The film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s ‘Juliet, Naked’ is now in theaters.
The latest film adaption of a Nick Hornby novel has everything you might expect if you’re already familiar with the writer— charming, comedic turns with characters whose indie fascinations run a little too deep. In Juliet, Naked, it’s Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) who carries the torch. He’s obsessed with a rock star by the name of Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), whose mysterious disappearance in the ‘90s has left behind a mythic allure. That’s all good and well, except that Duncan’s infatuation with the rocker gets in the way of his relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Annie (Rose Byrne). Juliet, Naked flips these lines of love and attraction, romantically linking the cryptic Crowe with Annie. That’s where the fun begins.
Last Tuesday, August 14, The Knockturnal had a chance to attend the exclusive Lionsgate premiere screening, red carpet, and after party for the film. Juliet, Naked pulled out a radiant crowd of guests— from HBO Girls’ Jemima Kirke, to actress AnnaSophia Robb and Catfish’s very own Nev Schulman. Each of the main cast members were in attendance, too. Rose Byrne, who plays the film’s protagonist, stunned on the carpet. She shared laughs with her costars Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd before the screening kicked off.
The night led to a lively after party, hosted and presented by SVEDKA Vodka at Mr. Purple. Guests enjoyed delicious cocktails, including SVEDKA’s ‘Naked Nightcap’ as they also snacked on lobster roll hors d’oeuvres. On the horizon, views of the Lower East Side lit up the night of mixing.
Before the celebration, we had a chance to chat briefly on the carpet with Juliet, Naked director Jesse Peretz (Girls, GLOW). Read below for his inside scoop.
The Knockturnal: Was there anything from the book that you wish could’ve made it into the film?
Jesse Peretz: There was a whole chapter from the book that we shot; it was so fun and funny. It’s a trip that Duncan and Annie take to America to visit significant spots in Tucker Crowe’s life, like his childhood home in Boseman, Montana, the last bathroom he was seen in, et cetera. Sadly, we had to cut it out because it was really delaying us realizing that it was actually Annie’s movie and having her get to meet Tucker. It was one of those things that happened in the editing room. If there was ever a case of kill your darlings, that was the definition of it.
The Knockturnal: You were once in a band yourself. In an alternate universe, would you have ever seen yourself becoming someone like Tucker Crowe?
Jesse Peretz: Well – I need to say, for the record, to call me a musician would be a bit of an exaggeration. I had played guitar from when I was seven and I played bass in a punk rock band in the early phases when the songs were very simple, and my bass playing was adequate at best. When I left the band, that was sort of the end of my career as a musician. I will say that there were a lot of emotional similarities with Evan Dando, who was the Tucker Crowe of the band that I was in. I’d gone to high school with him and in many ways, he’s a tortured character and incredibly gifted—a guy who’s spent his life getting in the way of being all that he could be as a musician. But he keeps making music!
The film is now playing.
Photos by Kristina Bumphrey / Starpix
