By: debbie lynn elias
Best known as the deliciously devilish and always fashionable Marc St. James, partner in crime to the always scheming Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty, Michael Urie has delighted us in front of the camera for the past decade. Most recently, the Julliard trained Urie recently hit the stage to rave reviews in Jonathan Tolin’s Buyer & Cellar which, thanks to flourishing at Rattlesticks Theater, now heads to the Barrow Street Theater for an initial 10-week Off Broadway run starting June 18th. But for anyone who canft make it to New York to see Urie on stage, you can check out his handiwork not only in front of the camera but behind it, as he makes his feature directorial debut with the hysterical “slapstire”, HE’S WAY MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU.
Written by Halley Feiffer and Ryan Spahn, HWMFTY follows the now Hollywood has-been Halley Feiffer and her efforts to revitalize her once promising career. Since her sterling debut in The Squid and the Whale and 15-minutes of corresponding fame, Feiffer has fallen on hard times, succumbing to alcohol and obsessing with Ralph Macchio and her ever plummeting star-meter ranking on IMDB. Determined to get herself back to her self-perceived former level of stardom, our girl Halley decides to write a script about “funny” incidents in her real life and turn them into an award-winning film. Only problem is that Halley’s humor is at the expense of everyone around her and as comes as no surprise, the best laid plans of Halley take a turn for hilarity once her gay brother steps in to help her by getting Michael Urie to direct Halley’s comeback material.
Michael Urie directing Michael Urie playing director Michael Urie sets up its own comedic meta, but then toss in Ben Stiller, Jesse Eisenberg, Vanessa Williams, Mamie Gummer, Natasha Lyonne, Billy Morrissette and Ralph Macchio, among others, all playing versions of their real selves and the plot thickens as laughter fills the room.
Following a traditional narrative format, the “Hollywood Humor” with Feiffer essentially poking fun at herself goes far as Urie uses a light directorial touch, letting the dialogue and events organically propel the story forward without feeling forced. But where he truly soars is with his production eye, establishing a framework of talented craftspeople and a collaborative spirit, delivering a film that is a visual and comedic delight, belieing a first-time effort.
I had a chance to speak with Michael Urie in this exclusive interview and talk about HE’S WAY FAMOUS THAN YOU, collaboration, stepping behind the camera and, of course, Vanessa Williams. Exuberant, thoughtful, articulate and passionate, Urie is as joyous off-screen as his performances are on-screen. Captivating me with a welcoming enthusiasm and his appreciation for acting, directing and life itself, Urie is humbled by his opportunities and success which just fuel his upbeat energy.
Congratulations to you for HE’S WAY MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU! I laughed my ass off!
Thank you! Thank you so much! [laughing] That’s what we like to hear!
I know you co-directed a documentary previously, but how was it for you this time stepping behind the camera to direct this feature and particularly THIS feature because there is so much exaggerated truth within it for industry insiders?
It’s such a meta-phe. The day I was directing myself directing was so bizarre. [laughing] I was like, “What have I done to myself? I’m sitting in a director’s chair calling action and then ‘calling action’. It was surreal. People use that word too frequently, but I think it was surreal. It came about in such a special, wonderful, magical way working with Halley [Feiffer] and Ryan [Spahn] and then for it to materialize all those wonderful actors that we got – both the household names and the other brilliant people that are in the movie. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people, the crew was incredible. It was a surreal experience because I had always wanted to direct a movie. This business is so intense and you have to really work so hard at getting any one thing done that the idea of putting my acting passions on hold to then start from scratch as a director seemed so out of reach. But then this opportunity came about and it started to happen. It went so well, and it’s gonna be out! It’s this crazy bizarre dream come true and I’m talking to reporters about it. It’s crazy!! But, artistically I would have to say that it was such a gel with my sense of humor and their sense of humor – Ryan and Halley’s sense of humor – and making this kind of a movie. I don’t know that there’s a specific genre. I call it “slapstire”. It’s sort of slapstick and satire at the same time, but it’s also very “meta”. We tried to play by the rules of movie comedy. There’s surprises but we also push all those boundaries. It’s truly outrageous and we push all the boundaries. We want people’s asses to literally be laughed off, like you said. [laughing] Directing it was a complete thrill and I felt like we were a group of 40 or so people on this movie, well, more at times, but 40 core people that were all doing exactly what they should be doing with the right piece and the right group of people. It was a great collaboration.
