A movie that premiered at Slamdance last week was “Fix” and it stars Olivia Wilde, Shawn Andrews, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Tao Ruspoli. Actually, Tao also wrote and directed the movie, andand it was shot in the first person by the actors in the film.

The movie is a one day odyssey through the myriad worlds of Los Angeles as documentary filmmakers Bella (Olivia Wilde) and Milo (director Tao Ruspoli) race to get Milo's brother Leo (Shawn Andrews) from jail to rehab before 8pm, or Leo goes to prison for 3 years. Inspired by true events, the film follows the trio as they document their trip from a suburban police station in Calabasas through mansions in Beverly Hills, east LA chop shops, rural wastelands, and housing projects in Watts as they attempt to raise the $5000 deposit required to get Leo into the rehab clinic. Along the way we meet dozens of colorful characters, each with their own unique perspective on Leo's larger than life personality and style, and each with their own excuse for why they cannot help out... In the end, it may take a drug deal to get the necessary funds for rehab.

Anyway, I was able to interview both Tao Ruspoli and Shawn Andrews and the interview isbelow. During our pretty long conversation we covered all the usual subjects like what it was like being in Slamdance, how the film came together, the challenges of making it, and what was it like working with your wife on the movie. A random fact is that Tao is married to Olivia Wilde. Another random fact is Shawn was in "Dazed and Confused." While watching the interview, see if you can figure out what part he played without looking it up.

And if you missed the clips I posted earlier tonight you can watch them here. I’d watch some before the interview so you can get a feel for the movie and what’s it all about. Look for the Olivia Wilde and Megalyn Echikunwoke interview in a few minutes.

Tao Ruspoli and Shawn Andrews – Part 1

  • Festival talk. Tao also talks about how happy he is to be in Slamdance over Sundance.
  • Shawn talks about Slamdance and how he got involved in the project.
  • Tao talks about the movie and the characters in it.

 

Tao Ruspoli and Shawn Andrews – Part 2

  • I ask Tao about his writing process
  • I ask Shawn about his extended breaks between projects. He talks about his next project.
  • Funny stories from the set
  • I ask how people can see the movie