About The Production
The project originated four years ago when the screenwriting team of Brent Goldberg and David T. Wagner came up with a concept, and then a screenplay, about a high school student dating an adult film star. Producers Charles Gordon, Harry Gittes and Marc Sternberg sparked to the idea right away, and brought Luke Greenfield on board to direct after Gordon and Sternberg watched a screening of Greenfield’s 10-minute comedy film, “The Right Hook.” “I see a thousand shorts
a year,” says Gordon, “but nothing as good as Luke’s film.”
Greenfield set to work on taking what he calls “a great concept” and making it his own, adding realism, danger and surprises. As development continued on THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, Adam Sandler hired Greenfield to direct the Rob Schneider comedy “The Animal,” which Sandler’s company was producing. “I would call Chuck Gordon all the time, begging him, ‘Please wait for me!’,” says
Greenfield. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the project. The second I finished production on ‘The Animal,’ I was meeting with Chuck, figuring out how we could get THE GIRL NEXT DOOR made.”
Greenfield and the producers brought in screenwriter Stuart Blumberg who, under Greenfield’s supervision, infused the story with a more realistic sensibility, fleshing out some characters and adding new ones. The project continued to move forward until, nearly four years after its inception, a read-through of the script landed a “green light.”
Actress Elisha Cuthbert, who stars in the hit Fox series “24,” was one of the participants in the read-through – even though she had not yet been offered the part of Danielle, the beautiful and mysterious “girl next door” who is trying to reinvent her life. Charles Gordon, a fan of “24,” says the he wanted Cuthbert from “day one.” Greenfield was unfamiliar with the series,
but Cuthbert’s read-through and dedication convinced him that she was Danielle. “Elisha was a real trooper and made a huge contribution at the table read,” he says. “She brings a lot to the character and really makes us believe that Danielle is the girl we all wish we could meet one day. The girl who’s always one step ahead of you, who will make you do things you never thought you’d do – and who you’d better be prepared to go all the way
for.”
For Cuthbert, the role offered new challenges and opportunities. “The character of Danielle is different from anything I’ve played before,” she says. “It’s way out there. The changes that Danielle goes through are formidable, and her transition from being Athena (the porn star) to Danielle (the girl next door) is huge.”
Danielle is the complete opposite of Matthew, who is as innocent as she is worldly. Surprisingly, each is striving to be more like the other. Says Luke Greenfield: “Danielle is strong on the outside but inside she’s a little girl who just wants to be seen as normal. Matthew is dying to break out and have adventures and new experiences. But he gets a little more than he bargained for when he meets Danielle.”
According to Greenfield, the importance of casting Emile Hirsch as Matthew cannot be overemphasized. “If we didn’t get Emile, I probably wouldn’t have made the movie,” he says. At first, the young actor, who had not yet read the script, resisted because he perceived the project to be a teen comedy. “Emile is serious about his craft – he’s been memorizing Brando since age 9! –
and didn’t want to do anything formulaic,” says the director. “But when he did read the script, he said he was shocked by how edgy it was, and he signed on.”
“Yes, the script was shocking in a way,” Hirsch confirms. “It’s smart and edgy and is partially set in the world of pornography. But I laughed a lot when I read it, and I really like the character of Matthew. He starts out as an overachiever, but one who’s pretty fearful. The girl next door, played by Elisha, makes him break out of his shell and become the guy he always wished he could be. He’s
a budding politician who ends up learning about real world politics.”
Upping the stakes of Matthew’s relationship with Danielle is Kelly, her former “producer,” who’ll stop at nothing to keep his favorite actress in the porn fold. Kelly is everything Matthew is not: cool, handsome and mysterious. He challenges Matthew with a query that sums up a key theme: “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” Is Matthew willing to risk everything for Danielle?
As conceived by Greenfield and co-screenwriter Stuart Blumberg, Kelly is far from a typical bad guy. “He’s a charming rogue,” says Blumberg. Adds Greenfield: “Kelly is a different type of villain; in some ways, he’s the big brother Matthew never had, because he takes him under his wing… at least until Matthew persists in his pursuit of Danielle.”
