Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Left to right: Priscilla (Abigail Breslin), Rango (Johnny Depp), Parsons (Mark “Crash” McCreery), and The Mayor (Ned Beatty) star in “Rango.”

Question: Johnny and Gore, you guys have worked together a few times now, and I was just wondering if you could each comment on what you like so much about working with the other.

Gore Verbinski: I like the way he smells. (Laughs)

Johnny Depp: I’ve been told I smell good. I mean, I don’t look like I smell good. (Laughter)

GV: What’s great about Johnny is the trust that—you know, neither of us are going to make the other one look like an ass. I have to—he has to trust that at the end of the day, we’re not going to use that stuff where we’ve tried something that didn’t work, but we’re going to try it because…we’ve got this sort of pursuit of finding the truly awkward moment, you know, which is—you’re only going to get there by not knowing, and sort of venturing into the unknown. And so, I just think he’s incredibly brave on top of being incredibly talented. It’s like you’ve got to kind of cross that threshold.

Q: Johnny, you’re a very physical actor, and I’m wondering how this process, where you actually acted out the scenes, was different from the other animated films you’ve done where you had to record your lines in a booth.

JD: I mean, ultimately, it was everything. Though, there were times when you didn’t feel that, when you were doing it­—you’d rather have been—because you know, well, we’re lazy. (Laughter) At least I am. And I’d sort of rather just sit in front of a microphone and do the thing. However—

GV: That’s exactly the point.

JD: Gore created this sort of atmosphere that was really, truly ludicrous. I mean, just ridiculous. It was like just regional theater at its worst. (Laughs) And somehow, because of—not the idea of motion capture, but emotion capture, you know; certain gestures, body language, movement, something you might have done with your eyes—all those guys, you know, these animators took it and put it in there. So, I mean, it was very strange. I mean, for Harry Dean Stanton to walk up to me one afternoon—because I’ve known him for a million years—and he walks up to me and says, “This is a weird gig, man.” (Laughter)

Q: How do [your kids] feel about their dad playing a lizard?  

JD: They actually call me the Lizard King. My children—they do. I’ve forced them to address me like that since they were tykes. (Laughter) No, it was an odd sort of thing, you know. “Where you going, Daddy?” “Ah, I gotta go to work.” “What are you doing?” “Well, I’m playing a lizard.” “Okay.” You know, it’d literally be that kind of thing—you drop your kids off at school, you know, give them a kiss and it was, “Oh, yeah—now I’m gonna go be a lizard.” Or, you know, the things that I’ve done that my kids have been sort of privy to, Willy Wonka and all—it doesn’t register. They’re far more interested in you know, “Family Guy” or Justin Bieber. (Laughs)  

Q: Are you a Belieber?

JD: A Belieber? Wow. I’ve actually never heard that one. And you know what? Yes. I am a Belieber. (Laughter) I am. And I shall remain so.

Q: Rango’s character tells lies to get through the story. Johnny, when have you lied?

JD: I actually tell lies for a living. Exactly. I mean, that’s what acting is, really.  

GV: That was a lie. (Laughs)

JD: Yeah, I was lying. I’m sorry. Yeah, there are certain—I mean, you know, I felt having kids and stuff like that, I had horrific guilt for many years, playing along with the Santa Claus thing. Do you know what I mean? And waiting for that moment to arrive where you—they—because you’re never going to bring it up to them. They’re going to arrive and say, “Hey, you’ve been telling me a lie for my entire life. What are you prepared to do about that?” I mean, it’s like that kind of thing. So yeah, I had horrific guilt. And we’re now kind of just on the outskirts of that, so I feel okay. But no, these are lies that society tells you—you must—you must keep these lies, you know, going —these kind of myths. Yeah, and I feel guilt about it; I still do.

Abigail Breslin: Santa’s not real? (Laughter)

JD: No, no! He is. He is.

AB: Thank God.  

Q: In the past you’ve said that you’ve always chosen characters that you had a personal connection with. What’s your connection with this character?

JD: You mean a lizard. Yeah. I always had an affinity for lizards; I’ve always felt somewhat close to them. They’re reptiles. I’m feeling somewhat reptilian myself at times. When we were doing “Pirates” one, two and three, there were times when Jack Sparrow had to run—there was this very specific run that I wanted. And it was from seeing this footage of a lizard running across the water. And it was like the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. And so I said, “Gore, he’s got to be the lizard running across the water,” and he’s like, “Oh, yeah, absolutely. Okay, it’s time to…you know, let’s…”

GV: Get in touch with the lizard.

JD: Get—yeah, get in touch with the lizard. And we did it. So I actually think that Rango was somehow planted in Gore’s brain from that run, from that lizard run, you know. And when he actually called me and said, “I want you to play a lizard,” I thought, “Well, God, I’m halfway there.”

