Oz Says 'Bowfinger' Not for Kids
By ANTHONY BREZNICAN - AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Frank Oz directs with the bombastic style of Miss Piggy and
the Jedi skills of Yoda when he makes one of his trademark off-kilter comedies. After all,
he gave life to those world-famous puppets so they must pull his strings occasionally.
But the 55-year-old director said his latest project, the Hollywood satire
``Bowfinger,'' isn't for kids.
``I like the subversive quality in movies,'' Oz said in a telephone interview.
``There has to be that edge. And when you make edginess acceptable to the audience, it
becomes funny.'' ``Bowfinger'' stars Steve Martin as the title character - a wannabe
director who makes a low-budget thriller by secretly filming an anxiety-ridden action star
played by Eddie Murphy. Oz is currently recuperating from back surgery and taking
some time to relax after one of the busiest seasons of his 36-year career.
He also had a ``hand'' in two other big summer movies this season - as a
puppeteer for the little green Jedi in ``Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'' and
for Kermit the Frog in ``Muppets From Space.''
But with credits such as ``Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,'' ``What About Bob?'' and
``In & Out,'' the director has earned a reputation for exposing the funny side of
deception, humiliation and phobias. Loneliness is a theme in ``Bowfinger,'' which
features Murphy in another role as a celebrity look-alike who performs death-defying
stunts to befriend the group of down-on-their-luck moviemakers. But Martin said Oz
always knows how to find humor and heart in what would otherwise be a troubling story.
``We both recognize that all good, well-rounded characters have a dark side,''
Martin said. ``But what he enjoys first is comedy and humor. He never lets anybody get in
the way of clarity of joke.''
The pair have been friends since the 1970s, but Oz first directed Martin in the
1986 film ``Little Shop of Horrors,'' a musical about a young couple in love and their
bloodthirsty, man-chomping plant.
Martin played a sadistic dentist who becomes the plant's first meal.
``If I don't get a laugh, he tells me why,'' Martin said of Oz. ``And I
used to think, 'How does this guy know so much about an audience?' Then I realized he has
done thousands and thousands of shows in front of a live audience as a puppeteer.''
Oz said he was interested in directing ``Bowfinger'' because Martin's characters
were cunning, but also had endearing qualities. ``Steve has a real sweet side to
him, and that really comes through,'' Oz said. ``There can be no false sentimentality. If
there is, the audience will see it and puke all over the aisles. And so will I.''
The director entered show business at 19 when Muppets creator Jim Henson hired
him to operate the right hand of Rowlf the Dog. (Henson died in 1990.)
Oz went on to perform numerous Muppets, including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and
Animal. He said Henson was his mentor both as a puppeteer and as a director.
But he bristles when asked if there is any similarity between manipulating a
puppet and directing actors.
``I always find that insulting. You don't manipulate actors. You work with them
and respect them,'' he said. ``It makes them more open, and they contribute more, and
that's what you hope for with talented people.''
Oz said he tries to empathize with his actors by occasionally taking straight
acting roles, and his cameo appearances are a trademark of fellow director John Landis.
He is the thin, bald man with the mustache or beard who plays the test monitor
in the espionage farce ``Spies Like Us,'' the pathologist in the horror-comedy ``Innocent
Blood,'' and John Belushi's corrections officer in ``The Blues Brothers.''
``John (Landis) asks me to be in his films when he needs someone to play a
(jerk),'' Oz said. ``And it's good for me as a director to take those small parts. That
way I remember how frightening and vulnerable it is to be in front of the camera.''
Those roles also give him a chance to linger on a movie set without all the
directing responsibilities.
``It's great to hang around and eat the free food,'' he said.
