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Tom DiCillo
Double Whammy
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Written by Matt Arnoldi
updated 15th July 2003
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Writer-director Tom DiCillo gave Brad Pitt one of his first acting roles in "Johnny Suede", cajoled Steve Buscemi into playing a filmmaker in "Living in Oblivion", and persuaded Daryl Hannah to play a soap sex siren in "The Real Blonde". His milieu is quirky offbeat comedies, and his latest is about a cop [Denis Leary] hopelessly beset by bad luck.
What was the inspiration behind "Double Whammy"?
I fancied making a subversive tragicomedy. I wanted to set it in the crime world as I wanted to address issues of violence. I've been intrigued by the use of violence in film for sometime. With Hollywood violence, bizarre elements tend to happen to you whilst in independent films, violence is often seen as an artform. I set this film up as a satire to see where that would take me.
As in many of your films, it looked like you wanted to create a comic thriller with twists. Was that right?
Certain films, like John Huston's "The Asphalt Jungle" or Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious", have always carried a fascination for me. I wanted my story to have a twist or two, yes, so Ray Pluto [Denis Leary's character] had to be someone who wanted to be a hero but could never quite achieve it. There's something of me in that character.
Was it a risk to cast stars in leading roles who are better known for other things rather than their acting?
To be honest, I find there are limitations in the acting pool available, and it was difficult to find leading actors with both a sense of humour and a reasonable emotional range. Denis - who I'd known for ten years since casting him in "The Real Blonde" - provides an incredibly magnetic presence in the film. I've always considered him to be an actor first and everything else second. I first saw Liz Hurley in the first "Austin Powers" movie, and her ability to be a little silly in front of camera swayed it for me.
What do you hope people will take away from seeing "Double Whammy" as opposed to a Hollywood studio film?
I hope it might surprise them a bit. Intelligence doesn't seem to be expected as much these days when you watch a film. I like to credit my audiences with intelligence. Hopefully people will find it funny too.
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