One of the things that really stands out for me is the technical aspects of the film. It totally belies that you are a first time feature director. Your production values are so good. Your cinematography, your lighting design, your use of color and particularly, your camera angles. How did you and your DP design the visual look of this film because you have some very meta visuals, like the bicycle scenes where Halley is leaning into the camera and her head is HUGE with a tiny little neck and tiny little shoulders. It‘s very metaphoric for the character‘s own ego.
Right. Partially with that is Austin Schmidt who is a brilliant, brilliant Director of Photography. I had worked with him on a feature as an actor previously. I knew from working with him on that that he knew how to tell a story with the camera. I remember watching him because I sort of knew when I was shooting that movie that I might be directing a movie, and because it was an indie movie, I was like, “How does this guy work? How does this guy tell the story with so few resources which you have on an indie film?” It was very much about putting yourself ’into the story’. That movie, most indie movies, really any movie, but especially indie movies, you want to feel like you’re inside the story. With this I really always wanted to feel like I was a fly on the wall who wasn’t supposed to be there; you weren’t supposed to be watching these moments of Halley. The concept that Halley and Ryan came up with that Halley would be filming herself was a brilliant, brilliant piece of not only something that will make our jobs actually easier, but will really help solidify that idea, that fly on the wall idea. Literally, we‘ve got a camera in the corner in many scenes or in her hand or attached to the bike, a little flip camera, which later, as you know, becomes extremely important. That was sort of where we began and then as we moved out, we’d shoot everything like that. But I was really inspired by directors who make you feel like it‘s really happening; like Robert Altman, Woody Allen to an extent. I was really interested in showing things from far away at times, showing things from right up close at times, and then showing things play out. Austin Schmidt, my amazing DP – all those scenes where they’re moving around the apartment and the camera is just sort of trailing them or following them or pulling them – those are all on his shoulder. It’s not a Steadi-Cam. It‘s him carrying a camera. Having him made it possible for me to do the kind of things I wanted to do. Another DP might not have been able to seamlessly create these moving lifelike shots that make you feel like you’re watching something you shouldn’t be watching.
Going hand in hand with Austin‘s work and your visual design is Dara Wishingrad’s production design. It is kaleidoscopic. It is eye-popping. It is immersive. It really heightens the saturated reality of Halley’s mind and existence.
Oh yes! Great! I’m so glad you’re getting that. That’s exactly what we wanted! I have so many favorite sets because I think Dara is a genius and did such a beautiful job, but one of my favorite sets is Halley’s apartment. There’s soooo much detail. And there are so many things we weren’t able to show because you just can’t get it all in the movie. But there’s so much detail!
Every frame I would see something else, something different.
Yes! She designed that bicycle. Between the bicycle and then Laura Morgan also, our costume designer, finding the way that the costumes look and look on the sets, how Laura’s costumes look on Dara‘s sets, to me really really helped Halley. Halley was able to play off of all that. Ryan, too. All of us. We were all very much on the same page and working together to tell the story. It always comes back to what Halley and Ryan created and put on the page, but every step of the way, all of these collaborators that we brought in – Dara, Laura, Austin and even Jim Mol our editor, and Jeff Beal the composer who is a genius and who I stole from Ugly Betty, he was the composer on Ugly Betty and Monk and a million other things, and he fit right in with all of us with the style. His music is the sound equivalent to what you were describing about the production design.
That‘s something else that stands out and shines. Not only Jeff‘s score but the soundtrack selections as well. You’ve got Ethel Merman in there! Who is not gonna love a film where you’re plugging in Ethel Merman!
