Parker Posey’s Price Check

Indie girl Parker Posey, is known for all her much-loved-smart-sexy-quirky-girl-roles in films  like “Dazed and Confused”, “Baquiat”, and “Party Girl”.  And of course we also love her for all the roles she played in Christopher Guest films like “Waiting for Guffman”, “Best in Show”, and “A Mighty Wind”.  Now she’s starring in a great new film “Price Check”, and she stopped by the SiriusXM studios to talk about it with Ron Bennington.  Excerpts from the interview appear below.

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Ron Bennington: “Price Check” is out in select theaters Friday, November 16th, but you can see it now on Video On Demand and iTunes and I have been – I would say since 1993, a gigantic Parker Posey fan.

Parker Posey: Come on.

Ron Bennington: And I believe – and I was just talking to the audience about this – I believe this is your best work.

Parker Posey: What??

Ron Bennington: I love this movie.

Parker Posey: Awww.

Ron Bennington: And I will tell you why – I feel like I have worked with this woman a couple times in radio.

Parker Posey: Yeah. She’s a force. I describe her as psychopathic, manipulative, passionate, convincing – like she changes everybody. And it’s to be argued whether or not that’s good or bad.

Ron Bennington: Yeah. It’s a complicated thing because of course she creates a lot of wake, but the truth is – in a corporate world, you could also surf off that wake. If you get in with the person who has that kind of energy and the changes get made – your life could change for the better.

Parker Posey: Yes. That’s right, but does it work in this system? Like does Susan….her bosses aren’t as passionate as she is and she’s not really allowed to do what she can really do.

Ron Bennington: Well because she would never stop changing – like Rudy Giuliani when he was mayor, he was obsessively cleaning up each thing – one after another. And that’s what happens when you have that kind of drive. It never gets satisfied. It never gets satisfied.

Parker Posey: Mmmhmm. That’s right. That’s right. And she is – yes, that’s very perceptive. That’s right. She’s consuming everything. And everything that she wants, she gets. And she is – you know every moment is that consumption. With people as well, which is really destructive.

Parker Posey Talks About the Artist’s Obsession

Ron Bennington: If you leave then other people are going to start leaving. Why don’t we hang out here tonight?

Parker Posey: We’re going to change something. We’re gonna change this and you’re gonna help me change my world and how I want it to be. (laughs) And it’s a crazy demand, but a lot of…. I could compare it to working on a movie set and a strong director and you get seduced into a story and into a vision of someone else. And you make something.

Ron Bennington: Right. Because it is like an artist’s obsession – an artist’s passion. And those are the people who change stuff, but do you ever notice like when they’ll do a book about a great artist – we’ll always have to hear about all the people that he trampled on…

Parker Posey: Screwed over.

Ron Bennington: ….on his way to be there because as they see the next thing they become obsessed with – and they forget you and where you were before.

Parker Posey: Where they’re recreating all the time.

Ron Bennington: Yeah, but so much of that I think – that’s kind of cool about it – is that it is this kind of feminine energy.

Parker Posey: That’s right. That’s right and that really….I hadn’t read a part like this ever. And she reminded me of Faye Dunaway in “Network”, right?

Ron Bennington: Right.

Parker Posey: And the voice of this is very much like – I think a lot like Paddy Chayefsky. It’s social. It’s saying something about women right now and men in their dynamics with each other. And it needs to be argued whether or not – is Pete Cozy complicit with what he does? Like – why….where is Pete Cozy? Where’s is this man? What is he thinking? How does he….? You know?

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Parker Posey Talks About Light Depression in Film

Ron Bennington: See, here’s the thing. Because when you get to wake up – because he starts in like a light depression.

Parker Posey: That’s right.

Ron Bennington: Which I love in a film. I love when a character has a light depression.

Parker Posey: Me too.

Ron Bennington: Because you know he’s going to break out of it and a change is going to take place. But he’s just so glad to be feeling stuff. That – whatever it happens to be – whatever burns down later, okay. Because right now, I’m alive.

Parker Posey: Yeah. And how long has he been asleep?

Ron Bennington: Yeah.

Parker Posey: And also, he’s a guy that had this creative job in the music industry and he has this family and he has to take this job. And it is not a creatively satisfying job and it compromises his spirit. And we’ve definitely seen a lot of that in the arts right now. And with the music industry period.

Ron Bennington: The music industry has changed so much.

Parker Posey: Oh my God. I mean think of all those – the people who have the talent to be in that business – on the business side and as musicians and how much of it is just gone. So yeah, it deals with that.

Ron Bennington: I actually end up….

Parker Posey: And what has he sold? What was his price to give that up? And is it so much a part of our system that we can’t….we don’t have the choice to choose out of that?

Ron Bennington: But see, that’s the thing because I don’t like – let’s suppose your character was in the music business – I think she would still be there, trying to work it. Where Pete was like – hey, I now have to move along because he’s waiting for someone else to do it. Instead of grabbing it himself.

Parker Posey: That’s right. He’s not taking it.

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Parker Posey Talks  About the Business of Independent Film.  

Ron Bennington: You know this from working in independent film – the mass idea of what is great, very rarely is. Sometimes there’s the Beatles. Do you know what I mean? Where everyone could agree – this is great. But most of the time, the masses will pick things that aren’t all that good. They’re just easy to digest.

