Tony Gilroy Talked 'Andor' & More at Southampton Playhouse

Brad Pitt was supposed to be Jason Bourne. Alec Baldwin was originally going to play Michael Clayton. His next movie is going to be “About the music industry.” And the movie that inspired him to be a screenwriter was 1963’s It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. These and other nuggets flowed effortlessly in a one hour conversation with writer/director Tony Gilroy Sunday at the Southampton Playhouse.

It was part of a press tour for the Disney streaming series Andor. Playhouse Artistic Director Eric Kohn talked to the Oscar nominated writer of the Jason Bourne franchise, Michael Clayton, Rouge One, Beirut and Dolores Claybourne.

A wide range of writing and directing topics included punching up films like Enemy of the State with Will Smith for director Tony Scott.

“I write action by being in a room where it’s happening,” Gilroy explained. “If we were making an action movie in this theater, I would walk the room, count steps, learn where all the exits are and the air conditioning ducts, then I can write it.” That prompted Kohn to joke, “Please write that movie.”

Andor fans enjoyed clips from the series. And had inside baseball questions that Gilroy patiently answered. About 100 people gathered on a sunny Sunday afternoon. “If you’re reporting on this, say I loved it,” one older male fan commented on the way out.

Kohn says the event is part of an ongoing series of one-on-ones with actors, producers, directors and writers.

Gilroy says people at the supermarket ask other people, “What are you watching?” And he thinks while streaming is here to stay, so are theaters like the Playhouse. “You put an IMAX theater in here for a reason. I come to theater for ‘spectacularity’ and a comfortable vibe and good sound,” he added.

His biggest frustration? “Actors wouldn’t even read for a Star Wars series. But this is before lightsabers and the Force,” he pointed out. Fan after fan who raised their hands thanked him for the series with a storyline that emphasizes revolution, rebellion and fascism. When another asked about whether or not the series reflects the times we live in, Gilroy said, “I think it’s the other way around. We’re talking about things in art that then happen in real life.”

Oh, and a streaming series about Michael Clayton after that long cab ride at the end? “Forget it. Every time someone suggests it I have to kill it. Some things are perfect just the way they are.”

Like a great Sunday with a legendary filmmaker.

Bill McCuddy is a frequent Dan’s contributor. He’s a professional stand-up comedian “sometimes” he says. “I’ve been on Conan three times if you count reruns.” He also hosts a monthly radio program on WLIW-FM and a weekly summer LTV show Weekend Live: The Hamptons Now with Patrick McLaughlin.