[laughing] I thank you! Yea! That was a tough get but it was very important to me that it be that kind of schmalz in that moment. But also, one of our luckiest gets was Storm Large. Storm Large who wrote the My Vagina song that [Halley] bikes down the square to. She wrote 5 or 6 songs in the film. She wrote that one, she wrote the other song where Halley is biking and screaming and crying, and then she wrote the lullaby song when Halley falls off the wagon and Natasha Lyonne comes back and gets her back up on her feet. And she wrote the song when Halley is getting ready for Ralph Macchio and she’s getting all sexy. Ryan and I knew Storm, we had met and hung out with Storm in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival; she was doing a one person show there. We met her and got to know her and became pals and were blown away by her songs and her voice so we thought of the My Vagina song for the opening credit montage where [Halley’s] biking and from there on we just listened to all of Stormfs songs. They really were like the soundtrack to Halley. It just made perfect sense that this character, Halley Feiffer, would be voiced inside by a musical Storm Large and it was, I think, a perfect marriage.
Truly, with all of Storm‘s songs you can see them, just as the soundtrack in Halley’s mind. She might not be thinking of anything, but you just know those song lyrics are going round and round and round.
Exactly. Exactly. I think it’s always really nice to hear lyrics in a movie that help you move forward. Sometimes I find lyrics to be very distracting in a movie, but if the lyrics are actually helping you get inside the mind of whatever the character is thinking, they can be so useful. I can’t tell you how many people see the movie and quote that song back to me. Thatfs extremely gratifying.
That‘s one of the things I also like and appreciate in films is when the lyrics in specific songs do propel the story harkening back to the glorious days of the MGM musical.
Yes. It is one step away from… well, they do burst into song actually! There is a musical number. [laughing] We definitely attacked it in that sort of way.
Talking about some of the greatest “gets” of the film, how was it getting Vanessa Williams, not only Vanessa, but a Vanessa song?
Getting Vanessa and her song was something that from the very beginning we wanted to do because of the meta-nature of it. She is such a huge part of me. She was my big break. Almost to the very very nug, she was the reason why I became a big part of Ugly Betty. She accepted me and included me in a way she didnft have to and I was able to run with it. Having her in the film was extremely special and having her song in it – not only having her appear in the movie but having her talk was so fun for us and having her song be at the end is amazing – but also, working with those awesome actors. Ralph Macchio, I knew and he’s my pal, but getting to work with such an amazing [cast]. Ben Stiller – not only is he a completely nice guy and he gave us all of himself for the short time we had him, but the guy knows what he’s doing! It was really exciting to tell someone like Ben Stiller how you wanted it and have him listen to you. It was such a thrill. It meant so much to all of us. Not only of course that they lent themselves, their faces and their names to our movie, but that they gave so much. What I loved so much about this movie, and yes, it was a lo budget movie, an indie movie, we shot it at breakneck pace.
It doesn‘t look lo budget, Michael.
That’s so nice to hear. To me that is because of the amazing collaborators that I had. I couldn’t have done it without people like Austin and Dara and Laura and Jim and Jeff and of course, Halley and Ryan.
At the end of the day, having directed this film, what did you personally take away from the experience and learn about yourself?
[W]hat I took from it is that this can be your big break. Like for me, this is a huge break for me getting to direct a feature film. Or it can be a favor. Ben Stiller did it because he thought it was funny. I guess thatfs my point. Ben Stiller did it because he thought it was funny. He did not have to. He does not do that very often. We brought him something that he responded to and loved and I think what I will take from this is that you should always, always go with your gut and follow your heart. And Ben followed his heart right to our movie. Jesse [Eisenberg], too. All those guys who have crazy schedules.
So, where is your heart going to take you next?
Well, I guess Off-Broadway for now and I’m always trying to get Halley and Ryan to bang out a new script that we can make. And they will. I know that they will. It hasn’t happened yet but once we get this movie out there I know they’re gonna sit down and do another one and we’re gonna have something new.
And you‘re gonna direct again, I hope?
Absolutely! Well, I directed a short that will be hitting the festival circuit that’s very fun. It’s a wonderful little movie called The Hyperglot that Ryan produced. I’m also dying to get back in the director’s chair.
You have an incredible eye and gift and I think a lot of it comes from being an actor but also you‘ve got a great passion, Michael, and I‘m so thrilled to see you wrap it all together with Broadway, with tv, with film and now behind the camera. All that’s left for you to do is write your own feature, direct it and star in it yourself.
Well, maybe I will!!
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