have an early shooting for Sin City 2 tomorrow, so I have to head home now. Johnny Depp is a firm believer in punctuality,” Mr. Rodriguez laughed. “Good night Puja.”
I waved goodnight, and headed back down Whitis Avenue towards my dormitory. My run-in with Robert Rodriguez left me feeling more motivated and inspired than I had ever felt. As I swiped past the front desk and headed towards the elevator, I realized that, like him, I too had the ability to do all that I wished to do. I made up my mind to follow his parting advice. I would first find what I loved and then spend my life doing it.
Word count: 2890
Old word count: 2586
Words cut out: 50
1 Rodriguez, Robert. Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with
$7,000 Became a Hollywood Player. New York: Dutton Signet, 1995, vii
2 Brian’s Robert Rodriguez Page.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/4303/rodriguez.html
3 Marvis, Barbara. Robert Rodriguez: A Real-Life Reader Biography. Maryland: Mitchell
Lane Publishers Inc., 1998, 5-6
4 Who is Robert Rodriguez? http://members.tripod.com/BorderLine/bio.html
5 Marvis, Barbara. Robert Rodriguez: A Real-Life Reader Biography. Maryland: Mitchell
Lane Publishers Inc., 1998, 11-12
6 Who is Robert Rodriguez? http://members.tripod.com/BorderLine/bio.html
7 Marvis, Barbara. Robert Rodriguez: A Real-Life Reader Biography. Maryland: Mitchell
Lane Publishers Inc., 1998, 16-17
8 Rodriguez, Robert. Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with
$7,000 Became a Hollywood Player. New York: Dutton Signet, 1995, 6
9 Marvis, Barbara. Robert Rodriguez: A Real-Life Reader Biography. Maryland: Mitchell
Lane Publishers Inc., 1998, 19
10 Ibid., 12
11 Thomas, Cathy Booth. “Robert Rodriguez: the offbeat movie maker.” Time Online Edition. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1093629,00.html
12 The Internet Movie Database. Trivia for Sin City. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/trivia
13 Rodriguez, Robert. Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old
Filmmaker with
$7,000 Became a Hollywood Player. New York: Dutton Signet, 1995, 152
14 The Internet Movie Database. Trivia for Sin City. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/trivia
15 Brian’s Robert Rodriguez Page. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/4303/rodriguez.html
16 Ibid.
17 Robert Rodriguez’s 10-minute Film School. http://www.exposure.co.uk/makers/minute.html
18 Ibid.
19 Thomas, Cathy Booth. “Robert Rodriguez: the offbeat movie maker.” Time Online Edition. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1093629,00.html
20 Robert Rodriguez’s 10-minute Film School. http://www.exposure.co.uk/makers/minute.html
List of illustrations:
1
http://www.bacfilms.com/site/faculty/nf/prov/dirlo2.htm
2
http://ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/image/article/598/598405/robert-rodriguez-20050323034551441-000.jpg
Website for essay: https://webspace.utexas.edu/pp645/Robert%20Rodriguez.htm