Opening this week in limited release is director David Gordon Green’s (Pineapple Express) dramedy Prince Avalanche.  The film stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch and follows two workers as they spend their summer repainting traffic lines in the middle of a country highway.  While most summer movies are loaded with explosions, Prince Avalanche's sole focus is on the characters and their relationship.  Thankfully, Rudd and Hirsch deliver fantastic performances and the film’s scenes alternate between hilarity and heartbreak.  It's definitely recommended.  For more on the film, here's the trailer and Matt's review.

The other day I sat down with Emile Hirsch and David Gordon Green here in Los Angeles.  They talked about making the film under the radar, how the project came together, the editing process, their thoughts on Kickstarter, Twitter, what they collect, the Pineapple Express sequel from This Is the End, upcoming projects like Lone Survivor, Bonnie and Clyde, Joe, Manglehorn, HBO’s Eastbound and Down, Camp X-Ray, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for the interview.

prince-avalanche-poster

Emile Hirsch and David Gordon Green Time Index:

  • 0:30 – Green talks about the freedom of making the picture under the radar and the inception of the idea.
  • 2:15 – Hirsch talks about first meeting Green and how the two got involved with this picture.
  • 3:40 – Green reveals his the length of his first cut, the process of translating from script to screen and his editing process.
  • 4:55 – Hirsch and Green comment on the use of Kickstarter to crowd-fund projects.
  • 8:05 – Green talks about securing funding to produce the film and the relative challenges of selling the picture to audiences.
  • 9:15 – Green reveals a bit about his collection of movie posters.
  • 10:00 – Hirsch comments on his recent use of Twitter and Green asks about the amount of downtime he has.
  • 11:00 – Green jokes about directors using Twitter for marketing and his need for an assistant.
  • 11:30 – Green talks about the realization of the Pineapple Express sequel from This Is the End.
  • 12:25 – Hirsch comments on his upcoming films, including Lone Survivor and a Bonnie and Clyde mini-series, plus an anecdote of his long conversation with Warren Beatty.
  • 13:55 – Green talks about wrapping the fourth season of HBO’s Eastbound and Down, a new movie called Joe, and an upcoming film called Manglehorn that he starts in November.
  • 14:30 – Green talks about producing Camp X-Ray.
  • 15:45 – Green teases a bit about the cold openings and guest stars coming up in Eastbound and Down.