Out writer-director-producer Mitchell Lichtenstein created a bit of a sensation with his debut film Teeth, the graphic horror-comedy in which the leading lady's vagina included a pair of murderous incisors. Now he returns with the family drama Happy Tears ( opening exclusively Friday, Feb. 19, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State ) in which mismatched sisters Parker Posey and Demi Moore argue about what to do with their dad ( played by wild man Rip Torn ) , who is slipping into dementia. Mitchell is the son of the late pop art icon Roy Lichtenstein—a relationship that he draws on for the character of Posey's husband in the film. The one-time performer— noted for his work in Altman's Streamers ( recently released on DVD ) and Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet—was also one of Hollywood's first out-of-the-closet actors. Lichtenstein discussed all this and more in a wide-ranging interview with Windy City Times.Windy City Times: Where did the idea for Happy Tears come from?
Mitchell Lichtenstein: Kind of two things emerged. One was wanting to do a story about this woman who has trouble facing uncomfortable truths or reality and that combined with some biographical— [ but ] not so much autobiographical— things in my extended family.
WCT: Right. I wondered immediately, knowing of your famous father, if Jackson, Parker Posey's husband in the film, was written to express what you had gone through dealing with your father's legacy and maybe similarities in the troubled relationship they obviously had.
ML: Well, not like Jackson and his father in the movie. This serves the plot of the movie. My father and I had a great relationship and it was nothing like that but I know that world somewhat and I thought this was a subplot that needed to be drawn in broad strokes.
WCT: It's good to hear you clarify that. I thought, "Perhaps he's working out that maybe his dad wasn't always so comfortable with his being gay."
ML: No, not at all. The only bad thing about having him as a father was that you want something to rebel against growing up and it was hard to rebel against someone who was so cool. WCT: How did you decide on those two actresses? You wouldn't necessarily think of Parker Posey and Demi Moore as sisters. Those were interesting choices.
ML: I wasn't really thinking of anyone in particular when I was writing it but when I came around to thinking about casting Parker seemed like the best choice and, luckily, she really liked the script. Once she committed to it, it was about finding someone who was a good match and contrast to Parker and I'd always loved Demi's work and thought if she was into doing this kind of movie that it would be great to see her in, say, a less high-concept movie, which is what she had tended to do in most of the movies we think of her in. I remembered loving her early movies that showed more range.
WCT: Like Mortal Thoughts, perhaps—where you see that she can do a lot more.
ML: Demi's energy is very sensible and grounded and Parker's, of course, is very flighty and, not to say neurotic [ laughs ] , but whatever you want.
WCT: You could say neurotic. [ Laughs ]
ML: Well, certainly the character. I just thought they would be a great match. WCT: How about Ellen Barkin, who is
absolutely fearless playing the father's "girlfriend" who's actually a drug addict?
ML: I just got a kick out of thinking of the idea of her in this part and it took a little convincing— I don't think she was afraid of looking bad—but I got on the phone with her and Parker got on the phone with her, convincing her to do it. I think she just wasn't sure that she wanted to work at all but once she committed I knew that she would have to look pretty bad in the movie. But I never would have asked her to go as far as she voluntarily went. She really leapt in.
WCT: When I talked with Lee Daniels, the director of Precious, we discussed the idea of gay men having this great ability to get close to women. He acknowledged that and told me it was very helpful on the set. Did you have any sense of that when you worked with these talented women?
ML: I certainly think the relationship is different in the similar way that it's probably different in life. Usually, you're talking about beautiful women—if they're actresses—and the way they relate to men is different when the men are not on some level coming on to them [ laughs ] or there's not the suspicion that there's a kind of sexual power trip going on. There's not the same kind of power trip. That's a big generalization but as long as we're generalizing. [ Laughs ] It's a different dynamic and maybe more intensified on a film set.
WCT: Obviously now with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," you must be thinking a little bit about the period when you worked in the movie of Streamers with Altman—back in the early '80s. As a real rarity in those days—an openly gay actor—it must have been interesting to play an obviously gay soldier in the piece. ML: Yes it was. I can see more in retrospect. Then, I was just thrilled at the part. What I think about most often now about being out is that when the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival and we got word that the actors were going to win the acting prize it turned out that I was the only one who was able to go to Venice to accept the award. My publicist at the time said, "They may ask about your sexuality and what are you going to say?" and I said, "Well, I'll just say that I'm gay and whatever." "No, no, you can't do that you'd be the first openly gay actor, blah blah blah" and it turned out that no one was really so direct. But the final twist was that the publicist—who was married for years—later came out himself. So, it's not just the straight people keeping us in line. It's all internalized.
WCT: It's still going on. Many gay directors have gone on the record saying, "If you're a young leading man type you might want to stay in the closet because that's the reality." How do you feel about that?
ML: I think that everyone should come out and I also think that actors won't work as much if they do. So I think both. I think it's the reality because it's what I did.
WCT: Did that have anything to do with your leaving acting, Mitchell?
ML: Only in the sense that I don't necessarily blame it on that but it was always a struggle to work. You know, every 10 years I'd get a great part but I had other interests luckily and when I started writing and directing that was fulfilling enough and I lost any desire to act.
WCT: I hope it means a lot to you that you made your mark as a gay actor in both Streamers and The Wedding Banque,t and are now doing that as a writer-director.
ML: Thank you.
