TOM
  BASTOUNES

With a background in Second City, Tom Bastounes is a Chicago native whose friendship with a commercial director led to creating a unique film that gave a popular actor his directorial debut.

As producer and star of THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, Bastounes plays a sympathetic and lonely detective who believes he's found his match when he interviews a woman after witnessing a possible murder. He becomes part of a unique triangle involving himself, the woman in question, and the actual murderer. With an authentic charm, Bastounes provides a good anchor for the film and doesn't hit a false note.

To promote the upcoming release of THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, Bastounes took time to talk with reporters including the Colonel about the challenges as actor and producer, working with stars Michael Keaton and Kelly MacDonald, and capturing the rawness of the Chicago landscape.

Q: What was the order of THE MERRY GENTLEMEN being made?

TOM BASTOUNES: I was in Second City in the late 1980s and I dropped out. I couldn’t afford to stay in the theater but I had a good buddy who was a commercial director in Chicago and his name is Ron Lazzeretti. He wrote this beautiful script, THE MERRY GENTLEMAN. We made one film together about ten years ago called THE OPERA LOVER and it came out, went on Showtime a little bit, not too much happened and then subsequently he had this other script. When I read it I thought it was a beautiful piece of material and as much as I thought “I tried the showbiz thing, it didn’t work out,” but this script kind of stayed in my head. I finally said that if we could get a Michael Keaton because the story has a duality with this character which is what Michael did with Batman. We’ll send an offer, if he responds to the material, I’m sure we’ll be able to get the money and be able to make the movie. Be careful what you wish for because the man said yes and that’s why a produce man from Chicago is talking to you nice folks on this day.

Q: Regarding working with Michael, being that this is his directorial debut, was there any input that you had or did you let him run wild with it being you were a producer as well?

TB: Well actually Ron Lazzeretti was going to direct but his appendix burst. At this time Michael had already agreed to play the lead role of Frank Logan. Our director went down and he was also the writer. Michael had said that he had wanted to direct. At the time, I had had so many meetings with Michael and with Ron that we felt very comfortable that Michael had a real deep understanding of the material and not only an understanding of the material but it also felt like he was going to bring a lot more to the show than what us local Chicago guys had ever done so we were excited when he said he wanted to do it. Had we not had that option, I don’t think the film would’ve been made. We would’ve waited a year because it had a seasonal aspect of it in terms of when we shot it. We were in a box in terms of time so he stepped up, saved us and the project and it turned out very well.

Q: With that in mind, was it his input that brought in Kelly MacDonald?

TB: Actually Kelly was on board first and I think one of the reasons that Michael was excited to do the film as an actor, even before the directing opportunity came about, was because Kelly was signed on. Film is like a puzzle and these projects are like this matrix and if you miss a few key pieces it’s just not going to happen. The reality was Kelly was involved first and I think that was a key part as to why he wanted to do it and probably why he was so excited to direct it as well.

Q: Can you talk as a producer how they worked together?

TB: They worked together very well. You’re talking to a produce guy, what do I know about directing but it was very cordial. The set felt like when you’re a kid and you go to camp and you don’t know anybody but by the end of the week everybody felt that it was a wonderful experience. That’s how it felt and Michael was gracious with the actors and with the crew. I think it was an overall positive experience day to day. It was a very friendly, collaborative atmosphere. We had a DP, Chris Seager, who did WHITE NOISE with Michael in 2005. He was fantastic. If things came up, it was this natural, collaborative thing that was going on that felt very good. I haven’t worked on a lot of shows to say how it usually goes or how it’s supposed to go but I felt it went very well.

Q: Can you talk about the humor and how it balanced with some very serious elements that went on in the film?

TB: Well I think what’s very interesting about this film is that it is not genre specific. It’s very hard to say that it is this or that. It’s a thriller. It’s a romance. It’s this. It’s that. To tackle something that has a lot of those elements where it feels like it’s going to be a thriller or it feels like it’s going to be a romance but that is funny, but how do you have that balance? I think Michael’s directing and Ron’s writing gave us that balance where in many respects it’s a dark comedy. The humor I think gives the film a nice lift when as you said there are serious things going on. I think for a film to pull that off is something because generally movies have a hard time being specific in carrying the ball and I feel that this movie played to a lot of different genres and still carried the ball.

Q: As a producer, how did you finesse working with Michael and then having him direct you as an actor?

