Recently Woody Allen, Alessandra Mastronardi, Alison Pill, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, and Greta Gerwig met with the press in Los Angeles to talk about Allen's newest film, To Rome with Love. This was a press conference style event with a large number of journalists in attendance. Since the concept of fame is key in the film, the panel was asked to discuss fame.

One of the questions asked was, "So much of the movie is a meditation on fame and accomplishment and I'm wondering what might have sparked you to focus the movie on fame this time and then open it up to everybody to how you feel about fame in your own lives."

Woody Allen: The fact that some of the film deals with that theme is post facto. I didn't think about that when I made the film. I thought it's a funny idea that a guy sings in the shower. It's a funny idea that he wakes up one day and suddenly he's famous and doesn't really know why. Two young people come to Rome and they are just married and they get involved in the situation. I never thought of any thematic connection in any way and that's all just an accident. There may have been something that was on my unconscious at the time and it came out in some strange way.

I myself feel about fame in the way the character the chauffeur talks about it in the movie, that life is tough and it's tough whether you are famous or whether you're not famous, and in the end it's probably of those two choices better to be famous. The perks are better. You get better seats at the basketball game and you get better tables and reservations places and if I call a doctor on Saturday morning, I can get him. There's a lot of indulgences that you don't get if you are not famous. Now I'm not saying it's fair. It's kind of disgusting, but I can't say I don't enjoy it. There are drawbacks to being famous too, but you get used to those, they are not life threatening. The paparazzi are outside your restaurant or your house and actors make such a big thing of it and scurry into cars and drape things over their head. You think they are going to be crucified or something. It's not a big deal. You can get used to that. So the bad stuff is greatly outweighed by the dinner reservations.

A bit later, the other members of the panel were asked to respond to the same question.

Alessandra Mastronardi: I don't know actually. I think maybe initially you have a kind of fame... If you are famous you are a very important person and you call a restaurant with seventeen and maybe they have a table for you and maybe they do it but maybe they do it one time or two time. I'm not really famous... I like working with Woody on this movie... Maybe I'm just thinking about fame. I'm not really thinking about it.

Alison Pill: I consider myself to be a working actor. I don't, I have no idea what people, I'm not famous. I don't get stopped on the street. I just sort of do my thing and live my life. I don't like strangers, so I wouldn't look forward to meeting a lot of them at any one point. And that's about it. I'm just waiting for the day when someone sends me a pet pig. That's it. That's all I want from fame. I want free stuff. I want a pet pig. So if anybody knows anybody with a pig. I don't know. And I'm famous and I want a pig.

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