Parker Posey: And we’re at at time right now, where with the masses – “C” is what’s paid for. I mean advertising is so expensive to have a movie come out and what it costs to advertise. Like a Hollywood….It’s like 30 million dollars. It costs so much money. So, you see something that has the money to have the hype and people judge that, but there are so many independent movies that are so….that they’re real artists making them. And you wouldn’t have heard of them.

Ron Bennington: Because it’s so tough for them even to get into a festival.

Parker Posey: It’s oversaturated. Yeah. And we’re at the beginning of this new screen and the internet and what we’re going to be able to see from it. And we’re making the transition from television to the other screen. So, I hope that it’s going to allow well written material that’s more dynamic and more human and funny and real and really has the voice of the writer. Because we see how the writers now are really – in television especially – they’re really getting to show their chops. It’s a writer’s medium. But the indy movies have….It is so much harder now to raise a little bit of money than it ever was. This movie was shot in 18 days. It was under a half a million dollars. And you go like – this is really a good piece of material. This is really saying something. And you walk around kind of heartbroken like – we really can’t afford another shot. We really can’t do this set up. And like I think this is really good and this is breaking my heart, but you’re like – at least it’s out there. And it’s a director who has a voice and great.

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Parker Posey Talks About Her Appearance On Louie

Ron Bennington: You just did Louie’s show this year on TV.

Parker Posey: Right. Right.

Ron Bennington: And that thing is like independent TV. I mean he took this off into a very weird thing where it doesn’t have the same kind of set up, and middle and ending. It’s not sitcomy. It’s quirky. It’s 

weird. And it found an audience. It’s not going to find an audience of 30 million people like “M*A*S*H” or that, but it will find a place to survive and people can enjoy it. That’s the beauty of it. That he’ll have to say that I’m not trying to please everybody.

Parker Posey: Well, yeah. And in not trying to please everybody and listening to your own voice like Louie….FX gives him that luxury and then you relate to that voice. Because it’s authentic and he’s not trying to please everybody. And he’s saying – this is very real to me and the people go – that’s very real to me too. That’s one of the biggest reasons for the success of that show – is that he’s filled a hole. A big hole that’s missing right now and it’s got that human quality and that humor and that point of view that’s really distinctive. I may not agree with it or I might have my own slant on what he’s doing. And I might see or be interested in the kind of vision that he has and that’s what we need more of – and that’s art.

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Parker Posey Talks About Doing Kids Movies

Ron Bennington: That’s what you want to do when you leave “Price Check” is to say – wait, the guy is not the hero or the victim. And she is not all evil, there’s some parts of her…So, you can get in those conversations. How many times now do we leave a film and we don’t have the kind of conversations that you like to after a movie.

Parker Posey: I know. I know. And we’re grown ups. People are talking about whatever kids movie. I mean really talking about….

Ron Bennington: Cartoons. Literally cartoons.

Parker Posey: I thought that was really good. (laughs) How old are you?? It bums me out. My therapist’s office looks out into the Virgin Megastore movie cineplex and I stand up every week – I look at those movies and I go – no wonder I’m not working. (laughs) I can’t be – no one’s going to put hair on my face and make me werewolf. Although, I would totally do that. I want to make a point right here and now to say – I will sit in hours of prosthetics and I will be…..

Ron Bennington: (growling) Grrrrrrrrr….

Parker Posey: I will do that stuff! (laughs) I will do it. And you won’t even know it’s me under all that – all that hair and all that prosthetics and then I’ll win an Academy Award. (laughs)

Ron Bennington: Do you think that they’ll finally say now that she’s….

Parker Posey: I hope Hollywood’s listening to this.

Ron Bennington: Now that she’s conformed and doing exactly what we want her to do, we’ll give her everything.

Parker Posey: Wait. What do you mean? What?

Parker Posey Talks About What Hollywood Thinks of Her

Ron Bennington: What do you think Hollywood thinks of you? When they sit back and your name comes up.

Parker Posey: Oh, it’s so crazy. You know when you read something and you go like – oh, I would like to be in that or like – what’s the feedback on that? Or like – are they interested? And I have heard – she’s too much of an indy queen. And I don’t even know what that means. I have more…. We’re in a culture that labels and brands things. So like, it’s….there’s like a stigma to it. And don’t know if it’s helped or if it’s harmed me. I can’t judge. I just know that I was labeled that. But, I’m working in Europe right now and you have these talks and you’re like – you’re more of like a European actor. You do TV and film and theater and nah and nah and nah. And I think there’s a thing here in how people are perceived in the star system if like – Boom. Oh, did I already have my moment? And now 20 years…you know, I’ve been doing this 20 years now. I think I’m entering into more of like – you know, a character actor point in my career, which is great. Guess what? It’s exactly what I wanted.

Ron Bennington: “Price Check”. It’s phenomenal. I honestly believe…

Parker Posey: I’m so glad you like it. And it’s getting attention.

Ron Bennington: I’m crazy about it.  It’s available now on Video On Demand and iTunes. And you can see it in theaters Friday, November 16th.   We’ll see you next time coming through.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V1CdK6IF6g]

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Find more information about Price Check on twitter @PriceCheckFilm. Click Here to Rent Price Check on Amazon Before It’s In Theaters

You can hear this interview in its entirety exclusively on SiriusXM satellite radio.  Not yet a subscriber?  Click here for a free trial subscription.

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You can learn more about Ron Bennington’s two interview shows, Unmasked and Ron Bennington Interviews at RonBenningtonInterviews.com.