Student Life: So, first things first—why did you choose “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”?

Henry Schvey: Well, it’s one of my very favorite plays. I’ve directed it before, and I just really love the play. I think it presents terrific challenges for young actors, and it has a balanced cast; it’s not a show with just one or two big leads—there are all of these wonderful parts. It’s also appealing to me because the Performing Arts Department has a dance component as well as a theater component, and this show has all of the fairy roles, so there is a lot of opportunity to work with movement—my colleague Cecil Slaughter is choreographing the show. So, it really has that scope and that ability to utilize all the resources of the department: dance; acting, obviously; theater studies, in the sense that you are performing Shakespeare so there is a lot of textual work; as well as all of the technical possibilities. You have a world that is set in the supernatural—a world of magic—which is the essence of theater.

SL: Have you made any difficult or unexpected directorial choices with this production?

HS: Well, you know, every show has [a] conceptual framework that you need to find. I guess deciding how to balance modern dress [with traditional Shakespearean costuming], how to make this show speak to people today while still keeping to the spirit of magic. I thought about setting the show in the sixties. The Athenians are dressed in modern suits, and the Mechanicals are [in the clothing style of] today—T-shirts and stuff like that—but the fairies are dressed for magic. I didn’t want to keep them in the sixties; I wanted it to be much more universal than that. So, that decision also inspired other decisions like, for example, Athens is modern, but it’s white; the set is white with [the] columns, which suggests sort of a nod to Athens, but it’s still modern. Then that transforms into the forest through lighting and through things that fly down, fly at you, foliage and so on.

SL: You’ve directed “Midsummer” here at Wash. U. before, right?

HS: Yes, but it was like twenty years ago, maybe more than twenty years ago. You are working with different actors too, and the space is different, the concept is even different. The capabilities of the actors are different, everything, so it really feels like a completely different show.

SL: So why do you think “Midsummer,” or Shakespeare’s plays in general, have lasted for so long?

HS: It’s so funny. I mean, I think it’s so funny. There are moments of this show that definitely do not feel 400 years old at all. It feels as though it’s speaking to us directly because it’s dealing with questions of love and what we see in someone else, whether it’s something that is entirely in our own heads or whether what we love is something that we really see in that other person, and that’s a very modern issue. Do we judge by appearances, or do we judge by essences?

SL: So, big overall question—why do you think A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a particularly valuable show for college students to experience?

HS: Well, I think it presents tremendous opportunities for college students, period. There are so many things that relate to the history and the culture of Shakespeare’s time. But it also speaks to contemporary issues—the play is amazingly funny; it just does so many different things. It’s education without being in a classroom. It teaches you about the language. Everybody has been in love, everyone thinks about that kind of thing or the way we deal with other people in our lives. It also has this kind of meta-theatrical subtext too—a play within a play. On almost every level, it touches something, and it’s such a funny play. It’s such a beautiful, uplifting play. I really think the humor of the play is the key thing, is what makes it so valuable, and it really celebrates the actor’s relationship to the audience on different levels. You know, I could wear the professorial hat and say, “It teaches us valuable lessons about Shakespeare and about the actor/audience relationship” but it’s also, at the simplest level, pure entertainment. And it’s so much more than pure entertainment at the same time. It raises questions about sleep, about dreams, about the subconscious. It is so great that it can bridge popular entertainment with sophisticated literary study or even psychology. That’s the kind of texture that it is—and all in two hours. It’s just amazing.

NBC Universal | Chris Haston

Ellie Kemper, who plays receptionst Erin Hannon on NBC’s “The Office,” is the granddaughter of Mildred Lane Kemper. Her most recent role is Claire in Sofia Coppola’s new movie, “Somewhere.”

Student Life: This film is a big change from a 30-minute sitcom format. What did you hope to gain from the role?

Ellie Kemper: I was excited to work with Sofia. I met her through my agent at a restaurant one day, and we chatted. I kept thinking, “God, she’s so cool.” So when I was told I had received the role, I couldn’t wait to begin shooting.

SL: How was it to work so closely with some of Hollywood’s more well-known directors, producers and actors?

EK: Inspiring and exhilarating. I was surprised by how professional they were. I have heard nightmare stories about Hollywood arrogance, but there were no big egos or diva behavior on set. In my experience, the best actors are humble about their success.

SL: What was the greatest challenge for you in your role as Claire?

EK: Staying cool in front of Sofia. I look up to her and the scene was so improvised; I thought I might lose my timing or say something too crazy for the scene. In the end everything worked out okay…I think.

