It took Paul Weitz seven years to make the film Being Flynn, an adaptation of Nick Flynn's memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. While it was very important for Weitz to make his friend Flynn a part of the production process, he also knew that he needed to make the story, of a son encountering his estranged father while working at a homeless shelter, his own in some way. For inspiration, Weitz drew from his relationship with his own father, clothing designer John Weitz. Elvis asks Weitz about the prevailing element of shame that has permeated so many of his films, and how he mustered the nerve to open the film with De Niro in someplace very familiar -- a taxi dispatch.
Banner image: Director/screenwriter Paul Weitz (L) and writer Nick Flynn (R) on the set of Being Flynn. Photo by David Lee