Howard Holloway (Clark Gregg) is a down-on-his-luck agent for child actors. After discovering a 13-year-old acting prodigy (Saxon Sharbino), he is poised to close the deal of a lifetime which would catapult his client and, at long last, himself, into the big time. With the support of his beautiful new neighbor (Amanda Peet), he must wrangle the actress’s volatile, overprotective father, dodge a scheming producer (Felicity Huffman) and casting agent (Allison Janney), and outwit his uber-slick nemesis (Sam Rockwell). As he arrives on the brink of the Hollywood dream that’s eluded him for a lifetime, Howard begins to sense that his innocent young starlet may not be quite what she seems. Clark Gregg took time out from running S.H.I.E.L.D. to write, direct and star in this funny and dark look at Hollywood. Trust Me also features William H. Macy, Molly Shannon and Paul Sparks. I sat down with Gregg at a trendy restaurant in West Hollywood where many Howard Holloways could be found taking meetings.
Danny Miller: I’m such a fan of your work. In addition to your time as Agent Phil Coulson, I thought you were so great last year as Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing. That movie was so much fun!
Clark Gregg: Right? I was so proud to be in that film. It’s crazy that we made it in Joss Whedon’s house in just 11 days. At first I thought no way is this going to work. So to see it come together so well was a testament to how spectacularly talented Joss is.
Does he still do those Shakespeare nights at his house with his friends?
No, because he’s been all over the planet making Avengers: Age of Ultron. We’re all praying that he’s going to come back from that and want to make another one.
I hope so. I have to say that I’m pretty obsessed with the topic of this film. I have some friends who were successful child actors and had great lives after that but even they have horror stories about some of the stuff that went on around them. The other film you directed, Choke (based on the Chuck Palahniuk book) had some fairly dark themes — what made you want to take on this topic next?
I was always fascinated by these people who had a tremendous moment of success at a very young age and then you could practically set your watch by what happened next: family fights, DUIs, car crashes, overdoses, jail, sometimes even death. It happens so often and it’s been happening since I was a little kid. Someone who really hit home with me when I was young — I even wrote her into this script was Anissa Jones, the actress who played Buffy on the sitcom Family Affair and had a fairly tragic life after that. Howard talks about having made this movie with her when he was a kid.
You never worked with her, did you?
No, I wasn’t a child actor at all, although I might have been if I’d lived somewhere else. But I honestly don’t think I could’ve handled it. There were even a couple of movies I almost got when I was first starting out in this business and I think now that if I had gotten them, I probably would have gone off the deep end. So I’ve been interested in this topic for a long time. I also liked the lighthearted parts of it, it’s certainly not all dark. I’ve worked with lots of great kids and have met agents who clearly just loved acting and wanted to be around it. There was one guy I knew of who was a child actor himself when he was young and he kind of inspired this character. Howard has a certain kind of desperation. No matter what he’s always the outsider looking for his big break. I think anyone who has worked in this industry for a while without “making it” knows that feeling.
The Broadway Danny Rose syndrome.
Very much so. You know, I watched that film again after we finished this movie and thought, “Oh my God, this is clearly an influence!” It’s such a great sad, funny movie. As I was writing this script I realized it was about someone obsessed with success — especially that particular Hollywood fantasy of success.
Like it’s going to make you immortal or something.
Exactly. That makes me think of that screening series they have here at an actual cemetery in Hollywood. You’re literally watching movies on top of where these people are buried. But guess what — they’re just as dead as everyone else!
Parts of this film are very light and funny — did you ever consider keeping that tone throughout the movie and not having it go down such a different path in the end?
This is a comedy of desperation and I felt that I needed to let it be as sad and as frightening as this guy’s journey was. I always had the awareness that film was about something pretty heavy so that informed what happens at the end.
I loved how Howard and the other characters were constantly referencing real people and movies. Did you have to get lawyers involved in that to make sure that was okay?
I always knew I wanted to do that, to situate this guy’s story in the real world that we all know. I did have some of that checked out by our lawyers. I even tried to get in touch with Anissa Jones’ family to explain what I was doing and to get their blessing but found out that her mother had passed away and there really wasn’t anyone left. Her brother had committed suicide as well. That sort of inspired me even more — I didn’t want to skip over that part of Hollywood history. There’s a pretty lengthy trail of ghosts in that world!
The young actors in this film are excellent across the board. I would think that having kids audition for this film is kind of like when actors audition for a part of A Chorus Line — that process mirrors the theme of the movie! Was it weird having to deal with their agents and mothers and managers when that’s what the movie is about?
