by Frank Calvillo
If many people aren’t familiar with Illeana Douglas’ name, it’s almost a given that plenty of film and TV lovers would recognize her face. Whether it’s her turn as Robert DeNiro’s victim in Cape Fear, or Kevin Bacon’s hypnotist sister-in-law in the highly underrated Stir of Echoes or her tour-de-force work opposite Nicole Kidman in the still-relevant To Die For.
For lovers of independent film, however, it’s Douglas’ turn as Thora Birch’s free spirited art teacher in director Terry Zwigoff’s indie hit Ghost World which remains one of her most unforgettable roles.
Recently, Douglas stopped by the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline for a special screening/discussion of Ghost World and to discuss her new book “I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived in and Out of the Movies.”
“Originally the art teacher was more hippie and I said to Terry that I felt I’d seen it before,” she said of her iconic character Roberta Allsworth. “I said: couldn’t she be a failed performance artist? Because how do you fail at being a performance artist?” Douglas’ take on her character worked. Watching Ghost World, it’s Douglas’ character who gets the hardest laughs and virtually steals every scene she’s in from the film’s leading lady.
“Ghost World was made in a time in independent filmmaking considered to be the glory days where you had at least five million dollars to spend,” she recalls. “The production design is fantastic because everyone really had time to set a look. Nothing about the film feels phony.”
Yet it’s not just Ghost World which Douglas can discuss for hours on end. Described as a movie nerd upon being introduced at the Lakeline screening, the actress possesses such a vast wealth of cinematic knowledge of anyone in or out of the industry. This is more than understandable given her past. It would have been almost impossible for the actress to live a life filled with everything from visiting her Oscar-winning actor grandfather Melvyn Douglas on the set of Being There, to becoming a casting favorite of director Martin Scorsese (Douglas has appeared in seven of the director’s projects to date), without gaining a one-of-a-kind education on the magic of moviemaking.
Hearing authors explain the meaning behind their book’s title can oftentimes be dry, but in Douglas’ case, the title proves an intriguing opening to her memoir. “Movies have been my whole life,” she states. “In 1969 my dad saw Easy Rider, quit his job and convinced my mom to start a commune. From then on, the house was filled with “Dennis Hopper” type of people,” she describes. “Them seeing that movie literally changed my life.”
Thus began a life which included years on a commune, where movies were a steady part of her upbringing, juxtaposed with visits to her grandfather on movie sets until lo and behold, it was Douglas herself who turned up in front of the camera. From her many on-set experiences, to collaborating with some of the most influential names in the film world, Douglas’ life is one many film geeks dream of, which she freely and happily shares. “Each story [in the book] is about a film or a film star that dramatically changed my life.”
After nearly three decades in the industry, Douglas was more than willing to share with the audience some of the experiences and collaborations which shaped her love of film. There’s her memories of entertaining the cast and crew of Goodfellas with a comedy routine she dubbed “Raging Bullwinkle.” “Thank God there was no YouTube then,” she says. A mention of her brilliant comic work on the short-lived, boundary-pushing satirical Hollywood sitcom Action shows the series is still mourned. “It was just too outlandish and ahead of its time,” she simply states. “We were the first show to feature bleeping. It was great to work with Buddy Hackett though and the late Ted Demme, who directed some of the episodes.” Finally, there’s her memorable turn as herself in The Larry Sanders Show, which, despite being a mere two episode guest spot, ended up having more of an impact than she initially thought it would. “Gary Shandling really encouraged me to do my own writing and the show was a beacon of hope for me.”
While Douglas remains one of film’s most recognizable and versatile character actresses around (her recent turn as a cynical journalist in Peter Bogdanovich’s She’s Funny That Way is not to be missed), the actress has also found another great outlet for her love of film history thanks to Turner Classic Movies.
Summer 2015 saw Douglas host a month-long series titled Trailblazing Women, which showcased a number of films directed by a variety of female directors from different eras. It’s a project Douglas is truly proud of. “We showed 60 films all directed by women and it served as a reminder that in the AFI top 100 films, there are NO titles directed by women.” The series has proven a hit for the network, which has already committed to a second season in 2016. “TCM is presenting these films to remind everyone that these are entertaining films and also asking: why are women not part of the equation more?”
With as many accomplishments under her belt as Douglas has, from a successful acting career, to a reputation as a film historian and newfound role as a bestselling author, almost any actress would think that would be enough. But Douglas was never just ANY actress. “After doing the book, I’m going to take some time to write and direct a feature,” she excitedly states. “So hopefully the next time I come to Austin, it’ll be with a movie I’ve directed.”
