Hello, fan club members. Even if you don't think you are a member of the Sam Elliott fan club, you are. Sam's credits include iconic movies like The Big Lebowski and Roadhouse. See, I told you you were a member.
But, dear members, I have some bad news. Sam was kind enough to offer his services to Chris Weitz's adaptation of The Golden Compass. He's great. The movie...not so much. If anything, it needs more of him.
There is a bright side: I got to talk to Elliott at the press junket, and it is my duty as a club member to relate the notes from this meeting. Giddyap!
On The Golden Compass: "I'm confused when I see the movie. It's very convoluted—the in and out and back and forth from world to world, who's good, who's bad—I find it very confusing on some levels. I'm sure that a lot of people are gonna be confused initially, scratching their heads."
On Compass Costar Nicole Kidman: "Didn't work with her at all. The first time I met Nicole was this year when we went back for the 40th anniversary of New Line in New York. I happen to be a huge Nicole Kidman fan. My take? I don't have a take. I didn't spend any time sitting down and having a conversation with either of 'em [Kidman or costar Daniel Craig]. I'm happy to be billed behind Nicole. But I gotta say it's a bit of a misrepresentation. There is no truth in advertising."
On the Compass Premiere: "I been to a lot of premieres over the years, but I've never been to one that was so scary. The number of people, total strangers shouting your name. And it's not Sam. It's Saaahm. Very bizarre. Kind of silly on some level."
On The Big Lebowski: "The only time I ever felt there was something that was gonna last forever was with the Coen brothers. It was so obvious watching Jeff Bridges playing the Dude...It was like a quintessential dope picture, and there's a lot of dopers out there."
On Those Lebowski Fan Conventions: "I've never been. It would be kinda scary to see a bunch of guys wearing hats, saying your dialogue."
On the Compass Cutting-Room Floor: "One thing [the movie] suffered from is being too short. It should have been an hour longer. Every scene of me in the film was much longer. There are scenes of me and Serafina [Eva Green] that were cut. And it was really good stuff."
On the Voice-Over Ads He Does for Coors: "I'm a Coors Light drinker, so it worked out good."
On Star Wars: "One of the great westerns of our time. That scene at the bar in Star Wars with all those freaks is as classic as any western."