WE DEMAND A RECOUNT

by Angel Cohn Mayy 22, 2008

TWoP: What made you want to write a movie about the 2000 presidential election, and why now?

Danny Strong: It was completely inspired by the place called Stuff Happens that I saw at the Mark Turner Forum... it was about the build up to the Iraq War told from different perspectives. I was so moved by this piece that as soon as the play ended I thought, 'I really want to write something just like that.' Within 30 seconds, I kid you not, the idea of Recount popped into my mind.

TWoP: When was that?

DS: That was in the fall of 2005. So it was quite a while ago. Then I started researching it and ordered a number of books on it. I discovered it was a completely fascinating chapter in US history that I knew so little about, and felt most people knew little about. We all knew [about] Katherine Harris and hanging chads and the Supreme Court.

TWOP: Right, I had just followed it on TV.

DS: Yeah, that's it. And what was on TV was really confusing. None of it really made complete sense, and I think the true story of what was going on behind the scenes, I just thought could be turned into a really fantastic film.

TWoP: Did you do any interviews, or was your research just based on documents you read?

DS: The majority of the film is based on four books. It was only 36 days so four books cover it pretty well. And they all overlap, it is the same story, most of what is in this film is double, triple or quadruple sourced from these books. But I did go out and interview many of the actual participants, as well as many others on the periphery who aren't characters in the film. I did about 40 interviews.

TWoP: Did you meet any of the folks who are major players in the film?

DS: Yeah, a lot of them. I interviewed Ron Klain, James Baker and David Boies, Margaret Tutweiler, Ben Ginsberg, Kerey Carpenter, Clay Roberts and Warren Christopher.

TWoP: Those are some big names.

DS: Yeah! And I was cold calling most of these people.

TWoP: And they were responsive?

DS: Yeah. Some people, no. Some people wouldn't return my calls. We couldn't find everyone. But we got to speak to at least one person that is in every scene... except for the scene where Katherin Harris is by herself, because she wouldn't speak to me. But aside from that one scene, every other one in the film, there was one person that was there that I did speak to.

TWoP: As you were researching did anything shock you?

DS: Everything! Everything was shocking to me. Just to the extent that the division of elections -- Katherine Harris's office -- was doing everything it could to thwart a recount. They did it legally, but it was by stretching the law or interrupting the law in a way that was not corrupt or illegal, but I would argue unethical.

TEoP: Sort of twisting the words to get the outcome they wanted.

DS: Exactly. That's exactly what they did. I think we show it in the movie, particularly with the advisor's opinion. How the law itself about [whether] hand recounts are allowed was really vague. They just sort of twisted their interpretation in a way that just happened to not allow Al Gore to recount.

TWoP: The moment in the movie that stuck in my head was when they're in Katherine Harris's office and it's a Sunday afternoon and they need a few more hours to recount, and she's withing the law to give it to them and she says no. Really?

DS: See! That is the entire story of the Florida recount right in that scene. The court has given them two options. [The recount tally has to be in by] 5PM on a Sunday or 9AM on Monday morning if they aren't open Sunday. Palm Beach County says they need two more hours to complete their 460,000 ballot recount with only a thousand left to go, and what do they say? "No, 5PM. You are shut down." Is that fair? I don't think so.

TWoP: Was it hard to stay neutral while writing this?

DS: Not at all. I don't think it was hard at all. Many Republicans feel that the film was fair. We've heard from James Baker and Ben Ginsberg... what was important was to fully express their point of view and to let their point of view be heard in the story. I think everybody is heard in this story. The scene with Katherine Harris alone at the window, the goal of that scene was to show the pressure she was under. The ways she was getting attacked by the media and how difficult this must be for her. We did the best we could to show the pressure that everyone was under.

TWoP: Why didn't you write yourself a bigger part?

DS: [Laughs] I'm just not a fan. There really wasn't anything for me. It's all middle-aged men.

TWoP: You could have written in an intern that kept showing up.

DS: "Hey, Mr. Klain, would you like some coffee." [Laughs]

TWoP: "Wait, there's an important phone call."

DS: "Hey, we've got Johnny on line four." I just didn't really want to be in the movie to be honest with you. This experience was never about anything to do with my acting career. Jay Roach, the director, had me at his side for the whole shoot and I felt like I got to go to film school. I just had a front row seat, watching this amazing, talented director do his work. I just learned so much from him. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.

TWoP Not to mention this has a fantastic cast.

DS: Aren't they amazing? And as an actor, watching Kevin Spacey doing take after take was probably the best acting lesson I've ever had in my life.

TWoP: When you were writing this, did you have actors in mind for certain roles?

DS: No. it was really, really hard because I'd met so many of the actual people that I couldn't get their faces out of my mind. It wasn't until the casting really began and the casting director and Jay were reviewing tapes of actors that I could break away from these images that I had.

TWoP: I wouldn't have expected to see Denis Leary in this film, but he's really perfect.

DS: That's actually pretty spot-on casting, because the real Michael Whouley is a a foul-mouthed Bostonian genius, and Denis Leary is a foul-mouthed Bostonian genuis.

TWoP Right. I'm just not used to imaginging Denis Leary in the political world, but it works.

DS: That's exactly how people perceive Michael Whouley. He doesn't feel like the elegant operative. He's the brawler.

TWoP He's not the kind of guy you'd see on CNN.

DS: No. He actually doesn't talk to the press ever. And he wouldn't talk to me.

TWoP: Too bad. I bet he would have been a fun guy to talk to.

DS: Yeah. I actually had a conversation with him after he saw the movie and it was great getting to finally talk to him.

TWoP: Are you a political junkie in general, or was it just this case that interested you?