SL: There are a lot of similarities between “Somewhere” and “Lost in Translation.” They both involve a girl, father figure, swanky hotel, etc. Did you like “Lost in Translation”?

EK: I loved “Lost in Translation,” Bill Murray at his best. Sofia has this style where scenes, like the opening scene of “Somewhere,” go a little longer than expected.

SL: Like Sofia is giving you time to ponder?

EK: Exactly. “Somewhere” doesn’t demand to be seen like most movies; it lingers there until you notice.

SL: As a comedian, do you have a funny anecdote from the “Somewhere” set?

EK: As I recall, nothing too funny happened. The entire experience was very civil. Call time for actors is usually 5 a.m., but for “Somewhere” it was 8 a.m. We only worked for four hours then had lunch. I remember thinking that it was all very European, like we were making a film in Italy.

SL: What would you say has driven your transition from improv to Hollywood?

EK: The more serious roles pay money. Back when I performed improv in New York, I was responsible for all aspects of production, but improv doesn’t pay the bills.

SL: Where do you see yourself in five years?

EK: Taking on more non-comedic parts. My dream is to star in a Woody Allen film. I really hope he reads this.

SL: Woody is a huge Student Life fan, but his movies don’t offer many non-comedic roles…

EK: Some of his newer work does! Have you seen “Match Point”?

SL: I’ll put it in the Netflix queue.

EK: Well, I think I would take any part offered to me by Woody Allen. I also want to be a talk show host. Getting paid to chitchat with interesting people is my dream job.

SL: What’s it like to be a St. Louis native living in California? Do you miss it here?

EK: Seventy degrees and sunshine in January is great, don’t get me wrong, but coming from St. Louis makes it seem kind of eerie here. It’s like this isn’t the winter that I know. I enjoy the sun, but California weather disturbs me.

SL: Any chance you might sort of forget that you went to Princeton and be driven to continue the Kemper family tradition? You know, maybe donate some of your salary toward another building on Wash. U.’s campus?

EK: No way.

Courtesy of 2010 Paramount Pictures

The cast of Jackass-3D poses to promote the movie, which opened on October 15.

Steve-O—This is Steve-O’s first Jackass movie post-rehab. He’s now two-and-a-half years sober. “It was really important to me to prove to myself and everyone else that I wasn’t a lame, boring wimp.”

Jeff Tremaine— The director was once a member of Sigma Nu right here at Washington University “We don’t have macho guys. That doesn’t work; when there’s no consequence, no fear going into it, there’s no emotional connection.”

Chris Pontius—It took three days to film a scene of Chris in a mouse costume getting his penis caught in a mousetrap. The scene didn’t even make the final cut for the movie.

Bam Margera—Bam’s parents were featured in one of the movie’s pranks: “My mom just sees that her hotel room is destroyed and they’re like, ‘Phil, they didn’t even clean up the room.’ Then a gorilla comes out.”

Johnny Knoxville—The cast and crew of Jackass had to hold an “intervention” to tell Johnny he was doing too many stunts and they were bottlenecked with footage. “That was the only time I cried in the movie.”

Ehren McGheney—McGheney was one of the few who cried during the course of the movie when he had a tooth pulled out by a Ferrari. He needed a bone graft afterwards.

Jason “Wee Man” Acuna—Before coming to Jackass, Wee Man was featured in an article about little people who skateboard—him and one other guy.

Preston Lacy—Nearly all scenes involving Preston specifically involve his weight, especially in comparison to Wee Man. “I don’t have a yearning to get hurt. I have a yearning to make people laugh, and this is how I do it.”

Read Nora’s review of “Jackass 3-D”

Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Cadenza: What drew you to play the role of Olive?

Emma Stone: First of all, it’s really rare to read a really well-written, fleshed-out, funny character that’s female, especially in a comedy, and so that’s exciting right off the bat. Then I just thought the script is so clever, and I really liked Olive’s perspective on things. She’s no damsel in distress, so I just really liked her all-around as a character.

C: You’ve had pretty major roles in a bunch of other movies, but this is your first truly starring role with your name above the title. What was the experience like to be the lead, and do you prepare for the role differently than you normally would have?

ES: I don’t know that I prepared any differently because of the size of the role. Mainly, I put more pressure on myself for sure, but I don’t think it had to do with the size of the role. I think it had more to do with just wanting to make sure that the Olive on the page came to life accurately. So the only thing I could really do to prepare was to memorize it, but other than that, it was just a daily fight to make sure that I was doing her justice all along the way because she was written so well on the page. I don’t know. It was a different experience for sure, but I don’t think it had to do with the size of it. I think it just had to do with my own self-inflicted pressure.

C: Did you have any experiences in high school that were similar to that of your character in the film, or were there any particular traits that you felt you kind of had in common with the character?

