Interview: Alex Conn

In this first Season 13 edition of Interview, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down with writer Alex Conn (Theater Kids, The Vegan Movie) to discuss his recent film slate and his second directorial effort, The Virgin Suicides.

PD: Your last film, The Vegan Movie, ended up being your most profitable film to date. What do you think it was about that film that resonated with audiences more than some of your other work?

AC: I think it had to do with the characters and story and also the tone. I’m really proud of the tone of that movie and what I wanted to do is write a silly movie but also have it be grounded so that’s what I hope people liked about it.

PD: Your next film is a new adaptation of the novel The Virgin Suicides. Why did you decide to adapt this particular novel into a film for the second time?

AC: For one I remember seeing the film years ago and I read the novel during the making of Oh Johnny Boy and I just knew I wanted to take a crack at it. I recognized themes of unrequited love and just the fears and joy of being a teenager. At the same time I wanted to make a different film from Sofia Coppola’s film. I tried to approach it like that film didn’t exist and also the films very different from even the novel.

PD: Are you worried that the critical success of the previous adaptation of The Virgin Suicides will make audiences less receptive to your take on the material?

AC: Yes and No. I knew there was a fan base of the novel and the original film. But also I wanted to make my own film . I wanted to make a film about my childhood through this film.

PD: To date, your most expensive film, Life of a Champion, had a production budget of $31 million. Would you ever be interested in tackling bigger budget films as a writer?

AC: Generally I don’t think about numbers when I write movies. I feel like there’s been a loss also of interesting character pieces so I have tried to continue to write them. At the same time I’m writing a sci-fi film right now but even that’s pretty different. It’s more in line with Arrival than say Star Wars.