Ten years after 鈥� 鈥� took the film world by storm, Damien Chazelle鈥檚 breakthrough feature is .
In 2014, 鈥淲hiplash" was the ultimate indie movie Cinderella story 鈥� made by a 20-something that that would go on to become both a box office hit and : It , including for 鈥� portrayal of a semi-sadistic and ever quotable jazz ensemble instructor; launched Chazelle鈥檚 directing career into the A-list stratosphere; and established . Now, audiences will get another chance to experience it .
Chazelle, Teller and Simmons spoke to The Associated Press recently about the re-release, their memories of the 20-day shoot (including when Teller accidentally broke his co-star's rib) and making something with staying power. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: What has it been like watching 鈥淲hiplash鈥� settle into the culture in the past decade?
CHAZELLE: It鈥檚 very cool, a little surreal. It doesn鈥檛 feel like 10 years. It鈥檚 fun to have a moment like this to relive it a little bit.
SIMMONS: It鈥檚 sobering to know that I鈥檓 10 years older. It鈥檚 kind of shocking and kind of awesome that the movie actually holds up. I just saw it a few days ago in Toronto: That鈥檚 a good piece of cinema.
TELLER: This is the first time I鈥檝e ever had a movie re-released. I鈥檓 still fairly young into my career, but it鈥檚 an incredible movie. The one thing that鈥檚 frustrating for me is that people just yell out at me all the time, 鈥� .鈥� So that鈥檚 stuck around well.
SIMMONS: Maybe if you get the tempo right, that won鈥檛 be a problem.
TELLER: Maybe there is no right.
AP: Isn鈥檛 that sort of the dream, to have someone quote a line to you?
CHAZELLE: Yeah, why are you complaining?
TELLER: Only because they never say it when I do something good. It's usually if I鈥檓 playing in a charity golf tournament and I hit a bad shot, they say, 鈥渘ot my tempo!鈥�
AP: What was it like seeing it again on the big screen at the Toronto film festival?
SIMMONS: I don鈥檛 tend to sit around and watch my movies time after time. When it was released, I watched it probably four times all the way through, which is three more times than usual. It鈥檚 just an amazing film to be in an audience for. I think it was Jason Reitman who asked for a show of hands who hasn鈥檛 seen the movie before, and at least a third of the audience 鈥� and these are movie people 鈥� hadn鈥檛 seen it.
TELLER: I鈥檓 bummed I couldn鈥檛 be at that one because I remember when we were at Sundance and at the Eccles Theater and everybody鈥檚 seeing it for the first time, and I just remember looking around and seeing all these silhouetted heads kind of bob to the music. You could just feel such a charge in the room. It plays so well in a theater, especially for people who haven鈥檛 seen it before.
SIMMONS: I couldn鈥檛 be there for that one because I was doing one of my several failed sitcoms. We keep having the same experience, but we鈥檙e not always able to share it in the same room at the same time.
CHAZELLE: Back when we released it, I have this memory of it always being either Miles or J.K. (at events and Q&As). I think someone commented how they must really hate each other.
SIMMONS: I mean, I wouldn鈥檛 say 鈥渉ate鈥� that鈥檚 not exactly the word I choose. That鈥檚 a joke...
AP: A method press tour, I like it.
TELLER: For a movie to start at Sundance, then go all the way to the Oscars? It just continued to show and really be celebrated. And now this? I love these guys. It was it was so much fun. It really was. It was a lot of work, but I had a ton of fun making it.
SIMMONS: It was an insane amount of work as limited budget indie films tend to be, especially for Miles. I actually had a day and a half off during the shoot. But I mean it was grueling as hell and one of the most thrilling creative experiences I鈥檝e ever had.
AP: Did the day and a half off have to do with your broken rib, which I just read about recently?
SIMMONS: You had to bring it up.
TELLER: You鈥檝e been milking that story for 10 years! I said, 鈥淕et a stunt double.鈥� You said, 鈥淚鈥檓 fine.鈥�
SIMMONS: I鈥檝e since realized apparently, I鈥檓 just a fragile old fart because I鈥檝e broken my ribs twice since then, too. Or maybe you just broke them so badly that they keep re-breaking. I don鈥檛 know! Stuff happens when you鈥檙e going quickly and when actors like me are dumb enough to go, "No, go ahead, tackle me to a wooden stage floor.鈥� But, no, I didn鈥檛 get a day off after that.
TELLER: You powered through.
SIMMONS: Fortunately I was done with all the major screaming in the movie.
AP: J.K., have you had lines shouted at you as well?
SIMMONS: I guess the 鈥渘ot my tempo鈥� thing, too, which is weird because it鈥檚 like, 鈥淲hat do you mean?鈥�
But it鈥檚 amazing to be part of something, especially something that started out as little. If you鈥檙e doing a Spider-Man movie or a big Tom Cruise movie, you expect to get that kind of response on the street from people because it鈥檚 iconic and they have the big marketing budget behind it and you know billions of people are going to see it. Something like this that started out as just a labor of love and a wonderful experience, and then it turns into something that becomes iconic? There are memes all over and it continues to have this this life. It is part of the culture now. It鈥檚 extra rewarding.
TELLER: Sometimes my wife will yell out 鈥渇or the final father effing time鈥� if she feels like I鈥檓 not moving at a good pace.
SIMMONS: Thank you, Keleigh! My god, what a great line.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
