MSN Chat with Emilio Estevez


Dish_Diva : Welcome to MSN Live! This afternoon we are pleased to welcome back actor, Emilio Estevez. Emilio's newest project, "Rated X" teh story of the Mitchell brothers who made their fortune in porn, will premiere on SHOWTIME on Saturday, May 13 at 9pm ET.

Dish_Diva : Emilio, welcome back to MSN Live. It's great to see you again.

Emilio : Thank you for having me back on. It's always a pleasure.

Dish_Diva : To enhance your chat experience, this event is in moderated mode. To ask actor, Emilio Estevez a question, whisper your question to Ask_Emilio. Due to the amount of questions we receive, not all questions can be answered. Thank you for being part of our audience this afternoon.

Dish_Diva : Let's talk about "Rated X." You directed and starred in the film. Is that hard to do?

Emilio : It's always hard to do both and after I finish a project where I serve double duty. I always say Never Again. It's kind of like you need to have a split personality.

Dish_Diva : How many times have you directed?

Emilio : This is my 4th film as a director/actor.

Emilio : I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Dish_Diva : Your son Taylor was also in this film. Was it hard directing your brother and your son?

Dish_Diva : He plays you as a young man?

Emilio : Well it was difficult directing my son because he's not an actor. Originally it had been cast for an actor in Toronto and the Monday before I received a call from this young actor saying he couldn't do it. So I called my son and asked him to jump on a plane and help his old man out, which he did.

Dish_Diva : PaulMerwin Asks: I read that the surviving brother asked you not to do the movie. Is that true?

Emilio : It is true.

Emilio : Jim Mitchell basically said to me that the story wasn't over and I don't think he was interested in having his life portrayed on film. And having to relive, which is probably the most horible, moment of his life.

Dish_Diva : Can you tell us about your character and the film?

Emilio : I play Jim Mitchell who was the guy, he and his brother were really reponsible for, bring Pornography onto the screen. It started with a movie called "Behind the Green Door" and it stared a woman named Marilyn Chambers.

Dish_Diva : Have you met Marilyn?

Emilio : Yes, I met her last week at the premeire and she was very complimentary to me and the film.

Emilio : But where the boys scored was the revelation that Marilyn was the Ivory Snow girl, from the Ivory Snow box. What they were sitting on was a vertual marking frenzie. The Ivory Snow slogan was 99 44/100% pure, which made everyone want to come and see her take it off.

Dish_Diva : I didn't know that. Wild!

Dish_Diva : BlazeWeld Asks: Does your movie "Rated X" contain nudity? If so, how did you fell about doing the parts?

Emilio : BlazeWeld, it does contain nudity, the NC17 version, the director's cut, contains more nudity than the version that you will see on Saturday night which has been edited down to an R.

Emilio : In terms of how I felt about shooting the nudity, I'm not known as a actor/director that objectifies women so initially I was embarrassed to ask them to take off their clothes.

Emilio : But what we found very interesting was that once the camera started rolling, more clothes came off than initially anticipated

Dish_Diva : was that your call?

Emilio : Often times actors would go above and beyond the call of duty.

Emilio : It just happened. Overly enthusiastic actors. In fact I had one guy ask if he could keep one item of clothing on, it was a mask because he said he was a school teacher and didn't want to be identified in the final film.

Dish_Diva : Will the NC-17 version be available on DVD?

Emilio : It is my desire that yes it will be made available.

Emilio : And if there is a stream of revinue to be derived from it, I would imagine that ShowTime would want that.

Dish_Diva : Glittrsky Asks: Will you be doing any more movies with your brother?

Emilio : Not for a while. I don't think that I'm going to be working with any family members in the near future. I am scheduled to direct an episode of West Wing, which is my favorite show, even if my father wasn't in it.

Dish_Diva : Your dad has a great sense of humor.

Emilio : Yes. I'm not sure if how many laughs he will get after hearing the Howard Stern Show from this morning and asked about Penis size.

Dish_Diva : So, let's talk about the Howard Stern show. Were you or Charlie concerned about doing the show?