ES: Well, circumstantially, I really didn’t have anything in common with Olive, because I was home-schooled for most of high school. So I was kind of on my own for most of that experience.

As far as personality goes, I think she and I are pretty eerily similar in a lot of ways. That might be one of the reasons I responded so quickly to her when I read the script. I could kind of understand her viewpoint and where she was coming from and what it was like to have a family like that because I have really open, straight parents that we talk about everything. So I liked seeing that kind of cool relationship she had with her family. Yes, I feel like we have a lot in common personality-wise, but I did not have her high school experience.

C: The story seems to take several stereotypical teen clichés and flip-flop the roles, empowering what is usually a supporting character and making her the main protagonist. Do you think a film like “Easy A” could have been made, say, 10 years ago?

ES: A big part of it—even beyond the character roles or flipping certain stereotypes on their ear—is the speed of technology now and the digital age and text messaging and Twitter and that type of communication and her being able to not atone but explain everything that’s happened into her Webcam and having people be able to see it. So, I’m sure there could have been some differences 10 years ago that would have been similar, but to me, it feels so kind of time sensitive, the issues that we’re dealing with, so it feels like a kind of modern-times movie to me. But in terms of the characters, I would hope that those are relatively timeless.

C: There was a nice mix of young actors and veteran actors in “Easy A.” What do you think you and your fellow young actors learned from some of the older, more experienced actors throughout filming?

ES: Well, I am so grateful anytime I get to work with someone that’s been doing it for a pretty sustained period of time, someone’s been acting a large portion of their life or directing or writing or anybody involved with film. I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me, I take so much from any actor that I work with. Not take—not stealing but learning a lot from anybody that I’m working with. So, young or more experienced people, it’s kind of equal to me because everybody’s got interesting ways of approaching what they do.

Anything that I would learn from someone like Patty [Clarkson] or Stanley [Tucci] or Thomas [Haden Church] or Lisa [Kudrow] is going to be the same thing that I might learn from someone like Amanda [Bynes] or Penn [Badgley]. I’m learning all the time, and it’s like being in the master’s class all the time.

C: You’re working on an upcoming film entitled “Friends with Benefits,” and I was looking at pretty much an all-star cast of some great talented actors. Who have you been working with most and can you tell us anymore about the movie?

ES: That’s directed by Will Gluck, and he directed “Easy A.” I’m shooting a movie called “The Help” right now in Mississippi, and they’re shooting “Friends with Benefits” at the same time, so I did one scene the other night last week with Justin [Timberlake].

C: What was it like working with him?

ES: I’m only in one scene. It was so much fun. Yes, he’s hilarious. It was a really fun time. And it’s insane to shoot with Justin Timberlake on Hollywood Boulevard because pretty much every take it interrupted by “Yo, JT!” It’s not at all what I’m used to, but it was a pretty fascinating experience.

C: You’ve worked with a lot of leading men. Now you’re working with Penn Badgley in this movie. So, who’s your favorite leading man so far that you’ve worked with?

ES: I’ve been pretty lucky. It’s kind of hard to pick. You know what? I’m not going to name names, but they know who they are.

C: In the movie, you fake a sex scene, and let us say that hypothetically I would want to do that at college. What are some of the tips that you could give me?

ES: Oh, if you wanted to fake sex?

C: Yes.

ES: There are a lot of angles here. I mean it depends on what you’re going for, what kind of reaction you’re looking to create, but the yelling and the banging the wall and the jumping up and down all seems to work pretty well, in my experience. If you’re going for something more subtle, I guess you could just make some rustling sounds, like throw something against the wall once or twice. Subtle, quiet, but still—

C: I want to go big.

ES: Go big or go home, that’s what I say.

C: Can you update us on anything about a sequel to “Zombieland” at all?

ES: Oh, maybe. Why? What have you heard?

C: What I’ve read on Wikipedia is that everybody wants to do it, but that’s pretty much it.

ES: Yes. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what’s going to happen.

C: Would you be open to doing it if the sequel were green-lit?

ES: I think we all loved making that movie and would love to see what happens next, especially in 3D.

C: That would be great in 3D.

ES: We’ll have to see what happens, but it’s a pretty exciting notion.

“Surely it won’t be a picnic,” Smith said. “But I’m a strong person, and I’ve overcome things before…so I’ll get through it, with the help of friends and family and a great support system.”

In an interview with Student Life on Friday, the former Washington University political science instructor and former Democratic state senator also reflected on his recent legal troubles and his teaching career at the University.

Smith’s term will start in about six weeks. Although he did not know where, he said he has asked to be placed in a facility in Marion, Ill., about 120 miles from St. Louis, because of its closeness. Before then, he plans to spend his time with friends and family, to write, and to read, especially short stories, memoirs and nonfiction works on political science, education and history. After prison, he hopes to do more community service and continue his work in education, though he is not sure yet if he will teach again.

