SXSW Day 2: Big Love for Bill Paxton
By Erin Steele
March 11, 2007
Bill Paxton dropped by the Austin Convention Center on Saturday to take center stage at the SXSW panel “A Conversation with Bill Paxton,” which focused on his life and diverse career, hosted by Associated Press entertainment writer Christy Lemire.
The Fort Worth-born actor, currently most notable for his work on HBO’s polygamy powerhouse “Big Love,” was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame on Friday, where his impressive body of work was celebrated by industry insiders and film fans. Though he’s directed such critically-acclaimed fare as “Frailty” and starred in everything from “Apollo 13” to “Titanic,” the role that received the most cheers went to his over-the-top performance as big brother Chet in the John Hughes comedy “Weird Science.”
“If I do a thousand movies, it’s going to be the first one in my obit, let’s face it,” the actor laughed, before divulging details of how he came to embody the buzz-cutted character (don’t ask).
But mostly, Paxton was there to promote his love of all things Texas, relaying anecdotes of his childhood in Fort Worth, where his father (who attended the panel) would take him to see productions at the TCU playhouse and to see films at the majestic downtown movie palaces.
“It was personal to come back here,” Paxton said, “I was really thinking, ‘How did I get here?’ And part of it was growing up in Texas. There’s something about the spirit of the people down here. You can dream big.”
His career eventually took him far away from the Lone Star State -- and grounded his dreams in reality.
“I remember sitting next to a transvestite on a bus, going down Hollywood Boulevard, and I thought, ‘Is this Hollywood?’” said Paxton, who had dreamed of olive and orange trees lining beautifully landscaped streets. “I realized, God, I missed this by 50 years.”
Though the now-famous actor began his career in set design, playing set dresser to such directors as Roger Corman, he eventually transitioned into acting. His first role, he said, was in “Six o’ Clock Follies,” a “M*A*S*H*” for the Vietnam-era that lasted only one episode.
“I thought, ‘I got one day’s work this year ... next year, I’ll get two days work,” he said.
He received much more than just a couple days work after the almost cultish popularity of his “Fishhead” video that played on SNL in the early ‘80s. