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The San Francisco Chronicle
Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx get things rockin' at
Toronto International Film Festival
Ruth
Stein, Chronicle Senior Movie Writer
September 14, 2004
Toronto -- What began as just another of the nonstop parties at the Toronto International Film Festival turned into a historic musical event. Ray Charles sang a duet with Bobby Darin. Sort of.
Past midnight Sunday, as Jamie Foxx and friends celebrated his performance as Charles in "Ray," Foxx saw Kevin Spacey, fresh from a screening of his Darin biopic, "Beyond the Sea," come in. Spacey yelled, "Yo, hidey, hidey, hidey, ho," then grabbed the mike and started singing the Darin standby "Splish Splash," accompanied by Foxx, an accomplished pianist. Before it was over, both Spacey and Foxx had jumped up on the piano, where they belted out the rest of the song together.
Darin and Charles came up around the same time in the 1950s. They cut what were among their first 45s on successive days at Atco Records, and Darin paid tribute to the great man in an album, "Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles.''
In a reversal of their screen roles, Foxx paid tribute to Spacey, telling me that he was honored that the two-time Oscar winner took the time to attend the bash. "It was like when Tom Cruise showed up for my birthday party.''
Spacey made a dramatic entrance at the party for his film, which he directed and co-produced as well as stars in. Greeted by a barrage of TV and flash cameras and an outburst of applause, he strutted in, waving like a politician, to Darin singing, "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home." A wall at the downtown restaurant was plastered with Darin's 45s, now collector's items.
But that's Spacey, not the subject of his movie, singing in "Beyond the Sea.''
As Spacey explained to me at 8:20 the next morning, looking impressively bright-eyed for someone who hadn't gotten much sleep, he insisted on doing "Mack the Knife" and other standards himself over the initial objection of Darin's old manager, who said, "Over my dead body will someone else sing Bobby's songs.''
Spacey's spot-on impersonation of the mercurial singer -- who died of heart problems 30 years ago at age 37 -- brings him eerily back to life.
Spacey is so into it that he plans a 12-city live tour of Darin's music in connection with the release of "Beyond the Sea" later this year. "San Francisco will definitely be one of my stops," he promised, adding he was checking out 1,400- to 1,800-seat venues. "I don't want anything larger because I'm not sure how many people remember Darin," said Spacey, who hopes to jog their memories with a CD from the movie. (As soon as a local concert date is set, I'll let you know in my Movie Insider column.)
The actor is hardly new to singing. As a kid, he used to croon Darin's songs into a hairbrush. "What a lot of people don't realize is that I did dozens of musicals from the age of 13 to 22." The multitalented Spacey hopped on a plane Monday to return to London's Old Vic, which he now runs, to direct a new Dutch play.
<Snip>
~
SHOWTIME
entert@inment.com YOUR GUIDE TO MOVIES, TV, BOOKS & ARTS IN CYBERSPACE
by CHRISSY PERSICO
7 March 2004
New York Daily News
As a child, Bronx-born Robert Walden Cassotto was struck with rheumatic
fever, a disease that left him with a weak heart. But this obstacle only
fueled his ambition, prompting him to succeed in show business as Bobby
Darin, '50s teen idol and the voice of such hits as "Splish
Splash," "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife."
"Beyond the Sea," a biopic of Darin (1936-73), is currently in
postproduction. It was directed by Kevin Spacey, who also stars as the
singer/actor; Kate Bosworth co-stars as actress Sandra Dee, Darin's wife
from 1960 to 1967. See www.imdb.com/title/tt0363473 for more details.
"The Legendary Bobby Darin" ( www.bobbydarin.net)
is an excellent resource for fans, from basic background on Darin to
colorful tidbits about his life. The upcoming "Beyond the Sea" is
big news on the site, expressed in a posted note from Darin's son, Dodd, who
writes how thrilled he is about the project.
A link to Spacey's Web site ( www.drivingmrspacey.com/BobbyDarin.htm)
contains a convincing photo of the actor as Darin, notes from the set and
biographical information about Darin for Spacey fans who may not be familiar
with his career.
Alongside its detailed filmography and discography, "The Legendary
Bobby Darin" includes archives of vintage magazine and newspaper
articles. A 1969 clip from Beyond magazine describes Darin's mystical
experience at the grave of Sen. Robert Kennedy, for whom he campaigned and
whose death inspired him to write and record two alternative rock protest
albums in the late '60s.
