Infuze Magazine is now defunct. I’ve put the entire interview here for archival purposes.
Very few people have had the success in Hollywood that producer Mark Johnson has enjoyed. Whether working on Oscar-winning pictures such as Bugsy or Rain Man or blockbusters such as the Narnia series, The Notebook or What Lies Beneath, Johnson seems to have the Midas Touch.
Johnson’s latest projects include the recently released How To Eat Fried Worms and the upcoming Prince Caspian. Recently, he sat down to talk to Infuze’s Matt Conner to discuss these films, the power of storytelling, and the role of producer.
Matt: You’ve worked on Oscar-winning films, summer blockbusters, and movies in seemingly every genre. When you’ve worked on so many projects, what do you still aim toward in producing films?
Mark Johnson: Well, no matter how many films you’ve done, you’re still aiming toward producing an original story with characters that are relatable. This doesn’t always mean they have to be sympathetic characters. Sometimes you are drawn by the simple heroes. However, in the end, I’m always drawn to movies by their characters first and then by the plot.
If you look at movies that I’ve done, they are about people and not about the story as much. When I go to movies and see Bruce Willis in a Die Hard, if it is entertaining, I am as happy as the next person. But its not… Well, for some reason I am just more into something focused on the characters than anything else…
This latest movie, How To Eat Fried Worms, is like that. It’s really about what this boy goes through personally.
Let’s talk about that. Can you tell us more about the movie?
Sure! Well, here the screenwriter and director are the same person [Bob Dolman] and he said, “I want to do this movie next.” He and I started talking about why it would be a worthwhile movie. The story was good and fun. It was a lot of fun actually and made me laugh.
Did you read the book?
You know, I didn’t. At first, I was barely aware of the book. Bob Dolman finally turned me on to the story by the time I read the book. Then I thought this is a pretty original story and yet it’s about conflicts that are very common, especially when you’re a young kid. You’re in a new town and trying to fit in and you may say and do things that go against your character. (Laughs.)
Can you relate to that? Is that what drew you to it?
You know, we moved all the time when I was growing up. I grew up in Spain and it seems like every year I was in different school. It was hard. And yet, I was always aware of what I had to do to fit in.
Which is?
Well, you try sometimes and conform to other boys as opposed to staying true to yourself, but the message of this movie is staying true to yourself. And it is true that people will end up appreciating you if you simply stay true to who you are, and that’s what the movie is ultimately about.
You’re working with Walden Media on Worms, but that’s not the only movie you are working with them on. You’re also in the middle of the second installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, correct?
Yes.
What can you tell us about the upcoming Prince Caspian movie?
Well, we’re not even shooting yet. We start shooting shortly after the first of the year. February actually. We have moved the movie and it is now being released in the summer of 2008.
Working with Andrew Adamson again?
Yes.
How is this process differing from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?
You know, it’s an interesting challenge. Many of the elements from the first film will be involved in Price Caspian, but it’s also an original story on its own. Some of the characters from the last one will be back in the new movie and some of them will not repeat.
The children are coming back for this film…
Yes, all four of the Pevensie children are coming back.
Is that a challenge since they are obviously growing up?
Yes, but we are very lucky because C.S. Lewis created a distance between The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. The children are meant to be a year older. So what ends up happening is that we, as the film, are allowed to cheat a bit because the children aren’t supposed to look the same.
What about these books? Have you read them?
Yes, definitely!
Did you read them as a kid?
Yes, but I don’t think I read all of them. Honestly I can’t remember why I didn’t’ read them all. But I definitely read The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I also know that I read The Voyage of The Dawn Treader. That’s the one we are doing third. Actually, I should say that if we do a third one, that will be the one we choose to do.
What do you think it is about the Narnia series that made the film so successful?
I think Lewis did a masterful job of creating the world of Narnia. It’s a world of all of us would like to visit. It’s a world in which our heroes were really disempowered or unempowered children. All of a sudden, their father is away at WWII and they are lost and they find themselves in a magical world in which they are required to save it. It’s just a fantastic place and yet the heroes are just like us.
Switch gears a bit, I want to talk more about your role. Can you tell us more about the role of producer? What exactly does the job look like?
Hmm… it’s interesting. It puts the whole enterprise together. You’re involved in the making of the movie, the development of the script, and a great deal of everything else from marketing to editing. And yet, you’re not the final creative voice. That’s up to the director. He or she has the final say. The producer really needs to be supportive of the director’s vision.
Do you find you have a certain style of production?
I like to think that making movies is very hard. It takes lots of work and long hours. So I think I am low key and enthusiastic to keep things going, to keep morale up. You hope the movie entertains and makes a difference at the same time. Also, it’s not life or death so you make it an enjoyable process for those involved.
Is that hard to balance when you are dealing with millions of dollars, deadlines, and so forth?
Yes! You just have to keep at it. It’s very difficult. You need to put everything in perspective. It’s hard in that you’re dealing with lots of money, lots of talent an dyet at the same time, we aren’t saving lives or curing cancer. In fact, we tend to get dramatic and operatic about the whole thing. It’s hard – lots of money, loots of talent and yet at the same time, we aren’t saving lives or curing cancer. We tend to get dramatic and operatic.
Right now, you’re also working on a fascinating project entitled Spring Break in Bosnia…
Yes, it’s a very exciting project. It was written and directed by Richard Shepard, who also wrote and directed The Matador, which had a sly sense of humor and yet was a character piece. We have a wonderful cast with Richard Gere, Terrence Howard and Jesse Eisenberg. I think it’s about characters in this case. It’s set in the exotic world of Eastern Europe and it’s about three journalists who go through some very, very strong soul searching in a scary and funny world.
With all of the successful films you’ve made, there have to be some that you passed on only to regret it later.
Sure! I didn’t pass on it, but I was shown The Usual Suspects and I knew it was a good script, but I couldn’t do anything about it. So I watched that go on and become a very good movie. That was hard.
I was also shown Crash at one point early on. I didn’t have an opportunity to do anything with it. It was not the right time for me to get involved, but at the same time… I’m a huge fan of the movie now and I’m sorry for not being involved.
You mentioned your love for characters before, but what makes a good character?
I think a character in crisis. It doesn’t need to be a big, dramatic crisis. You don’t have to have a gun pulled on him or something like that. Sometimes this means having nothing more than being faced with a significant moral decision. You want to see a character that is like yourself, someone having to make decisions having to affect his life. For me, that’s as important as anything else.
What would you say is your career highlight?
Hmm… I can’t think of one. Isn’t that funny? I mean, I’m not sure. There are so many movies that I am so proud of. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe would be one, And A Little Princess… That’s as close to a perfect movie as I’ll ever come. It’s not a perfect movie, but for me it is. Rain Man. Galaxy Quest on some days still makes me laugh. It all depends on what you’re doing, I guess. It comes and goes. (Laughs.)
Ok, do you have a personal favorite film you’ve worked on?
Yes, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was a great experience. We were in New Zealand and it was just great there. We had a cast and crew made up of New Zealanders, Australians, British and Americans and it was just a magical event. We were all setting out in doing something that was important to us all. I think we all felt an obligation to get it right.
Because of C.S. Lewis?
Yes, because the book meant something to all of us.