Smith had pleaded guilty on Aug. 25 to two counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice for lying to investigators about his authorization of and involvement in an illegal postcard mailer during his 2004 congressional run. Smith was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and fined $50,000 on Tuesday.

Federal guidelines require all sentences of a year or less to be served fully, but the extra day Judge Carol Jackson put on Smith’s sentence could allow him to get out nearly two months early.

“I’m glad she did that,” Smith said. “It will allow me, if I encounter no problems during incarceration, to potentially get out early, so the potential for early release is obviously a good thing, and the fact that she departed from the guidelines was positive.”

Still, he said he would have liked to see her depart further. Smith’s attorney, Richard Greenberg, had sought home confinement and community service for Smith instead of prison time.

“I’m obviously not a threat to society, and I was no threat to re-offend, given that I will not be running for office in the future,” Smith said. “So I think the community would have been best served by having me remain here and continuing the community service-type things I’ve done for 20 years.”

Greenberg cited Smith’s annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community fair, the time he devoted to tutoring students, and the St. Louis charter schools he founded in 2002 called Confluence Academies. Jackson said Smith’s community service experience was notable, but felt he deserved prison time due to his long pattern of lying to investigators.

Smith also disagreed with Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith’s comment at the sentencing that he saw “the light go off” in campaign treasurer Nick Adams’ head but not in Smith’s. “I was not aware that he was possessed of such supernatural powers to see that,” Smith said. “I went into his office and did as I was advised by my attorney, which was to listen to the tapes without comment or expression.”

Goldsmith had said that Adams realized the seriousness of his crimes after hearing recordings of the three defendants’ conversations. But Goldsmith indicated he did not see the same reaction from Smith.

The Federal Election Commission found no evidence of wrongdoing on Smith’s part in its 2004-2007 investigation, but the FBI uncovered new evidence and reopened the inquiry in June 2009. Investigators conducted wiretaps and enlisted Smith’s co-conspirator, former state Rep. Steve Brown, D-Clayton, to wear a wire starting in June.

After the FEC investigation closed, Smith said, he “thought it was over.” But he was surprised after finding out that the FBI was revisiting the issue in June, when he heard that Democratic operative Milt “Skip” Ohlsen III may have been providing information on the postcard scheme to the FBI in exchange for a lighter sentence on an unrelated charge. FEC documents from 2004 link Ohlsen to the scheme, and Brown’s lawyer, Art Margulis, has cited Ohlsen as the John Doe in court documents who approached Smith’s campaign with the idea for it.

But Smith said the bigger surprise was “that my conversations were being taped. It was not something I would have put in the range of possibility.”

Smith said Brown called him in early June to say that Ohlsen may have been cooperating with the FBI. The two and Adams then met to discuss the matter.

The FBI then showed up at his house early on June 30 for an interview in which Smith said he lied about the postcards.

In July, the FBI had Smith listen to recordings; that’s when he and his attorney decided to work on a plea agreement, he said. Smith said he sought to keep others in his campaign out of the stipulation of facts if he did not know whether they had any interaction with Ohlsen.

Smith said he also asked prosecutors to delay the indictment until after his annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community fair, because “we had spent so much time preparing for that. That’s my big event of the year.” He also did not want to disappoint the many kids who had already signed up for the event and for free school supplies.

He was to teach a course in the fall on campaigns and elections, but he canceled the course in mid-August. He was popular among most of his students for his interactive class structure and lecture style; for instance, his campaigns and elections courses required students to devise and execute a mock campaign plan.

He said he learned “a lot about human nature” from his students. In his legislative process class, students would simulate debates and votes on legislation, and then explain the reasons behind their votes. “Listening to years and years of kids describing why they did what they did in the role play gave me a lot of insights for when I went to the Senate for how people will make decisions about bills,” Smith said.

Smith also noted how much he interacted with students and made them a part of his campaigns, saying, “I couldn’t have come close in my first election without students.” He estimated that half of his roughly 550 volunteers in 2004 were students from the University, Saint Louis University, University of Missouri-St. Louis and other schools.

Student Life: How did the project start, and how did you get involved with it?

Bill Cody: The project got started when I got a call from two people in Nashville, of all places. A few of my other movies had been showing on The Documentary Channel, and they called me up and said they loved one of my older films [“Athens, GA: Inside/Out”] and wanted to do something similar.

SL: What was the process of filming like?

BC: You know, it was strange. I wasn’t able to go [to Atlanta] as often as I would have liked. I was able to go a number of times, but I wish I’d been able to be there more.

