Daddy Cool
DJ Caruso, director of Taking Lives, Disturbia and new sci-fi flick I Am Number Four talks to Roe McDermott about using his parenting skills with young actors, the genius of Alfred Hitchcock and whether or not he’s an alien believer…
Roe McDermott, 14 Feb 2011
With possibly the coolest name in history, a CV that boasts films starring Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke and Kiefer Sutherland and a fanclub that includes Kings of Leon, DJ Caruso could be forgiven for being a bit of a diva director. But it quickly becomes clear why young stars like Shia LaBeouf want to work with him again and again – the incredibly amiable and modest filmmaker is easy to talk to and quick to laugh. When he says he likes the atmosphere on his set to be one of a happy family, you instinctively believe him.
Caruso’s love of family is, no doubt, a result of his Italian Catholic upbringing. Despite admitting that he doesn’t feel much of a connection to the old country, his parents hail from Sicily and Florence and Caruso claims his dad was the typical Italian father figure. “My father was very, very strict, but incredibly passionate and emotional” he recalls. “He loved movies and music, so he probably infused us with that.”
Following in that vein, Caruso often allows his five children to make cameos in his films, and also finds that his parenting skills can come in handy when dealing with fresh-faced stars such as the I Am Number Four prodigies, 20 year-old Alex Pettyfer and Glee star Dianna Argon.
“What I enjoy is that young actors haven’t developed their acting styles yet. For me as a film-maker, that’s kind of fun, to help them figure out what style works for them. They’re also a little bit more open.”
Of course, there are some cons when it comes to working with young actors too.
“Honestly, kids… they lose focus a lot quicker! So you have to remind them ‘Okay we did your coverage, but now we have to do her coverage.’ So the Dad skills definitely come in, they really do! Like any one of my children, you have to relate to them differently. You can’t direct them in the same way. You probably have a little bit more control too, because when it comes to telling Al Pacino what to do… well, you try, but…”
Though Caruso describes Pacino as somewhat “crazed” to work with – “he says he’s not method but he is really method” – at least the threat of teenage heartbreak didn’t linger over the set of Two For The Money, unlike I Am Number Four, where stars Pettyfer and Argon became romantically involved during filming.
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