AMERICAN PSYCHO director/screenwriter, Mary Harron, took time from her busy schedule to answer Baleheads' questions! Thanks very much, Mary!

1. What scene in AP was the most difficult to shoot and which is your favourite?
   
   "The most difficult scene to shoot was the murder of Christie and Elizabeth at the end. Actually it was shot in two different locations weeks apart. Bateman running through the corridor with a chainsaw and the stairwell sequence were actually shot in a hotel on the outskirts of Toronto. The murder scene inside the apartment was the very last scene we shot in Toronto, over two nights. We had been shooting nights for logistical reasons,even thought we were filming on a sound stage. We were all tired and disoriented, and the strangeness and violence of the scene made everyone feel wierd. I always dreaded shooting that scene. Apart from the emotional demands,there were all the technical problems -- Guinevere had to lie in a pool ofblood for two hours to preserve continuity... In the end we finished at 7.30am and had breakfast. I knew the shoot was over when I saw Christian, who had preserved a ferocious diet of steamed vegetables and grilled chicken for about six months, eating an egg Macmuffin.
   
   My favorite scene is the one with Christie and Sabrina in Bateman's living room when he's lecturing them about Phil Collins and they're just staring at him..."
   
   
2. What scene(s) from the book would you have liked to included in the film but didn't - and why?
   
   "I loved the scene where Bateman and Mcdermott are arguing over 'red snapper pizza'. I just couldn't find a place for it. I also wanted to include Prive jumping from the balcony. We shot it and it was a great scene but in the end I realized that it taking us away from Bateman's story and the film couldn't afford to digress like that."
   
   
3. What did you think of Lions Gate's choice of advertising on the Net?
   
   "I didn't see much of it I'm afraid, I'm kind of computer illiterate I'm ashamed to say."
   
   
4. Do you feel that the movie didn't reach as many people as it should have with mainstream advertising (TV, radio...)
   
   "I never thought of it as a mainstream movie so I was delighted that as many people saw it as they did. I always thought it would do better in Europe and on video, which has proved to be the case."
   
   
5. How did you first become aware of Christian Bale and in which of his previous roles did you see "Patrick Bateman" potential?
   
   "I first saw Christian in Little Women and thought -- who is that great young actor? Why haven't I seen him before? (I hadn't seen Empire of the Sun etc) Then I was talking to Tod Haynes while he was editing Velvet Goldmine, and he said Christian was the best actor he'd ever worked with. So I rented some of his movies, and although he was very good in all of them, I can't say I saw Bateman in any of his previous work. But he obviously had a lot of range and I just had an instinct about him. It was talking to him in person about the character and auditioning him on tape that convinced me."
   
   
6. Do you feel AP would have been treated differently on film had it been directed by a male? For example, do you think there would have been more direct references to violence (e.g. full 'action' scenes of), given that in today's society 'slasher'-type films are typically targeted toward a male audience? In contrast, do you think a male director would have downplayed the violence and blatant pornographic fantasy-fulfillment in Bateman's sexual acts in fear of receiving a misogynistic reputation in the film industry?
   
   "It's hard to say. I think in the script Guinevere and I definitely played up the female characters more than men would have. I think there is definitely a female sensibility at work in the direction, too. I think a man would have made the scene with the two prostitutes 'sexy' whicle downplayed that and made it more cold and banal."
   
   
7. Would you want to do the rumoured sequel to AMERICAN PSYCHO?
   
   "If there were ever a sequel I wouldn't be interested. I've made the film about Bateman that I wanted to make!"
   
   
8. In another one of Ellis' novels, "Glamorama", there are several references to Christian Bale, did Ellis perhaps approach you about casting Bale in "American Psycho" or was it strictly coincidence?
   
   "It was strictly a coincidence."
   
   
9. While working with Christian for AP, you must have gotten to know him pretty well. Does he have any amusing quirks or habits?
   
   "On the set we called him 'Roboactor' because his continuity was always flawless. At one point one of the other actors came over to me and said "Christian breaks into a sweat at EXACTLY the same point in the scene every time!" It was almost scary.
   
   He got totally into the preparation for Bateman to the point where he would leave the set after filming all day and then go to the gym -- I mean sometimes at 2 in the morning. I thought that was very admirable, but a little over the top.
   
   I don't really know about his personal quirks because on the set he was in Bateman mode -- not running around attacking people with an axe, butjust kind of off by himself, concentrating on the part. It was a contrast, because in normal life he's usually pretty fun and relaxed. Also he was speaking in the Bateman accent all the time, which almost made him seem like a different person. It was very funny because when my husband and I walked into the wrap party for the film, Christian came up and said Hi in an ENGLISH ACCENT. John and I were so surprised -- we hadn't heard his real voice for months."
   
   
10. It's become a given that when a director reads a novel, he/she is casting the movie as they go along. Who were you thinking of when you were first read the novel? What other actors would have made an interesting Bateman, in your opinion?
    
    "Actually when I first read it I hadn't directed a movie yet so I wasn't thinking about casting. I think Daniel Day Lewis or Sean Penn would have made interesting Batemans, if they were ten years younger."
    
    
11. The box office grosses for AP seem to be very good overseas. In fact, city box office in London and Toronto were better than any US city. What does that tell you about American audiences and reception to your film?
    
    "I think American audiences like having sympathetic central characters and upbeat endings to their films. Maybe Europeans (and Canadians) are more cynical, and therefore more receptive to American Psycho..."

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