Nancy Meyers shares her memories of the work Something has to give on the eve of the film’s 20th anniversary.
The 73-year-old writer and director appeared on Hollywood gold podcast on Wednesday and told host Daniela Taplin Lundberg about dealing with studio pushback as well as casting Diane Keaton, 77, and Jack Nicholson, 86, for the 2003 Oscar-nominated romantic comedy.
Meyers recalled how she “saw bright eyes” when she initially met with many male CEOs and pitched a story about two middle-aged people falling in love.
The director — who received an Oscar nomination for co-writing in the 1980s Private Benjamin — finally got the go-ahead from Sony Pictures’ Amy Pascal, who agreed overnight.
Until then, she refused to send the script to the future stars of the film, explaining: “I gave it to the studio first because I won’t [Keaton and Nicholson] a scenario that no one wants to do.”
Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’.
Columbia/courtesy of the Everett Collection
From ‘Home Again’ to ‘Something’s Gotta Give’, in all the Nancy Meyers Houses Dream movies
But with Sony’s offer, Meyers sent the script to both Keaton and Nicholson. “She read very quickly, and he shot About Schmidt“, she recalled. “And I got a message that he doesn’t like to read when he shoots.”
“And I said, ‘Oh, my God. How many days are there?’ And it was like a lot more days!” Meyers continued. “But then I heard from him within a week. I heard from him right away. It was truly the greatest calling of my life.”
Asked about his reaction, Meyers added: “He was amazing. He said great things. But the most charming thing he said was: ‘I’ve always wanted to be in a tuxedo comedy.’ ” She explained, “Nobody’s in a tuxedo in the movie, but you get the sense that he’s referring to some kind of schmuck or one of the more classic, you know, Hollywood love story comedies. It was a great phone call. He was wonderful.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/somethings-gotta-give-110823-1-7aebfdbc512a40029bcc32bf0d24d577.jpg)
Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Amanda Peet in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’.
Cinematheque/Shutterstock
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In the film, which debuted in theaters on December 12, 2003, Keaton plays Erica Barry, a successful playwright whose daughter Marin (Amanda Peet) brings Harry Sanborn (Nicholson), the notorious lothario she’s been dating, to Erica’s home in the Hamptons.
Harry suffers a heart attack there and, at the behest of attractive local doctor Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves), must stay with Eric for a few days to recover before returning to New York.
Loose Harry and buttoned-up Erica initially clash, but grow to form a romantic relationship after Harry ends his casual relationship with Marina.
Harry breaks Erica’s heart when she tells him she’s in love with him and he doesn’t tell her, so she romances Julian and writes a play based on her romance with Harry.
Eventually, Erica breaks things off with Julian and reunites with Harry.
Nancy Meyers Responds to Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves’ Something’s Gotta Give Reunion: ‘Whoa’
Keaton, who earned a best actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was so convincing in the role that Nicholson thought she actually loved him, Meyers recalled earlier.
“We rehearse that scene on the street, where he runs after her and after one rehearsal he calls me. Everyone is freaking out,” Meyers said during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Sup.
“I said, ‘What’s up?’ And he says, ‘Diane just told me she loves me.’ I couldn’t tell if he was horrified or delighted. So I said, ‘Yeah, I know, I wrote that line. It’s in the script, Jack.’ And he said, ‘Oh, good.’ He thought he was serious,” she recalled, adding, “It’s really funny. That’s her.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education