User blog:Triforcer/Gangster Squad Press Conference



As The Gangster Squad approaches its modified January 11 release date because of the events in the Aurora shooting, a press conference in Los Angeles was held to answer questions from the fans as well as general inquiries about the decisions made related to the movie. Here are some of the highlights:


 * The cast and crew takes the look, feel, and style of the movie very seriously.


 * The most challenging scenes? Ryan Gosling (jokingly): Challenging when he realized he wasn't getting a tommy gun. Josh Brolin: The fight with Sean Penn was rehearsed for many weeks, filmed within three nights, and there were no stunt doubles involved.
 * Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone thoroughly enjoyed working together for the second time in a film and would love to continue to do so.


 * Movie films are always a challenge when it comes to accuracy, but Gosling says the clothes more than make up for whatever the actors lack by helping them physically fit in the role, thereby emotionally fitting into it.


 * How close was it to the book? Will Beall: Emma doesn't exist in the book and women are hard to write. I mostly drew on the articles of the LA times vs anything else.


 * African Americans and Hispanics in the leads were very important as it is reflective of the city as it is now. Will Beall served in the LAPD which influenced this in particular.

Sean Penn: Looking back at how the cops acted, you realized that they were not following the manual and that boundaries were malleable. They thought outside the box, good wasn't really good, and sometimes you had to think dirty.
 * The Movie is a mix between nonfiction and fiction: How did you approach your characters?

Emma Stone: My character is not based on a real person, but she came up to be famous and just found herself on the arm of a gangster, famous by association. I found that heartbreaking, and the motivation came from there.

Ryan Gosling: Bugs Bunny comes to mind: the man himself was braver and more noble than my character could be, but that isn't necessarily best for the film. Balancing what was best while honoring the man himself was key, and we even met some distant family members in order to accomplish this.

Don't miss The Gangster Squad when it comes out January 11, 2012!