Even though this is Stu Zicherman’s directorial debut, you’d never guess it. With A-list comedic talent and his show-runner background, Zicherman knew exactly how to prep and shoot his indie comedy A.C.O.D., (he claims being a show-runner is harder than being a director). He is very enthusiastic and energetic as we sit down for his interview. Behind his left shoulder is a poster for A.C.O.D and I immediately ask him about what it’s like to see his name amongst some of Hollywood’s finest actors, like Adam Scott, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, and Richard Jenkins. We begin:
THIS BEING YOUR FIRST FEATURE FILM, YOU LOOK AT THE POSTER AND SEE ALL THE NAMES… IS THAT SURREAL TO YOU?
Oh yeah, the whole thing’s surreal. The other night Adam [Scott] was on Jay Leno and they showed a clip of the movie and Jay Leno was saying ‘ACOD’ and I was like, this is just crazy!
WHEN DID YOU HAVE THIS IDEA?
I think when you’re a kid you don’t really have any perspective, you’re just kind of in it. It feels scary and weird at times, but for me, it also felt funny and irreverent. Then you get to a point where you grow up and you start fucking up your own relationships and you’re like, ‘What is wrong with me?’ Then you realize, oh I had no role models. My parents made a mess of it and I have no idea what I’m doing. And that was the inspiration for the movie.
WAS A.C.O.D. ALWAYS SET OUT TO BE A COMEDY?
Yeah, it was. I always had this idea for an opening of a movie that started with ‘Fuck you.’
[LAUGHTER]
I wanted to make something you could call a comedy but it’s also about a subject that you can’t completely make fun of… At the end of the day, the intention of the movie was not to be solely about divorce. The message of the movie at the end is that whether you’re from married parents or divorced parents, you’re not destined to repeat the patterns of your parents.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CASTING PROCESS?
Well, it started with Adam… Adam to me was the classic anti-hero, he’s got a very cynical, funny point of view on things and I love that. And once I got Adam, I started looking at other people I really loved, like Richard Jenkins. We got him, and once you start to get those kinds of people, it starts to roll. I went after Jane [Lynch] and Amy [Poehler] to play parts that were not straightforward and funny.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER A SEQUEL IF THIS WAS SUCCESSFUL?
Haha, I don’t think there’s a sequel, although at one of the screenings in New York, Christie Brinkley came up to me and said ‘I think you should do a sequel, I have lots of stories for you about divorce.’
[LAUGHTER]
That’s been fun for me; since Sundance, it’s been really fun having people come up to me saying, ‘I didn’t realize I was part of this ‘thing’,’ or ‘My parents got divorced when I was blah, blah blah,’ and it’s kind of funny. I’m not a shrink by any means, I have no answers for anybody, but it’s been fun.