Yes! I had originally planned to make this movie a few years ago and I had found this terrific young actress who I really clicked with. I got along with her mom, her agent, everyone felt comfortable with the material and wanted to move forward. But then out of the blue I got a call from this girl’s dad who hadn’t been involved in the process at all. He decided that this other film she’d done was going to get her some Oscar attention so her pulled her out of my movie at the last minute. We ultimately had to shut down so I could go and do The Avengers.
Whoa, that is crazy. On the other hand, I can’t imagine anyone other than Saxon Sharbino in that role!
My partner, Mary Vernieu, who is also a brilliant casting director, has this philosophy that I always have a little trouble getting behind. And that is that everything in this business happens for a reason. I don’t trust the universe as much as she does but she was certainly right in this case. We kept getting people who were interested in this film and then got scared off by the content or by how little money we had. We were about to shut down for a second time when this young girl, just off the bus from Dallas, shows up and blows us all away. I knew within two minutes of reading with her that she was perfect because suddenly I was better! She’s just one of those raw, brilliant acting animals.
Do you see the film as a kind of cautionary tale for young people who want to work in Hollywood?
Sure, that’s definitely in there, I’m not going to deny it. But, look, I’ve gotten to work with people like Natalie Portman who is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and completely well adjusted and brilliant. Jodie Foster is the same way. There are a lot of people who’ve been through that as kids who have had really wonderful, interesting lives.
I know Quinn Cummings who was nominated for an Oscar when she was ten years old for The Goodbye Girl and she is one of the smartest, most well adjusted people I know.
Oh, I remember her in that movie — she was fantastic! This film is not meant to say that this is what happens with everyone. But at the same time, there’s nothing in this movie, as crazy as it is, that’s all that farfetched to the kinds of things that you do see in this town.
What’s your feeling about your own child going into the business? I know your daughter has a small role in the film.
Yeah, my daughter Stella has a tiny, wordless cameo in the movie and that’s all we were comfortable with right now. It’s not because my wife [actress Jennifer Grey] and I don’t think she can have a healthy version of this — we’re just very overprotective because we’ve both been beaten up in this business. It’s definitely not a meritocracy as Felicity Huffman was saying earlier today. You can be the best there is and still get fired so they can bring someone else in.
Even without some of the more nefarious things that have happened to the girl in this film, it has to be brutal for kids — all that judgment and rejection.
In our case, we already knew that our kid was living a kind of rarefied existence and we’re already fighting against that so she stays grounded. We just don’t think bringing her into an adult workplace is the greatest idea — because no matter what, that’s what a film set is.
The adult characters in this film, by the way, are so deliciously written and performed. It must have been fun to have so many of your former colleagues such as Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell play these roles.
Yes, I’ve worked with all of these people before and they are just the best. Amanda Peet and I came close to doing a few projects and we wanted to work together so when I wrote this, I said, “Okay, pal, here’s our chance!”
You’re lucky to have so many talented friends!
I felt honored that people responded to the material. I thought I might give a party and maybe no one would come but to have people like Bill Macy who is a mentor and a hero of mine show up and do a kick-ass scene that really helps the movie and to have Felicity and Sam and Allison show up and say, “Yeah, I wanna be in this and I’ll help you any way I can!” It was just fantastic. Sam even ended up executive producing. My friends really showed up for me.
Did you consider casting your wife in the film as well?
Yes! I offered my wife a part and she said “Honey, I love you, I would love to be in this but I have to say no because you’re just under too much pressure!” It broke my heart at first but then about two days into the shooting I told her, “You’re the wisest person in our family!” I was totally in over my head which actually worked really well for playing Howard but I’m glad she was outside of that so she could take care of our family!
Did Joss Whedon offer you any advice?
Yes, he gave me great notes and he said, “You have to do this and you have to play this guy.” He encouraged me to have the ending that you see in the film. Joss really empowered me on a deep level. He’s become as much a creative support in my life as Mamet was for me earlier in my career.
Do you plan to keep going back and forth between big studio projects and your own films?
I just keep waiting for them to stop hiring me as an actor! If that happens, this is what I’ll do. Earlier in my career I was working as a writer who sometimes directed and only acted once in a blue moon before that suddenly changed in a big way. I never planned on spending so much time running S.H.I.E.L.D.
Do you think that because of the content of this story you were especially sweet and protective with the child actors in this film?
No, not at all! (Laughs.) Look, it’s an independent film made on a tiny budget. When it was two in the morning and we hadn’t gotten the shot yet, I’d find myself in the position of being everything that I was railing against in this movie! I’d go to the mom and the teacher say, “I’m so sorry, I know she can barely keep her eyes open, but I need her for another hour — I don’t have the scene yet!” I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell.