Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” is a sweet film. Anger, hate, violence, cursing, smacking ladies. Basically an all-male cast except for Jennifer Jason Leigh, whom Kurt Russell whacks around.
Tarantino, collar open, tie half-tied: “Movies like this take patience. Somehow, three years ago, after long in the making, ‘Django’ came out, also at Christmas. Maybe it’s a good season to open. This is my eighth film. I’ve said I’ll only make 10. If people want more, I’ll . . . hopefully . . . think about it then.
“We filmed in Telluride. Freezing blizzard. Scandinavian-type frigid. And we faked nothing. We waited until it stormed and snow fell so everything you see is real. But three weeks there it was cold.”
To keep your bones together, did you get stoned?
“Because pot’s legal in Colorado? . . . Well . . . yeah . . . goes with the territory.”
On Jennifer being beaten in his film: “Kurt took good care of her.”
Kurt Russell: “For something this physical, we rehearsed five months. That was needed to perfect the timing so she wouldn’t worry what’s coming. She’d know what I would do, so she’d know what she would do. If I accidentally hit her, she’d tense up waiting for the next punch. Important to get Jennifer to trust me. She had to gain trust, not anticipate.
“Like if you and I were chained together five months, you can feel my rhythm. This was practice, not a stunt. There are different angles of hitting. I’d say, ‘Here’s what I’ll do,’ and, ‘What you need to do is . . .’
“I’ve hit many guys in Quentin’s movies. Depends how you give a punch and how you take it. She and I worked together. I’d say, ‘Don’t get anxious. If we do this 40 times, you’ll know this hand won’t touch you.’ I’m proud of what we did.”
Jennifer: “Once we started shooting, the big problem was weather. Our designer took care of everything and found ways to keep us warm. Inside our outfits, around the waist, was a warming belt. Socks hid foot and leg warmers. Clothes were lined in wool.
“Working with an all-male cast was fine. The whole group cared for me. I knew it. I could feel it. Nothing changed in our togetherness. They didn’t change language or anything. They were terrific about me. It just took great patience.”
Final filming was on a soundstage chilled to mimic the subzero Rockies. Said handsome Channing Tatum in his perfect blue suit, big smile and easy manner: “The way I looked at it was that the weather was one less thing to worry about. It helped your acting. No need to pretend you’re cold or hide your breath showing. You didn’t have to fake it. It’s real, and you were really freezing.”
No scenes of violence bothered him?
“Everybody’s violent in every Quentin movie.”
Here’s what I’m hearing
Scarlett Johansson doing Carlyle Hotel lunch . . .
Loved New York mag on our world’s oldest survivor, which I reported long ago . . .
Loved NY Times mentioning my Charlotte Rampling interview . . .
Colin Farrell was at London’s Sushisamba. I don’t know what he ordered besides a piece of fish. However, I do know that for a second course, what he found tasty was his elder lady companion.
Syfy can’t fool me
Monday. Lunchtime. Limani, 51st & Rock Center’s new upscale restaurant. Busy, noisy, crowded. Suddenly 10 strangers, all in white, march in. Say nothing, speak nothing, request nothing. They drop cards that say “‘Karellen: Supervisor for Earth’ has taken care of everyone’s check today.” They leave silently. Everyone’s tab got prepaid.
Same time. Same area. Men’s Wearhouse. Same bunch. Same scenario. Same cards dropped, although then they got cheapy. No pants or suit freebies. Surprise! Surprise! The Syfy miniseries “Childhood’s End” began this week.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.