Peter Fonda and writer/director Shana Feste discuss their new family comedy Boundaries
A family road trip is at the center of the new comedy Boundaries, a movie that has become very therapeutic for its writer-director, Shana Feste. Her story of a pot-smuggling father (Christopher Plummer) forced to bond with his neurotic daughter (Vera Farmiga) after being kicked out of a nursing home mirrors her reality very closely. To hear Feste tell it, only a few small changes needed to be made to the story, and the rest wrote itself.
The film mostly plays out during a long car ride to transport the cranky free spirit to a new home but along the way we meet a few characters from his wild past. One of them is fellow pot-smoker Joey, played by Peter Fonda with the devilish charm of an ex-hippie. His scenes are few, but shock the film to life in unexpected ways. Feste and Fonda came to San Francisco to promote Boundaries, and we spoke about filmmaking, battle scars, and the challenge of adapting family stories to the big screen. The following is a transcription of that conversation.
Q: Both of you are going around from city to city promoting this movie. When you’re talking to different people from different cities, do you see that as part of the job of getting the word out, or do you genuinely enjoy doing it?
Peter Fonda: For me, it’s definitely part of the job, but I love doing it.
Shana Feste: I love getting the word out and telling people to see our movie. The problem is when there isn’t any press and you’re not able to tell people to come see your movie. When nobody cares and nobody asks you questions, that’s a horrible place to be.
Q: Shana, you’ve talked before about the Christopher Plummer character in this film being openly based on your own father. What kinds of things did you emphasize about him in the film, and what kinds of things did you want to keep out?
Feste: My dad passed away in June, and in the film is similar to Christopher, but he’s also very different, too. He was from Texas, he was covered in tattoos, he smuggled marijuana, he beat casinos, he was married six times, and was very charismatic. Animals and women loved my father, which I think is the same for Christopher as well. Christopher is very well-educated and does Shakespeare. My father could not be more different, so I had to make a few adjustments to the story. I also gave him fancier friends in the movie like Peter Fonda.
Fonda: I also have tattoos, but I also have some scars.
Q: Battle scars. I’m sure there are some interesting stories that come with those scars.
Fonda: Absolutely!
Q: Peter, are there specific things you look for in your directors to feel more comfortable on set?
Fonda: I like to have communication; that’s always very important to me. I’m trained for the stage, so it’s a whole different experience coming to the movies.
Q: What do you feel is the biggest misconception about acting?
Fonda: I’ve been very fortunate, because I’ve only had a few not-so-hot directors. As an actor, it’s great to be hired, of course, and then being able to join this company. I do dramas, but for me doing a comedy with a great script, a great director, and a great crew is the best.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about directing?
Feste: Most of my family are from Texas, so they all think directing is very glamorous, and it’s definitely not. I breastfeed all three of my kids, so when I’m pumping milk on set, it does not feel glamorous at all. Especially when you’ve been working fifteen hours a day and you’re feeling bone tired. It’s all about the work, so the glamorous part is at the end. I have so many family members who want to come to the set, and when they do, they find out that it’s incredibly boring.
Q: Peter, is there one film you feel has been underrated in your body of work?
Fonda: There have been a few movies I’ve done just for money and I didn’t care about them, but I will say the best time I have ever had on a movie set was Ulee’s Gold, and I got paid the least amount for it. Five weeks in Florida, and one of those days I worked a 23-hour day and didn’t even realize it. That’s how great that set was. It was far out.
Q: When you’re making paycheck movies, do you genuinely get into it, or tune out on set?
Fonda I get into it. I’m acting, so I’m always doing the best I can. Ghost Rider was one of the fun ones, but sometimes it’s more of a challenge to stay engaged, but I always accept that challenge.
Q: After going from city to city and getting a lot of the same questions over and over again, is there one question you wish people would stop asking you?
Fonda: People always ask me, “Were you smoking real pot in Easy Rider?”
Feste: The question I keep getting is, “What is it like to be a female director?” I got asked that when I started my career eleven years ago and I’m still getting it now. I’m sure there’s a good answer for it but I love talking about the work. That’s what gets me excited. Hopefully, for all women, I wish that question will go away.
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Boundaries opened in limited release in Bay Area theaters on Friday, June 29th.