On a more lighthearted note, there's also Darin's recipe for "special
spinach" (hint: it's frozen) from 1967's Singers & Swingers in the
Kitchen." There are also fun vintage photos of Darin with fans,
performing at Freedomland in the Bronx and on American Bandstand with a
youthful Dick Clark.
Romantics will appreciate the page dedicated to his lovers (Connie Francis
among them). And another link is dedicated to Darin references in pop
culture, from "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Sopranos" to
a McDonald's commercial.
Read about Darin's 1970s television variety show, "The Bobby Darin
Amusement Party" on TV Party (www.tvparty.com/darin.html).
The same page contains a link to an essay by Darin's guitarist, who writes
about Darin's last performance, during which he was ill but kept fans in the
dark by faking bows and exits to revive himself backstage with the help of
an oxygen tank.
Darin was a mentor to fellow Vegas crooner Wayne Newton, whom he encouraged
to record the hit tune "Danke Schoen." Read about their
relationship on "Wayne and Bobby Darin" (www.celebhost.net/waynenewton/darin.net.)
The Covers Project ( www.coversproject.com/artist/Bobby+Darin)
lists songs covered by Darin, from the Stones' "Back Street Girl"
to Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."
Though Darin's music gave listeners the feeling that life was good, it had
thrown him some curve balls. At the age of 32, he discovered that his
"mother" Polly was really his grandmother, and his
"sister" Nina was his actual mother. Read more about his
bittersweet life at (www.history-of-rock.com/bobby_darin.htm).
For a pick-me-up, check out the "Mack the Knife" lyrics page of
"The Legendary Bobby Darin" ( www.bobbydarin.net/macklyrics.html).
From the words themselves - "So there's nevah, nevah a trace of
red" - to streaming video of Darin's outrageous dance moves, it'll have
you shouting "Look out! Old Macky is back!" before you know it.
Caption: BOBBY DARIN
Kevin walks in his idol's
footsteps
Weekender
Jazz with Barry Ralph
03 January 2004
The Gold Coast Bulletin
BOBBY Darin was an incomparable performer whose versatility allowed him to
work with everybody from
Buddy Holly to Count Basie.
Darin, who died 30 years ago on December 20, was always a young man in a
hurry.
Within 14 years he wrote 163 songs, recorded 486, played in 14 films and was
nominated for an Academy
Award as best supporting actor.
He also found time to create his own music publishing company and to marry
Sandra Dee.
Darin's life-long nemesis was his health. As a young child he suffered from
articular rheumatism, which severely damaged his heart.
Doctors said that he would be lucky to live until he was 15. Darin lived
until 37, but he had been on borrowed time.
Dodd Darin has been trying to create a film treatment on his father's life
since 1986.
It is now becoming a reality.
The reason why the film is being made is because the project has become a
labour of love for one of the world's most accomplished actors - Kevin
Spacey.
"I grew up with Bobby's music. He was my biggest star", says
Spacey, who bought the rights to the property two years ago.
"Bobby wrote and performed rock 'n' roll and always re-invited
himself'.
"His music set the tone for three decades."
Spacey's company, Trigger Street Productions, will make the film with the
support of the Darin family.
"Kevin's passion for the film is overwhelming and it has consumed us as
well," Dodd Darin says.
Spacey will star and produce the film. He will also direct.
"It's out of necessity," he says. "No other director was
interested."
Although Darin died in his 30s, he was an established superstar at 25.
Spacey, who turned 44 last July, remains unconcerned about the age
difference.
"Bobby always looked a little older", he says, "but if I
waited any more I might be too old."
The age dilemma was not the only contentious issue with the film.
Observers and the Darin family naturally assumed that Bobby's voice would be
used for the soundtrack.
In October this year, at the Abbey Road Studios in London, Kevin Spacey
recorded the musical numbers to
be used in the film.
"I've been training my voice for years," Spacey says. "It
cannot be an imitation, that would be flat."
"My goal is that the audience asks: Is this Bobby or is it Kevin?"
The casting was a major challenge. Bob Hoskins and Brenda Blethyn will play
Darin's parents and John
Goodman will play his manager.