TB: I was very nice. There was another producer on the set, Steve Jones, and part of the deal was that Steve was the day to day producer. I really helped put the pieces together before we started shooting and Michael was very sweet that once we started shooting, he treated me as an actor and not as a producer. He was very conscious of the money, the budget, and what we were doing. There was no conflict I have to say. The material was very strong and he had some very specific decisions on what he wanted to do. It wasn’t a situation that there was a conflict so what do we do?

Q: What kind of Chicago did you want to show us because it looks different?

TB: Michael wanted it to be a city of anywhere. I think what’s the interesting outcome of that is instead of shooting the Sears Tower or the Hancock Building, we went and shot in back alleys and viaducts. He found during his weeks of scouting in Chicago, he made a real effort to find interesting locations that have never been on film before to represent the city. I do think when people say that the movie looked great, kudos to Michael and to Chris Seaver because they went out of their way to find interesting locations that just didn’t hit you over the head and make you say “Hey you’re in Chicago now.” There are familiar shots but it didn’t hit you over the head. The story and the characters came first.

Q: Was it your actor or the writer’s idea to have the non-traditional love triangle in the film?

TB: That was in the writing. That definitely was the writing to have a romance in an unconventional fashion on screen where you feel that it’s going in one direction but in many ways that connection is more on a spiritual level, that’s not the Hollywood formula. They just don’t make movies like that and say “That’s going to be a romance blockbuster.” I believe that this little movie will have a long shelf life and continue to find audiences as it goes because it’s different. We don’t see that in movies and people don’t try it. I think they pulled it off.

Q: How do you feel about the film being released in May given its winter theme?

TB: You know the timing of these things are dependent on when you get a distributor attached. It’s coming out now because it was when we were able to put the pieces together. It’s out in theaters on May 1st and I think the DVD will come out by the holidays and that would be a great holiday release to have this film available on DVD. I don’t think it loses anything because it’s having its theatrical in May at all. It is not the Christmas aspect to it, the city of Chicago and the shots that were chosen are the under penning of the backdrop if you will. It’s not what the film is about. I think when you watch this movie, you wouldn’t leave saying “Why was this Christmas movie playing in May,” because I think if you walk out after seeing this movie with an audience, it won’t feel like a Christmas movie. It’ll feel like the lives of these people and you’ll be into these characters, not so much the holiday season which will end up being an afterthought. I hope. I’m saying I hope here because I don’t know.

Q: How difficult was it to arrange the shooting?

TB: Chicago weather is much like New York. By the time we started shooting, all we were trying to not shoot was any bloom. The picture actually takes place before Christmas and it ends in the springtime. We got all of that in the time we were shooting not because we were waiting for the season to pass but because Chicago is so wacky that on any given day you could have winter. On any given day you could have spring and on any given day you could have summer. Really not a lot of thought went into it other than dealing with what would happen on that day. The positive thing about an independent film is that it’s like a guerilla war. If it rained today, we went “We’re not going to shoot outside, let’s find an interior to shoot,” so we changed gears very quick.

Q: How long was the shoot?

TB: 23 days.

Q: And the budget?

TB: Under ten million.

Q: Given that you play a cop, how much preparation did you give yourself to play the role and did you research the profession or did you go by Chicago street smarts?

TB: I definitely tried to not lose any weight because I thought that wouldn’t fit and why try. I tried not to cop it up in a way. We see cops in television. We see cops in movies. It’s the modern day cowboy if you will of the forties and fifties are cops today. The only effort I truly made was to try to be natural and not cop it up. Not say “Hey, get over here. Pull over. What are ya doin?” To me, all I did was show up with a badge and a gun and beyond that I didn’t think about being a cop.

Q: What thought did you get that this is a woman that is surrounded by deception and what the impact is on her and what you want to say on the subject?

TB: I think the men in her life are attracted to her because they are looking at some kind of redemption and they see that as she is the way to make them feel better about themselves, whether it is her husband or my character or Michael Keaton’s character. I think that deception is what people are doing to get close to her but in the end it’s redemption that they’re looking for.

Q: Is that because she has a certain type of innocence?

TB: I think so. I just think that those three guys are attracted and why they’re attracted to her is that she has a character that gives an “I’m here if you need me” vibe.

Q: Thank you Tom.

TB: Are we good? Thank you all very much.

(Special thanks to Falco Ink)