Greenfield credits Timothy Olyphant with keeping the character real. Olyphant, in turn, sees Kelly as Matthew’s best friend – and worst nightmare. “Your most fearsome enemies in life are your best friends who know you and your vulnerabilities.”
Kelly’s professional rival is adult film producer Hugo Posh who, like Kelly, figures prominently in Matthew’s life and pursuit of Danielle. “Hugo is very different from Kelly in many ways,” says veteran actor James Remar, lately of “Sex and the City,” who takes on the role. “For one, Hugo’s hit it big – he’s very successful, with the huge mansion, the cars, etc. –
while Kelly is still somewhat small-time.”
Matthew’s closest friends are Eli, a wannabe filmmaker played by Chris Marquette, and Klitz, who is even more uptight than Matthew, played by Paul Dano. The three friends’ bond is so strong that they refer to themselves as a “tripod”: if one falters, then the others go down, too. So, Klitz and Eli will do anything to help Matthew in his quest for Danielle.
The music in THE GIRL NEXT DOOR also plays a key role. “From the beginning, Luke had the movie and the soundtrack in his head,” says Charles Gordon.
The 37 songs hand-picked by Greenfield and music supervisors Peter Afterman and Chris Douridas, as well as composer Paul Haslinger’s score, create unexpected mood and emotion throughout the entire film. The artists featured on the soundtrack represent several musical eras and include The Who, David Gray, Donovan, David Bowie and The Verve. “Ninety-eight percent of the songs I wanted made it into the soundtrack –
it was a miracle,” says Greenfield, who wrote many of his “wish list” of songs into the script. “And if the song weren’t mentioned in the script, I still ended up playing it on set, constantly feeding Emile and Elisha the songs I envisioned for whatever scene they were rehearsing.”
Also critical to the film’s humor and emotion is the work of production designer Stephen Lineweaver, whose credits include “Jerry Maguire.” While Matthew’s home town is never identified – “I wanted it to be ‘Anywhere, USA’,” says Greenfield – the director acknowledges that his hometown of Westport, Connecticut inspired much of the film’s look. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
was filmed entirely in Southern California, yet we feel we’re in the heart of East Coast suburbia. “You can’t find that kind of suburban feel and community in Los Angeles County, yet somehow Stephen found it,” says Greenfield. “He really captured the essence of Westport.”
When Matthew hooks up with Danielle, the adult film world invades his safe, upper-middle-class existence. Later, he, Klitz and Eli visit the Adult Film Convention in Las Vegas. Here, too, Lineweaver pulled off a design miracle, creating the convention entirely on a Los Angeles soundstage. “That set was probably Stephen’s biggest task,” say Greenfield. The director also credits director of photography Jamie
Anderson, ASC, for making invaluable contributions to the film’s look.
After Lineweaver, Anderson and the rest of the crew and cast wrapped principal photography, work began on post-production, including the Herculean task of lining up the 37 songs for the soundtrack. As the film began taking shape, the “test screening” process revealed that the filmmakers’ goal of making a smart, edgy film was being realized. “We knew THE GIRL NEXT DOOR would appeal to men,” says
Charles Gordon. “After all, it’s kind of a men’s fantasy. But we were thrilled that the film also plays to teenage and adult women.”
Adds Luke Greenfield: “THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is a love story about how far this character is willing to go for the first love of his life. What woman – or man – couldn’t relate to that?”
CAST
EMILE HIRSCH (Matthew Kidman) starred opposite Kevin Kline in “The Emperor's Club.” In 2002, Hirsch made his feature film debut starring with Kieran Culkin and Vincent D’Onofrio in “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” produced by Jodie Foster. Hirsch appeared in the feature “The Mudge Boy,” which was produced by Stanley Tucci and premiered
in dramatic competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. Upcoming is the feature film “Imaginary Heroes,” in which he stars opposite Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels.
Prior to “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” Hirsch had a recurring role on the television series “ER” and made guest appearances on “NYPD Blue” and “The Pretender.” In addition, he played the young Harry Houdini in the TNT Original Film “Houdini.”
