The scene for the London unveiling of Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut Synechdoche, New York was a suitably ecclectic one last night, as the downstairs bar of the Curzon Soho was plastered with posters and images from the film.
The film follows theatre director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who reacts to the limited scope of the suburban plays he is used to mounting as he embarks on a hugely expansive production about New York.
Kaufman, also an experienced theatre director, put shyness aside to talk about the creative process behind bringing the film to life: "I just thought it was time. I figured that the worst that could happen was that I would fail, and that's not so bad. I liked the challenge; I thought I understood it better than anyone else could understand it, and what I lack in skill I could make up in understanding."
Having written such acclaimed films as **Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind **and Being John Malkovich, the diminutive bearded one has enjoyed long relationships with the directors of his work, Michel Gondry and Spike Jones, the latter of whom was initially set to direct Synechdoche. But it seems that Kaufman has got the directorial bug, telling us: "I’m writing something that now, that if it gets made, I’ll direct it."
Seemingly immersed in this next project, which he tentatively branded a comedy, Kaufman insisted to **Empire **that he would return to his script as soon as he got home from the Q&A grilling.
The female lead in the film was Samantha Morton, who despite having had a new baby just over a year ago, has not had a break from working in that time. Having just directed her own first film **The Unloved **about the British care system, which will be premiered this week on Channel 4, Morton is busy acting, with a film called **Alive Alone **coming up with Chiwetel Ejiofor and then Disney Pixar's sci-fi animation John Carter of Mars.
Morton told us about her role in Synechdoche, New York: “She’s sweet and innocent and fun, very gentle. It was a refreshing change from playing someone like Myra Hindley to be called to play somebody who I thought was quite sexy and kind.”
And then the pair were hurried inside for the British inquisition and **Empire **made like Kaufman and came home for a spot of writing. Next stop, The Eternal Sunshine of the Empire Staff. It'll be a hit, just you wait and see.