DS: I wouldn't say I am a political junkie. I follow it. I read a few articles every day. I think the only reason I'm not a full-fledged junkie is because I think I would kill myself. I get too passionate and too frustrated and too angry. I think I'm a little bit too idealistic to follow the minutiae of what is going on every single day, because it's always just quite disappointing.

TWoP: I had finished watching your film the other day and then literally two minutes later there was a piece on the news where Hillary Clinton was saying how every vote counts. Some things just never change and voting procedures are still very relevant and topical now.

DS: I don't think it will ever go away, and I think the message of the film is that our elections are supposed to be fair and we need to do better.

TWoP: So you aren't surprised that voting is again a hot button topic with Obama/Hillary?

DS: In a close election... he's clearly in the lead, she's still staying in the game and you'll always have that in a close election. I don't think there is anything more bitter in American politics than a close election.

TWoP: Is there a screenplay coming from you on the Democratic primaries of 2008?

DS: [Laughs] So many people ask me that. It is really funny. I don't think I'm going to be doing an election movie any time soon. I think I've had my fill of electoral law.

TWoP: Are you working on any other writing projects.

DS: Yeah, I'm writing the story of Brown vs. the Board of Education this summer. Gary Ross is attached to direct. I'm really excited about it. It is a beautiful, beautiful story and I hope to do it justice.

TWoP: Are you knee deep in legal books for that one?

DS: Yeah! Exactly.

TWoP: As far as your writing are you sticking to non-fiction, or will you ever delve into fiction?

DS: I'll do anything that gets me excited. My goal isn't so much genre, or fact-based or not fact-based. I just want to work on projects that I think could be great. This story, Brown vs. the Board of Education, I think can be wonderful if we get it right.

TWoP: You mentioned that you liked watching Jay film. Is directing in your future?

DS: Without a doubt. That is absolutely the goal. That's not the immediate goal, but hopefully in the next five years I can direct a film. Jay really inspired me to do this.

TWoP: Are we ever going to see you on screen again?

DS: Probably. I definitely have become more selective because the writing career is so time-consuming.

TWoP: So maybe not a regular series.

DS: Probably not a regular on a TV show. I don't think I have the time to do that now. But if cool stuff comes my way... I am definitely not quitting acting.

TWoP: Your loyal Buffy and Gilmore Girls fans will be happy to hear that.

DS: Aw... tell them I say, 'Hello, and I love them all'!

TWoP: Do you run into any of them ever?

DS: {Laughs] Yeah, several times a week.

TWoP: Do you go to any of the conventions or anything like that?

DS: I haven't in a few years, but there was a three-year period with Buffy that I flew all over the world going to conventions. I've got to tell you, it was the best job I ever had.

TWoP: It's crazy to think about the worldwide impact of that little TV series.

DS: Yeah, I was literally in England and Scotland and Australia and Canada... That was a tremendous experience getting to do that. It is amazing. You show up and you are a Beatle for a weekend, and you get a free trip.

TWoP: Nothing wrong with that.

DS: No, not at all. It's great. I just don't have as much time for it as I used to.

TWoP: You were on one of the most controversial episodes [of Buffy], and it actually got pulled for a bit because it involved gun shooting. Did you realize when you were making it that it was going to have such a big impact.

DS: No! We shot the episode, "Earshot," and then the week it was going to air, Columbine happened. It was just such an unbelievable tragedy at that time and the WB decided not to air the episode at that time because I think it was going to air two days later. I totally agreed with the decision. I think it would have been extremely insesitive to air at that moment. They pulled the season finale as well, for similar reasons, which was unncessary, because the season finale had a giant snake. I though that was maybe a little much.

TWoP: Beacyse that might not happen in real life.

DS: Yeah. But pulling "Earshot" I thought was a really responsible decision, and I'm glad that they did air it several months later.

TWoP: It was such an incredible episode.

DS: Yeah. Jane Espenson, what a writer, huh?

TWoP: [Laughs] Yean, Jane [who has been a writer/producer on Buffy, Gilmore and Battlestar Galactica] has done just a few little things.

DS: She's a wonderful human being too. She's one of my closest friends. I really love her.

TWoP: Did you get any tips from the writing staff when you were starting out?

DS: Not the writing staff, but definitely Jane. She has been a supporter of my writing career right from the get-go. She read the first script I ever wrote and she loved it and told me I was a real writer and that I needed to keep doing it. She is one of the first people I give a script to when I'm done with it, just to get her opinion. How lucky am I to have Jane Espenson as a friend so that I can give her my scripts?

TWoP: Do you keep in touch with Adam Busch or Tom Lenk? You three are linked in my mind fron the Buffy days. Do you hang out?

DS: [Laughs] Adam Busch is another one of my best friends. I see Tom Lenk all of the time. We all live about three blocks from each other.

TWoP: Good, that keeps the illustration preserved in my mind, where you sit around and play Guitar Hero or something and try to take over the world.

DS: Absolutely. We somethimes will go out together and have a bit to eat and people that know the show enjoy it.

TWoP: Anything else coming up that we should be aware of?

DS: Not really. There is so much Recount madness right now.

TWoP: Good timing to release it in the middle of an election year.

DS: I know. The amount of press we've gotten... Hillary Clinton talked about it yesterday in her speech. She talked about the movie as an example of why Florida should be counted for her. It has been this crazy ride and I feel like I'm on a roller coaster and we'll see when it finally stops.

TWoP: Great. I wish you the best of luck with everythijng. Even though your film has gotten me all riled up again. I thought I'd gotten over it.

DS: Yeah, this film has definitely opened up some old wounds for people, but I think it is a healthy thing. I think we need to examine this so hopefully it will never happen again.