There are so many movies in the zombie genre that it would seem almost impossible to make something that feels fresh — yet that’s just what Ruben Fleischer has done with his debut feature, Zombieland. Though it has antecedents in Romero and Shaun of the Dead, the film is its own beast: a zom-com, sure, but also a road movie, a buddy comedy, and an off-kilter indie film that somehow wandered into the land of the dead. It’s also a hit with audiences and critics, having taken more than $74 million at the US box office and rating 89% Fresh on RT. With Zombieland out in Australia this week, we spoke with Ruben about the film.
RT: You must be pretty happy with the success of Zombieland.
RF: Of course. It’s like a dream come true.
Were you expecting it to take off like it did?
No, no; certainly not. It’s a zombie movie, which can have kind of a limited appeal, so it’s thrilling the way that people have responded to it in the way they have. I never could have expected it would be like that.
And the critics liked it as well — that must have been a pleasant surprise.
Yeah, certainly the most gratifying part of it for me as a filmmaker was that the critics liked it, ’cause I don’t think they’re predisposed to like zombie movies. So I felt pretty lucky that they appreciate it.
How did you get involved with this script originally?
It was something that Sony had and I think they were just meeting a bunch of young directors. I think they wanted somebody sort of young and cheap and with a fresh sensibility. So they met with a bunch of people, and I read it and loved it when I read it, and really was aggressive in trying to get the job. I had about four or five meetings with various different producers and executives on the project… and just kind of talked my way into it.
What’s your background — were you at film school?
No, I didn’t go to film school. I was a history major at college. I did a lot of short films and music videos and commercials and stuff like that. So that’s really my training, as a music video and commercial director. I think my reel, which got me the job, is for the most part all music videos and commercials.
Who did you do videos for?
They’re all pretty indie and obscure. People like M.I.A and Dizzee Rascal, two British artists.
Which M.I.A. video did you do?
I did one called “Galang”.
Cool. So, you later worked on Borat — tell me about that.
Yeah, I did all the ‘making of’ the movie, so the filming of all the behind-the-scenes type stuff — which was like the best job I’ve ever had, just because it was such an exciting movie to be a part of and Sacha’s such a genius. That movie was pretty groundbreaking as far as its approach to filmmaking. It really felt pretty dangerous and rogue, that we were doing this pseudo illegal movie where we were always running from the cops and dealing with angry people. And I got to go to Romania, which was incredible. All of Borat’s village and the ‘running of the Jew’ and all that stuff was done in Romania. That was really cool.
I guess your footage would have come in handy when everyone tried to sue Sacha as well.
Yeah. Although, I mean the movie… somehow pretty much all of those pieces were thrown out. Borat basically won. No one ever got any money out of him.
Tell us about getting the cast together for Zombieland. It’s not a group of actors you’d expect to see in a zombie movie.
I think my tastes lie a bit more independent than maybe some, so I’ve been a fan of Jesse’s [Eisenberg] for some time. With the exception of Woody [Harrelson] and Abby [Breslin], everyone pretty much audtioned and we just chose our favourite people. But Woody was really the catalyst that got the movie going, got the movie greenlit, and also kind of said to the community that this isn’t gonna be your average zombie movie. When you have somebody of his calibre in a zombie film that kind of just sets it above the rest. So it really opened us up to a lot of talent; I think that’s in part why Abby agreed to do it. Certainly Jesse and Emma [Stone] were just the best people for the job as far as the auditions.
Woody was obviously a big fan of the movie — to the extent where he punched out that paparazzi at the airport thinking he was a zombie. What did you make of that?
That was after we shot. It was actually on the way back, he went from Georgia to New York, I thought it was amazing — it was like early publicity for the film. I was so psyched when I saw it. I mean, obviously I’m not supporting whatever transpired, but that paparazzi guy did seem like a real zombie as far as from what I could tell.
That’s the first I remember hearing of the film — so it worked.
Yeah. It definitely wasn’t intentional, but it was definitely beneficial.
How do you juggle the tone of a film like this — not quite comedy but not quite horror — when you’re working with the actors?
My taste is for comedy and I think the script was already really funny, so we just tried to match the tone of the scene to what was scripted. But what it really came down to was by having people who were that talented and that funny they could really just match the scene perfectly. I can’t take too much credit. I think it’s to Woody and Jesse and Emma and Abby’s credit that they’re just so charismatic and likeable and talented; whether it’s a scary moment or a sincere moment or a romantic or funny moment, they’re just able to pull it off no matter what.
Emma has that great moment when she’s laughing as someone dies — was that in the script?
Yeah, that was in the script. Well, I mean we didn’t really have a script per se for that part, but that was definitely always the intention — that he cracked her up no matter what, and she couldn’t contain herself.
There’s a marquee with 2012 in the movie — was that some cross-marketing for Sony?
That was our little wink wink. I mean Sony definitely suggested it, but I thought it was funny, too, so I included it. We had a different movie in there but we had to replace it — so they were like, well you may as well put in 2012.
Can you talk a little about some of the intro shots? Were they digital or in-camera work with stunt people?
You mean like the ‘rules’?
No, like when that lady crashes through the windshield.
That was a composite of effects and a real car crash and a real woman crashing into the ground. They were put together after the fact.
Pretty spectacular stuff.
Yeah, that was something I said: I wanna see a woman smash through a windshield and fly to the ground all in one shot.
To the sound of Metallica.
Exactly. And my stunt guy was like, “Oh you can’t really do that”. But we figured it out, and it was a combination of practical and visual effects — and I think it’s probably the shot I’m most proud of in the moive.
What was the most fun part of the shoot?
I can’t say there’s any one thing. I mean the whole thing was just ridiculously fun. It was a true dream come true, as a first-time filmmaker, just to even get to make a movie, but the fact that I had such an awesome cast meant we had so much fun. I think the amusement park stuff was really good, and the stuff in the mansion was incredible. The whole thing, pretty much from start to finish, was awesome.
How long were Abigail and Emma on that ride for?
They did, like, two full nights, and it was all at night and very very cold. I think at first they were so excited — “Oh this is amazing, we get to be on an amusement park ride” — when they first did it, but I think they were quite quickly like. “Get us off of this thing”. [laughs] They were ready to come down. It was cold, it was winter, and you have a 12-year-old, you know, at the top of this thing. But it all worked out.
She was only 12? Wow. Her performance is great.
Yeah when she shot she was 12. She’s like, the best ever. Truly incredible.
Zombieland is out now.
Click here to read Ruben Fleischer’s Five Favourite Films.
