Grantland has a must-read piece for fans of the film, composed from interviews with the cast and crew of the movie Swingers. The film, an indie hit that launched the careers of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham and Doug Liman, follows the lives of unemployed actors in Hollywood during the ’90s swinger revival.
From Grantland:
Jon Favreau (Mike): When I set out to write Swingers, I didn’t know I was even writing a movie. My dad had given me a screenwriting program and I started the script just as an exercise to see if I could write a screenplay. Swingers is what came out.
Ron Livingston (Rob): Jon was really busted up over his breakup. That’s right about the age when your first long-term thing comes apart. Having your heart ripped out like that — that’s a lot different than the cheerleader who doesn’t like you back.
Favreau: I started writing, just drawing from the environment I was living in. I had characters loosely based on people I knew. None of the events were real; it was all a story that came out of my head without an outline.
Alex Désert (Charles): I like to say Swingers was us times 10. I wish I could be that cool.