“Let’s be honest I can be too sweet,” the director tells EW.
“It’s such a heavy experience taking care of a person and the impact they have on you.
“I love Joaquin and Woody together,” says Mills.
Joaquin Phoenix carries Woody Norman in ‘C’mon C’mon.'.A24
“There’s this scene of them in New Orleans together after there’s this parade scene.
It’s a quiet scene between he two of them.
So the film was this scene, but it’s also what’s really happening.
Joaquin Phoenix in Mike Mills’ ‘C’mon C’mon.'.A24
I watched that scene happen and it’s much more than my direction.
It’s this event.”
“Of course the film loves that compression,” says Mills.
Mike Mills directs Joaquin Phoenix in ‘C’mon C’mon.'.A24
It’s almost like a Buster Keaton technique just being bad at your job.
I really wanted the man to not be broken down or weird or kind of a goof.
“Let’s be honest I can be too sweet,” says the director.
But he needn’t have worried.
“The first link I get from my casting person, there’s Woody,” says Mills.
“He’s kid number three and he was quite amazing.”
The director also couldn’t believe that Norman was actually English.
“The film gods helped us out.
It shouldn’t have been that easy.
It shouldn’t have been anything like that.”
They quickly moved ahead with flying the now 12-year-old out to the U.S. to meet with Phoenix.
“Joaquin shows up in his pajamas,” says Mills.
They really went toe-to-toe right away.
Norman isn’t the only young person in the movie.
We really wanted their answers to be almost like the setting of the film.
“I wanted to have this film have that feeling.
Black-and-white pulls you out of reality and puts you into a different story land.”
C’mon C’monis in theaters now.
Watch Mills’ full interview above.