Drew Barrymore was originally approached for the choice role of Sandra Dee,
but Reece Witherspoon was
preferred by Dee herself. Neither accepted the role.
Twenty-year-old Blue Crush surfer-chick, Kate Bosworth, who had never heard
of Bobby Darin, will
play alongside Spacey.
Early reports suggest that she looks more like his daughter.
Spacey's film will be called Beyond The Sea, after one of Darin's big hits.
Skeptics may question the film's credibility, but one has to consider that
it is inspired by one the world'sgreat talents and features one of the
world's grea tactors.
Many believed that the film would never be made.
However, on November 10, at the Marlene Dietrich Studio in Babelsberg,
Germany, Kevin Spacey fulfilled his life-long ambition.
The first scene for Beyond the Sea was shot.
Stacey, dressed in a bright
yellow 60s suit dances with his Sandra Dee, to a romantic version of the
title song.
Stacey yells cut and asks: "Did we capture the right angles?"
He will be more concerned about capturing an audience when his film opens in
late 2004.
(c) 2004 Nationwide News Pty Limited
~
November 22, 2003
An American Dream
by Sabine Schicketanz
Of all the places Kevin Spacey picked Potsdam do fulfill his biggest dream.
He plays Bobby Darin - the role of his lifetime.
He spends the whole day on the Malibu beach and in the hills of Beverly
Hills.
That sounds relaxing but it is not. Because the dream beach and Hollywood's
noble residential area are not on the American west coast but in the
Marlene-Dietrich-Studio in Babelsberg. Here in the 'Great South' Kevin
Spacey, two times Academy Award winner, fulfills his dream project. The
title is 'Beyond the sea' and it tells the story of a young man who lived
the American dream. Bobby Darin, born in the Bronx was a nobody and became a
huge star. He wrote 163 songs, recorded 486, played in 13 films - all this
in 14 years. He died in 1972 at the age of 37. It was almost a miracle that
he lived that long in the first place. Doctors told his mother that if he
was really lucky he might get 15 years old. Articular rheumatism, which he
got as a child, had damaged his heart severely.
Kevin Spacey grew up with Bobby Darin's music. His parents used to play
Darin's
pop hits like 'Splish Splash' or 'Dreamlover' and his swing classics like
'Mack the Knife' or 'Beyond the Sea' - who is also the title song of the new
Disney 'Finding Nemo' performed by Robbie Williams this time. 'As a
child Bobby was my biggest star' says Kevin Spacey. It was only later, as a
grown-up, that he learned what a dramatic and intense life the star led.
'Nobody can imagine what he went through' says Spacey. Seeing him on stage
you would have thought he was thoroughly healthy. But before the extra songs
at the end of a concert he would leave the stage and get some oxygen. Bobby
Darin's music has set the tone for three decades, says Spacey, he wrote and
performed pop and rock 'n roll, always reinvented himself. 'His lifetime was
only borrowed.' The Hollywood star, whose biggest success so far was
'American Beauty', knows every detail of Bobby Darin's life. He spent
several years preparing this biography on celluloid. Now, he's not only
playing the lead but is also directing, producing, he wrote the script and
he recorded the songs used in the movie. The Darin family has backed him and
put a lot of confidence in him. 'They looked in the archives and came up
with the original arrangements of Bobby Darin. We recorded them in London's
Abbey Road Studios just as he wrote them, note by note.' For this specific
task Spacey trained his voice for four years. 'It cannot be an imitation,
that would be flat'. His goal is that the audience asks: Is this Bobby or is
this Kevin?
But why is the Hollywood star so interested in this story, even obsessed
with
it? He feels connected to Darin's story, to his innermost, says Spacey. '
There
is no doubt that there are parallels between his life and mine'. He says he
feels too emotional about it to specify that right now. 'Maybe people will
see
these parallels in the movie'.
But the movie must be shot first and financed. Kevin Spacey, British
producer
Andy Peterson and German producer Jan Fantl have gathered 20 Million Euro.
