Aaron Sorkin on "Molly's Game" and making his directorial debut
Not that many first-time directors get to work with the likes of Kevin Costner and Jessica Chastain on their debut project. But most first-time directors aren't Aaron Sorkin. The Academy Award winner is one of Hollywood's most sought-after writers but he's never taken a stab at directing anything – not even an episode of television – until now.
His flashy new movie, "Molly's Game," which he also wrote, marks Sorkin's directorial debut. It is based on the real-life Molly Bloom, who became an FBI target for hosting one of the most exclusive, high-stakes poker games. The film stars Chastain as Bloom and Costner as Bloom's father.
"When I write something I always want the best possible director for that piece to direct it, and that's never been me," Sorkin told "CBS This Morning."
Sorkin was encouraged to take on the role of director by the producers of the film and some directors he previously worked with. Ultimately, though, it was the story that convinced him.
"There are a lot of shiny objects in this story. There's a natural gravitational pull toward them. The glamour, the decadence, the money, the poker, and the Hollywood boldfaced names. I had always wanted to tell a story set against the backdrop of those things but focus on the larger, much more emotional, much more complex, nuanced story about Molly Bloom herself," he said.
Despite others' confidence in him, Sorkin says he was at "maximum fear" level already when Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner signed on to the project.
"Kevin Costner came along and said that he wanted to play the role of Molly's father, and he's fantastic, but the idea of directing Kevin was certainly daunting. He would remind me from time to time that when he made his directorial debut with 'Dances with Wolves' he had to worry about which direction 5,000 buffalo were going to run and if they'd come back," Sorkin joked.
Costner, a veteran actor and director, offered Sorkin tips during filming. That advice continued through post-production and even up to Tuesday morning when he texted Sorkin advice ahead of his appearance on "CBS This Morning."
"He would text me every few days during post-production saying I know you're going to worry about this, but don't worry about that. He texted me this morning saying you're doing 'CBS This Morning,' here's what Gayle is going to ask you," Sorkin said.
Sorkin was just as nervous about working with Chastain. He knew she was the right one to play Bloom, but wasn't so sure the Academy Award nominee would want to work with him.
"I was going to this meeting to try to discover if this actress who has been directed by Ridley Scott and Katherine Bigelow and Terrence Malick and Christopher Nolan would be willing to take direction from a first-time director or would I be taking direction from her. And about three minutes into the meeting she leaned in and said, 'Listen, this meeting is stupid. You should just give me the part,'" he recounted.
Part of why she's perfect for the role, Sorkin said, was because there are certain elements to a character that can't be acted.
"An actor can't act smart. They can't act funny, they can't act strong. They can act tough, which is an affectation that you use if you're not strong, but Jessica has those things in her bloodstream, brings them with her to set," he said.
