''Interview'' is a remake of Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh's 2003 film of the same name. The American version, which premiered in 2007, stars

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

as Pierre Peders (originally played by

Pierre Bokma Pierre Henri Martin Bokma (born 20 December 1955 in Paris) is a Dutch Stage (theatre), stage, television and film actor. Bokma received his professional training at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. In November 2007 he won an Internation ...

), a fading political journalist interviewing a

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

star, Katya, played by

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli cal ...

(originally played by

Katja Schuurman Katja Schuurman (born 19 February 1975) is a Dutch actress, singer and television personality. Early life She grew up as the eldest daughter of a Dutch father and a Surinamese mother, born in Curaçao. Her sister Birgit is also a singer and a ...

). This film also features

Tara Elders Tara Johanna Elders (; born 17 January 1980) is a Dutch actress. She has been in Dutch films and TV series. She also was in the American film ''Interview'' (2007). Early life and education Tara Johanna Elders was born on 17 January 1980 in Am ...

as Maggie, Molly Griffith as a waitress, and Philippe Vonlanthen as an autograph seeker. Steve Buscemi is also a director of this American adaptation.

, the actress who played Sienna Miller's part in the original movie, has a small cameo as a woman leaving a limo towards the end of the movie.

Plot

Pierre Peders (Buscemi) is a tough political correspondent infuriated by his editor's insistence he cover a tabloid-level story about the

paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...

favorite Katya (Miller). Pierre's chagrin increases given the news of a searing

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

that is just breaking; instead of covering the piece, Peders must visit a posh

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

restaurant and interview Katya, whom he instantly detests. The one-on-one is more of a disaster than either could have predicted, but by some strange twist of fate, Pierre is injured and brought back to Katya's

loft A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...

. Once there,

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

is downed,

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

is consumed, minor violence erupts, and the two begin to "dance a

pas de deux In ballet, a pas de deux (French language, French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be fo ...

" — attempting, not so subtly, to outmaneuver one another psychologically, as dark secrets and long-hidden vulnerabilities emerge. Katya teases Peders into kissing her, which Peders passionately does, but as her cell phone rings and reality reasserts itself, Katya demands that he stop. Peders is exasperated and complains that she doesn't let him finish what she starts, unlike the male

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

he once visited. During another of Katya's phone calls, Peders uses Katya's

laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

and opens a folder containing what he believes is Katya's

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

. He is able to barely conceal his surprise when Katya eyes him suspiciously, by saying he is merely Googling her, as per an earlier suggestion by her. When Katya's attention returns to her phone call, Peders e-mails a particularly expressive and emotional diary passage to himself. Later, unable to forget what he had read, Peders betrays his snooping by asking Katya what has made her lose hope. After an emotional outburst about her loss of privacy, she admits that she has

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. At this, Peders is immediately contrite about the way he has been treating her. He learns that no one knows about Katya's illness; she feels that saying it aloud will make it more "real". Peders promises not to reveal the truth about her health; Katya demands that Peders reveal something about himself in return. As Katya films the confession with a

camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-swa ...

, Peders admits that, as a reporter, he has made up stories and sources, and that he essentially caused his

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

former wife's death. (He took his time responding to her distress call to him - by the time he arrived, she was already dead.) Katya swaps out the camcorder tape when Peders is unaware, and a while later, Peders attempts to do the same. On a clandestine phone call to his editor, Peders - against his promise to Katya - tells him that Katya has cancer. Peders leaves Katya's loft, and as he is walking outside, she calls him on his cell phone. Katya reveals that not only did she lie about having cancer, (the diary Peders believed was hers was actually the diary of the character she played) but she has Peders' confessional tape. She inquires whether she should send it to his editor first or the police. Peders smugly retorts that he swapped the tape first; Katya disagrees and says he only has her rehearsal tape. The movie ends with Peders and Katya watching their tapes - Peders wearing a sullen expression. Katya sips a glass of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

while watching Peders' confessional tape, but it is unknown if she will follow through with her threat.

Cast

as Pierre Peders *

as Katya *

Danny Schechter Daniel Isaac "Danny" Schechter (June 27, 1942 – March 19, 2015) was an American television producer, independent filmmaker, blogger, and media critic. He wrote and spoke about many issues including apartheid, civil rights, economics, foreign po ...

as Maitre’D * Michael Buscemi as Robert Peders *

as Maggie * Molly Griffith as Waitress * Philippe Vonlanthen as Autographer Seeker * Craig muMs Grant as Cab Driver *

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...

as Boyfriend on Phone *

as Limo Lady

References

External links

''Interview''
Official website * * * {{Steve Buscemi 2007 films 2007 drama films American drama films Films directed by Steve Buscemi Sony Pictures Classics films Films shot in New York (state) American remakes of Dutch films Two-handers 2000s English-language films 2000s American films