SL: Even with that extra distance, were there any especially memorable moments?

BC: I remember we were following the Black Lips on a shoot for Atlanta Magazine, and Cole [Alexander, lead singer for the Black Lips] had this fiasco with a fire extinguisher. We were all just ostracizing Cole, and I felt kind of bad for him, so I sat down with him and we just talked. And he was telling me about his beliefs about the scene and his plans about where he wanted to play. I mean, Afghanistan, Russia—they’ve gone everywhere. There was also one guy in the film that we didn’t really harp on about, BJ, that actually just passed in June from brain cancer. He was a very young person and a mainstay of the scene, and when he got diagnosed, he just completely changed his life and finished this album, which was actually getting a fair amount of airplay. Getting to spend time with him was really gratifying. And, you know, I’m getting older, and I think I’d kind of forgotten what was so exciting about music. That’s why I’m so impressed with bands like the Black Lips and their energy—it reminds me a lot of this energy in the mid ’80s with R.E.M. and all the rest of them. They were just fresh and vital, and it feels like this is the same kind of resurgence.

SL: Some of these bands are pretty famous for their shenanigans—especially Jessica Juggz (of Mourdella). How was it interacting with them on such a close level?

BC: Well, Jessica’s a real sweetheart. They’ve been very kind to us. I think a lot of folks know of these people for their shenanigans, and one of the big things about this project is that they’ll get that they’re real people from the video. I have grown fond of a number of these people, and the best part was hanging out with the vast majority of them. It was so fun to just sit and talk with them. You get these people that are really well read even without formal education. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come back to Wash. U. I enjoyed my time there, but I forget how much fun it was to be that age and have all of those resources at your disposal. These people have the same kind of wonder. They’re an adventurous bunch, and they’ve got this curiosity and love of learning and respect for those who came before them that’s touching.

SL: I know you were also involved in “Athens, GA: Inside/Out,” which deals with a similar theme. What do you think were the main similarities and differences with “We Fun”?

BC: The similarities were working with each of these scenes, and there was some overlap there. The filming was different this time around because of the funding issues, but Matt [Robison, the director] really persevered. It was amazing to see how much the technology had changed since doing “Athens,” so there was a lot we could do with the editing on this film. We were able to shoot a lot of different shows and get onstage and be there with the bands. The idea is to get people to appreciate that they were at that scene even if they weren’t. You get these retrospective documentaries [about older, more established bands] where it’s like, “Oh man, thank God someone shot that,” but doing it in real time is harder because people don’t think the same way.

SL: There’s been a little controversy about Atlanta bands that weren’t included in “We Fun”—the aptly named “We No Fun” group. How did you make your decisions about who to include, and how do you feel about this reaction?

BC: Well, I didn’t pick bands. Chris Dortch, who’s one of the producers, sent us all compilations. But it’s really hard to choose bands. We ended up using the same criteria as we did for “Athens.” Then you get these circles in circles—sometimes we’d have a band that we really wanted to include, but the footage wasn’t that great. Not having a big budget gets difficult when people are performing and you’re trying to tell a story. It’s always hard when you’re making a documentary and making an entertaining film. Even with a script, a lot of times your favorite scenes aren’t in the move. Things get left out or left on the cutting room floor and sometimes there are hurt feelings because of it.

SL: Are you pleased with how the final cut of the movie turned out?

BC: Yeah, I am! Matt did a tremendous job. It was a very different experience—I hadn’t really worked with anyone in this manner before, but it turned out really well. We just screened the film at the Raindance festival in London and the reaction overwhelmingly positive. People are really embracing it, even with no knowledge of the scene. That’s one of the best parts, is getting others involved. There were a lot of other things we would have liked to do if we could have gotten more funding, but that didn’t work out. So overall, yeah, I’m pleased with how it turned out.

SL: What are you most looking forward to as you do more screenings?

BC: People seeing it, enjoying it. These kinds of projects are always labors of love. We’re trying to get to DVD at some point, and really honor the legacy of the beginnings of the scene. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in 20 years, if these bands are still going to be playing or whatever. People always look back and are grateful for the footage of bands just getting started, but we’ll see if that’s true for this group. I mean, next week the Black Lips are on the mainstage of Voodoo Experience and Deerhunter are getting more known all the time. I like them all! The Black Lips write the catchiest damn songs, and people always remember really great songs. It’s the same kind of thing with REM. I don’t really know where that comes from, because songwriting is a very strange process but it’s like with the Beatles. Everyone still loves them because they wrote great songs! If they had all the other elements, you know, the fashion and all that but wrote shitty songs they wouldn’t be around anymore! I’m very privileged to know these people.

SL: Any final thoughts?

