Interview by Richard James Smith

Special Thanks: Wouter Barendrecht

Gus Van Sant is an auteur that brought us Matt Dillon as drug addict trying to go clean, gave us the dream duo of River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as hustlers, Nicole Kidman as a fame hungry weather reporter and brought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s screenplay Good will Hunting to the big screen. We talk to this master of independent films about his art, his influences and his most recent cinematic masterpiece – MILK.

DS: After doing some research on Harvey Milk some people mention that, although Harvey is understandably considered a pioneer in activism for gay rights, he was lesser known outside the state of California in his early campaigns. Where were you and how aware were you of Harvey Milk and his activism for Gay Rights in the 1970’s?
Gus: I was living in LA, and did not know about Harvey.  I was not out of the closet yet, a young filmmaker who was trying to make it in Hollywood. I heard of Harvey when he was shot.

DS: Have you involved yourself in the Gay Rights movement and joined any marches yourself over the years?
Gus: No, I have not joined marches over the years, and avoid parades.  It isn’t my story that I am telling.  I feel like there have been times that I have been involved, a proposition in Oregon called proposition 9 in 1991, which was even more extreme than prop six in the movie, all stateworkers who were gay were going to lose thier jobs.  I had a fundraiser in LA and got the band Nirvana to play as a fundraiser in Portland.  But no parades or marches.

DS: Many of your films are known for their convoluted style with inconclusive storylines and characters that never give away their full story (a trait which I personally admire, since it brings a reality to your films). When taking on films with the full story such as Psycho and Milk do you find it more challenging to follow a more commercial format?
Gus: I don’t find that a challenge, it is more conventional.  I didn’t write Milk, Psycho, Finding Forrester, or Good Will Hunting.  I wrote My Own Private Idaho, Elephant, Last Days.  When I film the more conventional ones I am following a script, so it isn’t more difficult, just a different process.  And the other films may seem to not be conclusive, however it depends on the value of being conclusive.  I find that an open story with many many conclusions, by way of individual viewers’ interpretations, of great value, often more valuable than a film with one single dissertation or conclusion addressing a vast problem or issue that will have no input at all from the audience only a single doctrine issued for the audience to accept or reject – can be of lesser value and lesser information.  Not sure if Mao would have agreed with this idea.

DS: Your depiction of the antagonist, Dan White, is both sympathetic and delicately approached. The audience is made to feel sorry for him up until the shocking conclusion. We are also given the impression that Dan White is facing many demons with a hint that he is a struggling and heavily closeted homosexual himself. Seeing as you could have portrayed this character in an unsympathetic way, what inspired you depict him in such a way?
Gus: I think the closeted idea is something that Harvey’s character is stating, however the film never says this.  And other characters don’t agree with Harvey when he voices it.  I think Dan was very much sympathetic, and was a friend of Harvey’s, and also had a very explosive dangerous temper.  It is the way I hear about the original Dan, not something that we are making up and trying to sympathize for the audience.

DS: Was Sean Penn your first choice for the role of Harvey Milk? And was his involvement due to his own passion for political activism (as George Bush has been subject to on many occasion)?
Gus: I think that Sean was very interested in playing Harvey because of Harvey’s bravery, commitment to his political point of view and his gay neighborhood, and his humor, and especially his off color humor.

DS: Your trademark use of Super-8 film footage is evident in MILK and beautifully authenticates the feeling of the 1970’s. When did you first use Super-8 film and why do you like to use it in so many of your films?
Gus: I use it in different ways.  It sometimes is meant to mean memory like looking at old home movie memories.  This can be a way that it works the best.  But it is also in the case of Milk, a way to just get you into the feeling of the seventies faster than watching us try to recreate the time and feeling.  Suddenly you are there.  And you are watching real film taken in that time.

DS: Did you use any actual archive footage in MILK?
Gus: Lots of it.

DS: The last scene of the character Jack Lira before his suicide shows him drinking from a can of Coors beer. Earlier in the film we see how Harvey Milk urged the community to boycott Coors for bankrolling a right wing agenda of union-busting, homophobia, sexism, racism and covert operations. Was this an intentional use of a Coors can to enhance Jack’s lack of interest in Harvey’s activism?
Gus: Jack is spiting Harvey because he is mad at him.

DS: In the crowd scenes you used a lot of the people who were there at the original marches. Were these film extras of additional help to yourself and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black when trying to recreate the atmosphere of those times?
Gus: Yes, mostly because they were volunteers who were of great value.  We didn’t have the money to pay for too many extras for the crowd scenes, so they were very valuable.

DS: Christopher Doyle has resided in Hong Kong for many years. I have had the pleasure to enjoy his custom in a bar I used to work in when I arrived in Hong Kong and additional a few rather mental nights out also! He is one crazy and charismatic character, How did you find working with him on Psycho and Paranoid Park?
Gus: We have a great time working together.  I feel Chris is one of my kindred spirits and a good friend.  I have always a great time working with him and he brings a lot to the decisions made during the film.

DS: Although coming from the much more accepting Arts field, have you ever experienced any homophobia in your industry that has obstructed your career progression? Can you give us some examples.
Gus: I am sure that there have been times, but I haven’t had any direct problems yet.  It took us a while to find the money for Milk, and the budget was small partly because there is a feeling that the audience would be smaller than a heterosexual story.

DS: Who were your early influences that lured you in to the world of film?
Gus: Orson Wells was the main one.

DS: From the cast of MILK are there any particular members of the cast and crew who you can see yourself working with again in the near future?
Gus: Yes, I would like to work with all of them.  It was a good group.

DS: Are there any up and coming new actors, directors and cinematographers who have caught your eye as people to watch (and perhaps collaborate with)?
Gus: Hmm.  I don’t know actually.

DS: When can we expect the pleasure of welcoming you to Hong Kong and/or filming in Hong Kong? I’m sure with a quick consultation with Christopher Doyle there would be an endless supply of stories deserving of your creative touch.
Gus: Yes, I would like to very much,  I have still to visit Hong Kong.

DS: So what’s next? What is your next project?
Gus: I don’t have one yet.