When you’ve grown up obsessed with films like Beetlejuice, Batman and Edward Scissorhands, it’s only natural to look at a film like Big Eyes and think, that’s an unusual project for Tim Burton to take on.  But he actually had a connection to Margaret Keane’s work prior to making the film.  Plus, just look at her paintings.  They do have a surreal and even somewhat horror-like quality to them, and that’s part of the reason Burton was so drawn to them.

With Big Eyes making its way into theaters for a December 25th limited release, I got the opportunity to sit down with Burton to talk about how Keane’s paintings influenced his own work, making such an unbelievable true story feel real, working with a full cast of actors he’s never worked with before for the first time since making Beetlejuice, and more.  Hit the jump to check it all out.

Tim Burton:

  • On his connection to Margaret Keane’s work prior to Big Eyes.
  • If this wasn’t a true story, you wouldn’t believe it.
  • The courtroom scene.
  • On Big Eyes marking the first time he worked with a group of actors he’s never worked with before since Beetlejuice.
  • Does Big Eyes feel like a very different type of project for him?
  • Balancing the real and surreal; the film’s color palette.
  • His approach as an actor’s director; Adams and Waltz’s different ways of working.

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