An article by Shaun Sages

Having lived in a self-destructive state of mind for the past few years, a twisted thought had sparked in the mind of screenwriter Gordy Hoffman. “I was in a stripped-down place as an individual…driving a taxi in Chicago for about two years. And I had an idea about a normal guy that starts huffing gas”, explains the enthused writer. His younger brother, actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, has joined Gordy in the SONY conference room to promote their new film, Love Liza. As written by Gordy, the protagonist in Love Liza does indeed drench dirty rags with gasoline only to inhale the fumes. But what event would trigger a man to such harmful extremes? For Wilson, the mild-mannered web designer played by Phillip Hoffman, it is the unexpected suicide of his wife. 

Hoffman the elder resembles a retired NFL quarterback more than an arty screenwriter. He speaks in a deep tone and often digresses into amusing anecdotes about his directing ventures at age 12. His brother, who is somewhat preoccupied with a tall Starbucks beverage, is just as enthused, only he keeps his answer short. What the two siblings share in common is a well-used sense of humor. So when asked what made him take the lead role, Phillip sarcastically replies, “Gordy cornered me and said, ‘Do it or die’.”

Phillip considers the screenplay for Love Liza to be one of the best scripts he has ever read. The screenplay follows Wilson on a disturbing, yet quietly moving, journey as he tries to avoid contemplating his wife’s suicide. Instead of grieving in a traditional manner, Wilson hits the road and, in addition to huffing gasoline fumes, finds a new hobby in racing radio-controlled airplanes.

“I did it [the part] because the script was really good. It had nothing to do with Gordy [being my brother]. You don’t just jump into bed with your family without thinking it over ten times.” Since the performance Hoffman delivers in Love Liza is among his best, right beside the overly concerned nurse in Magnolia, it’s difficult to refute his claims. And as an actor who has appeared in three films this fall (Red Dragon, 25^th Hour, and Punch-Drunk Love), he has obviously read plenty of scripts.

I managed to slip in a few questions for both brothers during the roundtable interview:

Shaun Sages: How was it to take directions from your brother?

Phil Hoffman: I didn’t have to really so much take directions as just kind of try to fulfill what Gordy had written in the screenplay…which was kind of like taking directions, but it wasn’t because this was a role I had wanted to play. 

SS: Gordy, since your brother has worked with such acclaimed writers as David Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson, did you seek their help or any other known screenwriter’s help while writing Love Liza?

Gordy Hoffman: Not really while I was writing it, but I had shown the screenplay to Paul [Thomas Anderson] once it was in the final stages of completion. He gave me some interesting feedback. I only started showing it to people once I had typed "The End".

SS: Were you ever interested in directing your script?

GH: Uh, no. It wasn't a script I wanted to direct. I have scripts that I want to direct, but Love Liza was not one of them.

For the last question, one journalist had asked Gordy what he hopes audiences will do after watching Love Liza. "I hope people see it and want to buy radio-control planes", he offered as a final joke.

-Copyright 2003 by Shaun Sages


 

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