BC: Well, I’m very fond of alma mater. Actually, I’m really happy about KWUR still being around. Now I’m totally going to date myself, but I was here when it started. I had this show on Friday night and we’d always listen to the Dirty Thirty, and the top 3 songs were always the same. The others changed around a little bit, but the top three were always, “God Save the Queen, “Anarchy in the UK,” and “Sheena is a Punk Rocker.” [laughs] I’m glad that college radio is still a vibrant source when so many others have been crushed and snuffed out. You should cherish that.

SL: When did you first become interested in fashion?

JM: It’s always been in my family. My parents were hippies, and I found pictures of them when they were young. My sister and I are best friends, and we would shop for fun, read magazines and share clothes. I never thought I could do it as a career, especially here in St. Louis.

SL: What inspires you?

JM: The ’70s rocker look and rocker-grunge for sure. Some of my style icons are actually guys in rock: Jimi Hendrix, Axle, even Mary-Kate Olsen. I also look at other fashion bloggers [and] celebrities. [I] am fortunate to be surrounded by such a fabulous fashion crew. I can draw inspiration from any of them.

SL: Who is your favorite designer?

JM: I’m not very loyal, it changes from season to season. I really like Versace from the ’80s—the cutout and bandage dresses. Also, I’m really into Tom Ford and Rick Owens. Their clothes are super hot and edgy. I really like what Alexander Wang is doing now. Everything’s casual-meets-sexy. I’m all about sexy.

SL: If you could be one article of clothing, what would you be and why?

JM: I think I would be a pair of badass Gucci boots. I’m always in boots and black, so it would have to be black, with studs. I have a BeDazzler!

SL: You mentioned a BeDazzler; do you have any strange fashion-related hobbies or obsessions?

JM: Well nobody likes to shop with me! I like to go to Value Village, and I spend hours [she really means hours] in every department. Men’s, little girls, you name it. I’m all about digging and finding treasures, and not about spending a lot of money.

SL: What was your most unfashionable moment?

JM: I’m sure people have their own opinions daily. But in high school I went through this phase where I wore a lot of turtlenecks. I made a look with it. Actually, growing up, I did all of the quirky things.

SL: Where did you go to school? What did you study?

JM: I went to Webster University and double majored in psychology and management. I chose psych because I found it very interesting. My parents suggested I add management so I could have a job after graduation. My majors have nothing to do with my career. I wish I went to school for fashion design.

SL: What do you think are this season’s most wearable trends, especially for young college students?

JM: I would say the leather jacket. It’s definitely a great investment piece and can be worn in so many ways. For going out, I’m really into the over-the-knee boots. I’m also loving jumpsuits and shoulder pads. Lately, however, I’ve been seeing students combine athletic-inspired things with more structured pieces. I like this look as well.

SL: What do you like most about Alive Magazine?

JM: I like that people see it as a source for style advice and fashion tips. Actually, we have more fashion content than any other publication in the Midwest. Also, I like the fact that we have original editorials, local models and local photographers—it’s neat. One time, we ran a large fashion editorial and found a similar shoot in Vogue magazine the week after! This definitely positions us as a credible style source, since we’re on trend.

SL: Describe your typical day as a fashion editor.

JM: It’s crazy! Right now I’m manning three jobs as the fashion editor for Alive, fashion director of St. Louis Fashion Week, and executive director of Corridor40. Thankfully, I can get a lot of work done from home, but every day is very different.

SL: How can college students interested in a career like yours get started?

JM: Don’t be a diva or afraid to start from the bottom rung. Also, be sure to take on internships. Do what you can to get your foot in the door.

SL: Who is your favorite fashion editor from a national publication?

JM: I love Kate Lanphear from ELLE. She is fabulous, and I love her style. (She’s very edgy and wears studs!) I feel like we have this bond, even though I don’t know her personally.

SL: What do you like the most about the fashion industry?

JM: It’s ever-evolving. Jeigh Singleton, fashion design professor from Sam Fox [School of Design & Visual Arts], said, “We have more fun than anybody!” It’s true; I always feel so lucky to be in an industry where I constantly collaborate with other artists.

SL: What do you like the least?

JM: For a long time, fashion was very cliquey, and people were very snobby. Now you can shop anywhere, and it’s cool. Today, people are more open-minded and more accepting of different styles.

SL: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

JM: Honestly, I don’t really know. I want to perfect what I’m doing now. I just want to continue styling and working in fashion. Hopefully the magazine will expand, and I would like to see St. Louis Fashion Week attract more designers and become better respected.

SL: Do you have any advice, fashion- or life-related, for young fashionistas?

JM: As far as fashion goes, take chances. Don’t be too safe. If you know what you love, don’t think you have to move to New York or L.A. You can stay in St. Louis!