Emilio : We were concerned, not so much about Howard, but the E Channel, would cut up the interview and use it for their own channel however they wanted and we were a little nervous about that. So we asked that they not be a presence in the studio so Howard gave us trouble about bailing out on the show.

Emilio : So I called Howard this morning at 4 PST and talked to him for about 40 hours on the air. And subjected myself to his madness and insane questioning which included who's penis was bigger Charlie's or my Father's.

Dish_Diva : And you responded. . .

Emilio : My responce was "As far as Charlie, it's been a long time since I've seen him naked. As far as my father, it's been a long time since we've taken a shower together" like 4 or 5 years

Dish_Diva : PaulMerwin Asks: Did you write the picture with you and your brother in mind to play the two roles?

Emilio : PaulMerwin, no. The picture has been in development for the last 9 years. A lot of people have been associated with it like Sean Pen, Robert Dinero, Oliver Stone, and Matthew McConaughey.

Emilio : There were 2 versions written and one of them was given to Charlie and myself last March and we were shooting by June. So there wasn't a lot of time to prepare.

Dish_Diva : cartoongirl Asks: Just wondering if you like acting or directing better?

Emilio : Cartoongirl, acting. Directing is absolutely loathsome, it's a year of your life and a lot of commitment. Acting you're done in about 12 weeks and you're free of the headache of having that much responisibility.

Dish_Diva : So when everyone leaves for the day, you're still looking at the dailies?

Emilio : oh yeah, my day ends 4 or 5 hours after everyone else's. 18 hour days are normal.

Dish_Diva : davey says: Hi Emilio. You're a great looking actor. Did it bother you that you didn't look "hot" in "Rated X"?

Emilio : Davey, well sure. Because we shaved our heads, it was difficult to look at myself in the mirror every day and feel sexy.

Emilio : Or desirable.

Dish_Diva : grapesofwrath says: Who did you learn your directing skills from?

Emilio : I've never been formally trained as a director, but I had the opportunity to grow up on film sets and watch directors like Francis Copolla and I'm a huge fan and buff and I'm interested in directors like Martin Scorcese, John Cassavetes, Oliver Stone. Directors of the '70's.

Emilio : The last 2 pictures that I've chosen to direct have been hugely non-commercial and I've gone into the red making them, but they have been 2 of the best experiences of my life professionally and personally.

Dish_Diva : redalert21 Asks: what kind of films do you like acting in action, drama etc. or do you have much of a preference to what you act in?

Emilio : Redalert, I'm willing to try pretty much anything except porno

Dish_Diva : Like a "Die Hard"?

Emilio : I've had success with comedies and dramas. Less success with action pictures. I'm still looking for an action film that would suit me.

Emilio : I love Die Hard. I would love to do an action film with a brain.

Emilio : I thought Mission Impossible was close but had some problems figuring out the story, and I was in it

Dish_Diva : How is Tom Cruise?

Emilio : We're still friends.

Dish_Diva : Will you be at the premiere of MI2?

Emilio : I have plans that evening, I made them before I got my invite. But he and John Woo really tried hard to bring me back to life for the sequal but there was no way.

Dish_Diva : That's too bad.

Emilio : yeah.

Dish_Diva : 2hott4u Asks: Emilio, what is your middle name?

Emilio : I don't have one. I do but I'm not telling

Dish_Diva : Rose Asks: Will you do another western like Young Guns?

Emilio : You know, I'm game to do another western, I just haven't read any good scripts out there, western scripts.

Dish_Diva : PaulMerwin Asks: Charlie is going to be working on Spin City shortly. Have you ever considered a TV show of some kind?

Emilio : Paul, I haven't. It has always seemed to me to much like work. To much like 9-5 and God forbid the series would be a hit, you're looking at 5 years of playing the same character.

Dish_Diva : You rather have variety?

Emilio : I would.

Dish_Diva : haley17 says: Will you ever appear on your dad's show, "The West Wing"?

Emilio : Haley, no. There are no plans to act in an episode, no.

Dish_Diva : Tigger Asks: What are your plans for the future? Directing or acting?

Emilio : A little bit of both.