The Berlin-Brandenburg film board has added 500.000 Euro, British producers
have participated, Lions Gate, who will be the distributor in the US, has
also helped with financing. At the beginning of next week, a guarantee by
the Land, initiated by Studio Babelsberg to attract more productions to
Potsdam, is supposed to round off the budget. 'No movie has ever received
such a guarantee' says German producer Fantl. Fantl faces rumours that
without this guarantee the budget might be tight, saying: 'This has never
been done before, things aren't running smoothly yet. We consider it just a
delay, that we haven't gotten the guarantee yet. I'm in good spirits.' Kevin
Spacey does not participate financially in this musical-biography - but he
plays for scale. He directs only out of necessity: 'Nobody else was
interested'.
His famous colleagues, who'd normally charge millions, do him a good turn.
John
Goodman, best known here as Fred Flintstone and from The Big Lebowski, plays
Darin's Manager Steve Blauner, Bob Hoskins, who once played opposite Cher in
Mermaids and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 for his role in
Mona Lisa, is Darin's father. Brenda Blethyn plays Bobby's mother, his
sister is Caroline Aaron. America's sweetheart from the sixties and Bobby
Darin's wife, the young actress Sandra Dee, is played by Kate Bosworth. The
gentle 20-year-old is at least known to every boy in his teens since her
role in the surfer-movie 'Blue Crush'. She admits that before signing for
'Beyond the Sea' she didn't know the music of Bobby Darin: 'It was a
fascinating surprise for me, wonderful inspiring music' - John Goodman adds
a humorous 'Oh child' to this cultural lack due to her young age. Greta
Scacchi will play Sandra Dee's mother, for the part of young Bobby Kevin
Spacey discovered a ten-year-old wonder boy: William Ullrich. 'He has more
Broadway experience than the rest of us together' says the actor. The
ignorant press is more and more astonished as the youngster starts listing
his performances. Most recently he played William, the younger version of
Antonio Banderas, in the NY musical 'Nine', he sang and danced in
'Oklahoma', 'The Music Man' and 'Beauty and the Beast'.
At the beginning Kevin Spacey didn't believe it would be possible to build
America in Potsdam, out of cardboard and chipboard. 'When this was suggested
first, I thought: how am I going to shoot a movie that it set in the Bronx,
in
Las Vegas, in Malibu and Beverly Hills in Germany?' In the meantime he is
enthusiastic about the Babelsberg Studios, happy not to have to shoot in Los
Angeles. 'If we'd shoot there we'd have to peel the decades off the
buildings -
shoot in the same boring places where everybody has shot a movie'. Instead
of
California the movie is now completely shot, in 74 days until the end of
January, in Germany, 75 percent in Babelsberg Studios and Potsdam and the
rest on location in Berlin. The 'Berlin Street' built on the lot and used in
'Sonnenallee' will be remodelled to fit Spacey's New York. 'What used to be
the Warsaw Ghetto in Polanski's Pianist will be my Bronx.' On the
Marlene-Dietrich-Lot you can see Malibu and Beverly Hills these days, in
Berlin Spacey found the architecture of the sixties. On the Ku'damm, scenes
will be shot in the old part of Cafe Kranzler, as well as next to the main
radio station and in several nightclubs.
The script was even changed to fit historic Potsdam. 'When you sit in Los
Angeles and write, you don't think of the Potsdam castles, when you think of
how Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee fell in love with each other in Italy' says
producer
Jan Fantl. Spacey was thinking of Venice, Rome and Portofino. It was Fantl
who
convinced him to shoot the whole movie, and especially Italy, in Potsdam. I
had
the script and when Kevin's movie 'The Life of David Gale' premiered at the
Berlin film festival, I thought I absolutely need to talk to him and suggest
to
shoot the movie here. 20 days later Fantl and Spacey met in Los Angeles, and
soon afterwards again in Potsdam. When he saw Sanssouci he said he'd need to
talk to the set designer first.
A few hours later Italy was out and on November 10 shooting started in the
Orangerie in Sanssouci in Potsdam. In these UNESCO protected surroundings
you could hear the soft, romantic melody of 'Beyond the Sea', while Bobby
Darin, dressed in a bright yellow sixties suit, was dancing with his Sandra
Dee. Kevin
Spacey is sure: 'We did capture the right angles and I'm sure that the
audience
will say - yes I was there on holidays it's Portofino.'
http://archiv.tagesspiegel.de/archiv/22.11.2003/851924.pnn
Translated from the original German into
English by Anne at the Legacy group.
© 2000 - 2004 Driving Mr. Spacey!
