It’s been a while since we had a Woodywatch – Allen having had a big year of production. But after appearing at the New York premiere of his new film Café Society, he now attended the premiere in Chicago, where the film opens this weekend. The Sun Times covered the event.
Chicago has become an important stop for Allen, mainly due to one of his producers and financiers, Ronald L Chez, being from Chicago. Chez has a four film deal with Allen and this is the third. Although Chez revealed that he small cameos were cut from two films so far – Café Society and Magic In The Moonlight.
For someone who almost never leaves New York, he was of course asked about his feelings on Chicago.
I’d love to make a film in Chicago someday, but it would have to be a totally Chicago story — gangsters or no gangsters. Speaking of gangsters, I know them in New York, thanks to the atmosphere of things like ‘Murder, Incorporated’ in Brooklyn, the Jewish racketeers, the Italian mobsters, and all that. I just know that area well. I don’t know it as well in Chicago.
Great news because Chicago kind of doesn’t need another gangster film. He also had nothing but praise for his latest young leads.
[Jesse Eisenberg] is a wonderful actor. It’s not easy to do that, and Kristen Stewart had to do the same thing. They are two young kids in real life, and they did it for me beautifully in this picture.
He also mentioned Steve Carell, who has not been mentioned much.
He’s a great actor. I saw him in ‘Foxcatcher’ and I sent him a note, and I don’t usually do that. But I did it because I was so bowled over by his performance.
Chez clearly loves Chicago, and it seems like a dream for Allen to make a film there. It won’t be the next one, the 2017 film, as it will shoot in New York.
And a video:
