Movie man Kasdan to deliver Hopwood lecture

Throughout a career that includes four Oscar nominations and collaborations with everyone from Steven Spielberg to George Lucas, University alum Lawrence Kasdan has established himself as a prominent player in Hollywood. Today and tomorrow, Kasdan returns to Ann Arbor to speak at the Hopwood Awards, show his movie "Grand Canyon" and give a few presentations on the film industry.

During his days at the University, Kasdan won four Hopwood Awards (one in fiction and three in drama, two of which were for screenplays), and they hold a special place in his heart. "The Hopwood Awards were really important to me when I was (at the University) to help pay my way through school," Kasdan said. This afternoon, he will be the keynote speaker at the Hopwood Awards ceremony.

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline and Lawrence Kasdan sit on the set of the 1995 film "French Kiss."

Kasdan and his wife Meg, who also attended the University, have started the Kasdan Scholarship in Creative Writing. He feels that the Hopwoods "were so important to me I thought it would be nice to give one back." The scholarship, which is administered by the Hopwood Awards, is "for dramatic writing, preferably screenwriting, but if there's no appropriate winner it could go to a play," Kasdan added.

After honing his writing skills at Michigan, Kasdan went on to make his mark in Hollywood. He has written screenplays for numerous hits, including "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Bodyguard." In addition, he co-wrote and directed "The Big Chill," a look at several baby boomers coming to terms with a friend's death and the idea of getting old. Most of the main characters attended the University of Michigan and spend a good part of the movie reminiscing about their days in Ann Arbor.

Kasdan also directed and co-wrote "Grand Canyon" with his wife. Later tonight, they, along with the film's producer Charles Okun, will hold a screening of the movie followed by a question and answer session. The movie, which was released in 1991, takes a probing look at several characters living under different conditions in modern day Los Angeles.

According to Kasdan, "the story is very personal, it's about our experiences in Los Angeles and our feelings about the city and the country and about having children and so it couldn't have been more personal. It's unusual in Hollywood in this day in age to make personal movies. I've been lucky enough to do that."

The story gets rolling when an accountant, Mack (Kevin Kline), gets lost on his way home from a Lakers game and has his car breakdown in a rough L.A. neighborhood. Mack befriends Simon (Danny Glover) a tow-truck driver who saves his hide and from there the story follows the two and their various acquaintances.

Teaming up with Kline was nothing new for Kasdan - the actor has appeared in several of the director's movies. "It's great fun working with him. He's an incredible actor, he's very funny, he can do anything. He can portray someone who thinks which not all American stars can do. He's unpredictable, he's unlimited in his range," Kasdan said.

Along with the activities planned for today, Kasdan will be giving two presentations tomorrow on filmmaking. He was drawn to this opportunity because "When I was in school, anyone who was actually working in the business was very interesting to me. It's a hard business to get into, so when people come back and tell you their experiences to me that's good." Kasdan added that "whenever people can talk to someone who's actually working in the industry, I think it's good."

This September, "Mumford," which Kasdan describes as "an ensemble comedy about a psychologist who comes to a small town and becomes involved with his patients," hits theaters. He wrote and directed the picture which stars Jason Lee, Mary McDonnell, Hope Davis and Loren Dean.

Kasdan also passed on the chance to work on the first "Star Wars" prequel. "I had an opportunity to be involved, and I didn't think it was something for me to do." He was, however, lucky enough to see the movie and calls it "terrific." He also said that he had no plans to work on another installment of the "Indiana Jones" series. "I want to direct my own movies. I don't particularly want to do sequels. I think there are too many stories to tell that aren't being told," Kasdan said.

Kasdan's advice to aspiring filmmakers is to stick with it. "You have to be absolutely passionate about it and have no alternatives planned that suit you, because it's going to be very difficult to get in. So you have to feel that this is the only thing for you. If you can quit it, quit it. If you can't quit it and if you must do it, then you're going to have to dig in for the long haul, stay on the road and maybe you'll get lucky," Kasdan said. So stop by one of his many presentations and find out some hints on hitting it big in Hollywood.

04-20-99