Dish_Diva : "knight goddess" Asks: HEY EMILIO DID YOUR DAD WANT YOU TO BECOME AN ACTOR OR DID HE TRY TO PERSUADE YOU NOT TO?

Emilio : He wanted me to go to medical school, or college to get a higher education but it wasn't something I was interested in.

Emilio : I wanted to persue my dream of being a preformer/actor. I've been making 10MM films since I was 10 and theater since Jr. High. So I always knew the direction I wanted to go in.

Dish_Diva : Will you ever show your early 8mm films from the early days?

Dish_Diva : What was the subject of your film?

Emilio : I just did on Leno last Monday. I showed a very embarrassing couple of scenes. It was a movie that stared Charlie, Sean Penn and I and we took turns directing and acting. It was called "A Boy and His Dog" it was absolutely dreadfull.

Emilio : I just did on Leno last Monday. I showed a very embarrassing couple of scenes. It was a movie that stared Charlie, Sean Penn and I and we took turns directing and acting. It was called "A Boy and His Dog" it was absolutely dreadfull.

Dish_Diva : anitapanita says: What is the one thing you reget?

Emilio : I don't think so. You know, we all have them. But nothing specific I want to talk about.
Dish_Diva : Zannah Asks: Did your sister Renee ever act in your short films or was it strictly a boy's club?

Emilio : It was a boy's club, no doubt.

Dish_Diva : candaceopal says: Hi Emilio. The show premieres on Saturday night. What are your plans for the Television premiere?

Emilio : Candaceopal, I've seen the movie now close to 100 times. And yet I'm still going to watch it on Saturday night.

Emilio : There's no party plans, I may just go over to the writer's home and watch it with his family and my kids.

Dish_Diva : is it a film kids can watch?

Emilio : Absolutely not. I would say 16 or 17 would be the cut-off age.

Dish_Diva : psyquatic Asks: Okay - aside from tonite's chat, anything we can watch you act in?

Emilio : This is the only thing I have so far in the can this year and I'm being much more careful these days about the kinds of movies I do.

Emilio : What I mean by that, I'm no longer finantially motivated to do the things I'm not interested in. And I'm not interesed in doing movies with numbers after them.

Emilio : Going back to regrets, I think doing those, it seems to be sequelitis.

Emilio : I would rather be doing movies I enjoy. I want to spend time with my kids rather than being carted off to some foreign country, because I've done that and it doesn't feel good.

Dish_Diva : cartoongirl Asks: Do you see any similarities between Arty and Jim's relationship and you and Charlie's?

Emilio : Cartoongirl, there's the age similarity where the boys are a couple of years apart. Charlie has had his problems with addiction, which is no secret, and that's where the similarities end. Charlie's has a much better story ending because he's alive.

Dish_Diva : beast1021 Asks: Please ask Emilio if he ever saw a night at the Roxbury where they refer to you?

Emilio : Beast, I did.

Emilio : My dream is to go back to SNL and do a skit with Kattan and Will Farrell.

Dish_Diva : vonne says: What would be your ideal role?

Emilio : I really just look beyond the role, at the script at the entire movie and it's a good role and script and something I'm interested in.

Emilio : I feel like I have more time ahead of me than behind me, almost like the years behind me were training ground and I have the best stuff to come.

Dish_Diva : rotoking says: Emilio, do you have ties to MPLS, MN besides doing "That was then this is now."

Emilio : We also did all the Mighty Ducks movies there. For a while it was like a second home to me.

Dish_Diva : cooties says: Choose one word that you love.

Emilio : Calamity.

Emilio : As in horible event.

Dish_Diva : I won't ask.

Dish_Diva : Emilio, happy birthday. What are your big plans for tomorrow?

Emilio : I have no plans. I'm picking my kids up from school and then carry on.

Dish_Diva : Well, Emilio, you're one of the hardest working men in showbiz.

Emilio : It's easy when you have a film you believe it. It makes it hard when you don't believe in it and have to get out. So it's really nice for me this time because it's something that I really believe in it.

Dish_Diva : Best of luck with "Rated X." We'll be watching this Saturday at 9pm ET.

Emilio : Thanks, goodnight.