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Comments (0)A movie that’s bound to catch the eyes of Jewish filmgoers – just for the name alone – is “Greenberg,” which opens later this month and stars Ben Stiller. The comedy, about a 40-something schlepper at a crossroads, was originally conceived by Noah Baumbach (“The Squid And The Whale”) and his wife, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh.
“It wasn’t really planned in any particular way,” said the Brooklyn-born Mr. Baumbach, 40, who co-wrote and directed the film. “I had started writing about this character, and I showed Jennifer a very early draft. It was partly formed, but it had a lot of things that are still in the movie. She had all these great ideas about it. She was able to help me to see what the story was in a way that was much more satisfying.”
He told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t originally have any particular actor in mind for the title role. “Ben seemed like one of the only people who could [play the role], but I didn’t write it with any particular person in mind,” Mr. Baumbach said. “In fact, the first draft I showed him, the character was younger. I had originally written the character as 10 years younger.”
However, the film was always meant to take place in L.A., he said. “I had this character who can’t get out of his own way, who makes everything in his life much more difficult for himself,” he said. “At the same time I wanted to shoot a story in Los Angeles and shoot Los Angeles like a real city. It came together and it seemed like the right character for the right city.”