ELISHA CUTHBERT (Danielle) stars in the Emmy®-winning Fox series “24” as Kiefer Sutherland’s rebellious daughter, Kimberly Bauer. Her work in the series earned her a nomination as the 2002 Teen Choice Award for Breakout TV Actress. Last year, she and her “24” co-stars were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Cuthbert appeared in the hit comedy “Old School,” starring Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell, and in the romantic comedy “Love Actually,” directed by Richard Curtis.
Some of her other credits include “Time at the Top,” “Mail To The Chief,” “Airspeed” and “Believe.” She shed her good girl image in the television movie “Lucky Girl,” where her powerful performance as a student who becomes addicted to gambling earned her the Gemini, Canada’s equivalent to the Emmy, as Best Actress in a Dramatic Program.
TIMOTHY OLYPHANT (Kelly) starred as a charismatic drug dealer in director Doug Liman’s widely hailed “Go.” More recently, he starred in the thriller “A Man Apart” with Vin Diesel, and in Lawrence Kasdan’s “Dreamcatcher” opposite Morgan Freeman.
Olyphant stars in “The Safety of Objects” with Glenn Close, and in the HBO western series “Deadwood.” Other credits include “The Broken Hearts Club,” HBO’s “When Trumpets Fade,” and the television series “High Incident.”
Born in Hawaii and raised in California, Olyphant swam competitively at USC and was a U.S. National Finalist in the 200 Individual Medley. Upon graduation, he moved to New York to study acting, where he received the World Theatre Award® for Outstanding Debut Performance – an honor previously bestowed upon Al Pacino and Alan Alda – for his role as Tim Hapgood in the Playwright Horizon’s “The Monogamist,”
written by Christopher Kyle. Other stage credits include the one-man production of “Santaland Diaries” at the Atlantic Theatre, as well as “Plunge,” also written by Christopher Kyle and produced at the Playwright Horizon.
JAMES REMAR (Hugo Posh) played a hotel magnate and Samantha’s love interest in HBO’s Emmy and Golden Globe® winning series, “Sex and the City.” His recent film work includes “Duplex,” directed by Danny DeVito, “Fear X,” with John Turturro and Deborah Unger, which premiered at this winter’s Sundance Film Festival, and the
summer box office hit “2 Fast 2 Furious.”
Remar’s career has spanned over two decades, beginning with a stint as an original cast member of the Broadway hit “Bent” with Richard Gere. This led to a role in director Walter Hill’s controversial thriller “The Warriors.” Some of Remar’s other feature credits include “48 HRS.,” “What Lies Beneath” and “Boys On the Side,” where he received critical
acclaim as the rugged, gentle bartender opposite Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore and Whoopi Goldberg.
THE DIRECTOR
From his earliest memories growing up in Westport, Connecticut, LUKE GREENFIELD (Director) wanted to make movies. With 25 short films to his credit before even entering the prestigious USC School of Cinema-Television, Greenfield stayed in Hollywood after completing the program to pursue his dream. The result of his unique mix of talent, discipline and passion for the medium is evident
in his second film, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.
Previously, Greenfield co-wrote and directed “The Right Hook,” a 10-minute short film he wrote with actor David Scotti. The edgy comedy attracted enormous attention and served as a calling card for Greenfield as he pursued feature film opportunities in Hollywood. At 28, before even completing “The Right Hook,” Greenfield was offered what would become his Hollywood directorial debut, “The Animal.”
Starring Rob Schneider, the film was produced by Adam Sandler and Revolution Studios for Columbia Pictures in 2001.
Greenfield strives to make films with emotional impact, executed in a way audiences haven’t seen before. Most importantly, he seeks to make movies that people will never forget. He wants to move people in the same way he was affected by his favorite films, which include “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Broadcast News,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Great Santini.”
Collaboration is an essential element of Greenfield’s filmmaking aesthetic. He loves working closely with writers, actors, cinematographers and editors. Greenfield is hands-on in every aspect of a project, from development to the marketing and advertising.
Greenfield has five projects and a one-hour television series pilot in development. |
