When I sat down with writer/director Rian Johnson and actor Noah Segan (Deadgirl, Brick) for Looper, I didn’t have any preconceived notions on how long our “interview” would last –– after all, I only had 9 questions prepared. That interview turned into a one hour insightful conversation about all things Looper, not to mention some diversion into Johnson’s previous two films, Brick and The Brothers Bloom, along with a myriad of tidbits (Back to the Future, a capella Michael Jackson, etc). Honestly, I could have gone longer considering Looper’s many layers, not to mention just how damn enjoyable it was to chat with these two intelligent gentlemen about film and their craft.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. But if only we had some kind of futuristic device that allowed us to go back in time and listen to recorded voices of the past?! Oh right, we do –– someone invented that 134-years-ago. And I’m happy to share this with you, the complete conversation available for your listening/downloading pleasure. For anyone who is a fan of Johnson’s films or Looper’s scene-stealing Segan, and/or just wants to delve into all the inner-workings of the time travel acton adventure, then this is for you.

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MP3: The Film Stage Show Interview – Director Rian Johnson & Star Noah Segan Talk Looper

Chapter List

00:00 Intro
00:34 Traveling back in time to when Rian, Noah, and Joe first met
04:47 Making movies with your friends
05:32 The 10-year-old not-so-long-lost short film script that became Looper
10:29 A renaissance of smart sci-fi
10:51 The inspiration behind Looper and the evolution of Rian’s early short Psychology of Dream Analysis
12:27 Selfishness. Selfishness? Self-ish-ness. Selfishness! Selflessness?
13:26 Kid Blue
16:54 Dode, the great, great grandfather of the Kid
20:08 Impromptu “Man In The Mirror” a capella. Rian Johnson, ladies and gentlemen
20:14 Looper’s cast of characters
22:52 Looper’s lack of Back to the Future II-style incest
23:08 The cinematic self-awareness of Looper
25:37 “When society doesn’t have a future it looks to the past.”
27:53 The style of Looper (and Brothers Bloom)
39:40 Why a Miata? Looper’s grounded reality
33:05 Star Wars’ influences on Nathan Johnson’s score and the sound design
33:43 Blunderbusses, gats, and guns
38:18 The mechanics and magic of time travel
40:55 Talking time travel with Primer writer/director Shane Carruth
43:33 The “the fuck you version of time travel” effects of Looper
45:26 The performances of Looper & Joseph Gordon Levitt’s emulation of Bruce Willis
48:29 Bruce Willis’ side patches
49:04 The return of Bruno
50:42 Noah on Bruce Willis and Jeff Daniels, the pros of the pros
54:52 Rian’s favorite Jeff Daniels’ story, in which he asks about time travel
57:28 Movie nerds making movies doesn’t change with a bigger budget and major studio
1:02:12 The ultimate question: Favorite time travel movies (and BTTF as a perfect film, Terminator’s structural influence on Looper, what qualifies a time travel movie?).

Opening trailer comes courtesy of Sony Pictures.

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