Paul Weitz' ADMISSION Letter
How did director Paul Weitz get into ADMISSION? Read his letter.
I've written plays with female protagonists but am embarrassed that I haven't directed a movie whose clear lead was a woman. I wanted to spend time with this character, Portia Nathan.
I was very lucky to work with Tina Fey on Admission. Her breadth of intelligence and her lack of pretentiousness are qualities I aspire to. Reading her book Bossypants was a good cheat-sheet for directing her.
Thematically, I like stories of screwed-up people who think they don't have anything to offer emotionally but who cobble together an unconventional family. It's a fable, but one might as well tell that kind of fable as the pace of cultural change speeds up. We can either get over our germ phobia and link hands or go flying off the centrifuge.
Paul Weitz December 2012