-Stay Stylish!

Student Life: How did “When The Emperor Was Divine” take shape? What inspired you to write this novel?
Julie Otsuka: The barebones outline of what happened in the book was almost exactly what happened to my family in the internment camps, but the personalities of the characters are totally invented. I started the book when I was at my second year in the MFA program at Columbia in creative writing. When I wrote the first chapter of “When the Emperor Was Divine,” it was the first piece of serious fiction I had ever written. I’ve been sitting on this stuff for a long time, but I think it was all deeply buried in my unconscious. I feel like the book kind of crept up on me unexpectedly.

SL: Have any other colleges used your book for a program similar to the Freshman Reading Program?
JO: Quite a few. For whatever reason, it’s a really busy fall.

Julie Otsuka, author of "When the Emperor Was Divine," spoke Tuesday as part of the Assembly Series program.

SL: Why do you think colleges responded to your book this way?
JO: I actually finished writing it in June 2001, so I didn’t know it would reverberate the way it has post-9/11. All the racial profiling that’s going on and how Arabs and Muslims are being targeted and singled out for investigation and interrogation can be related to the Japanese internment. So I think that might have something to do with it. Also, not a lot of fiction has been written about this, and I think that now we’re ready to hear this story.

SL: What do you think about the current treatment of Arabs and Muslims?
JO: It’s worrisome. My grandfather was arrested by the FBI on December 8, 1941—the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was classified as being a dangerous enemy alien, which I think is pretty similar to being called an enemy combatant today. You can just be arrested and have no legal rights at all. You have no trial by jury, and you could be detained indefinitely. I think that 9/11 brought up a lot of memories for older Japanese people who were interned in the camps, because there are so many parallels.

SL: Have you received any response from the Japanese-American community about “When the Emperor Was Divine”?
JO: Yes, and that’s what’s been so great! I went to Seattle because they chose the book for Seattle Reads, and there’s a large Japanese population there. It was so great to meet these older folks who had been in the camps. I remember I was giving a talk at a branch library in Seattle, and the moderator asked if there were any people there that had been in the camps. The first two rows of these old Japanese folks all stood up, and the rest of the audience began to applaud. It was terrifically humbling to meet the people that had gone through this experience.

SL: If nothing else, what is the one thing that you want your reader to get out of the book?
JO: Just to live with these characters, soak it in and be there with them. I want them to feel what the characters feel. I didn’t write this book with an angry screed, and I didn’t want it to be a moralizing book. I just wanted it to be a book about people and what they had gone through. I hope it’s an experience that the reader can enter.
SL: Changing gears a bit, how was college for you?
JO: It was great! I loved it. I went to Yale, and I had never been to the East Coast before. It felt like a very cultured world. I was an art major, and I was so happy. It is so cliché, but they are great years. Just take advantage of them. They are great times. It was often overwhelming with the pressure, but when I think back, I loved it. It took me a while to adjust, but you just have to stick it out.

SL: You wanted to be a painter, and I understand that you had some emotional difficulties during your transition to becoming a writer. How did you recover from that?
JO: I actually started reading. I always felt very free and unselfconscious when I was painting at Yale, but all of a sudden at graduate school, there were so many critics. I couldn’t perform under pressure. I dropped out and started word processing at night, but I was in despair. I felt like I had failed at the one thing I wanted to do. I started going to my neighborhood café and reading during the day. There’s something so great—especially when you’re feeling depressed—about reading, because you can get lost in somebody else’s story and forget about yourself for a little bit. I became interested in the world of the story. I was older, and my approach to my work was very different; I had already failed once, and I felt like I had nothing to lose with writing.

SL: What advice would you give to college students struggling with the struggle to find themselves and to meet others’ expectations?
JO: You’re not necessarily going to get it right the first time, and I think college is a time to explore and be brave. Don’t be afraid to fail. There’s nothing wrong with it. I know in this environment—just because of the pressure to do well—it’s hard, but it’s also a good time to learn and expand. I think finding the thing that you love to do is really important too. Find what your passion is, because if you’re going to do something in life, it might as well be something you like doing.

SL: Are you working on anything new right now?
JO: I’m finishing up my second novel right now.

SL: Anything you can tell us about it?
JO: Many Japanese women came to this country as picture or mail-order brides between 1908 and 1921. It was a very hard life, but they stayed and started families. I am writing about a group of women that came over as picture brides. In my research, I came across so many stories, and I wanted to weave them all in, so the entire book is in the “we” voice. There is no main character.

SL: What are your final pieces of advice to the average college student?
JO: Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Be kind. Talk to your neighbors and take the time to find out who they are. And read! You learn so much from reading. And have a good time!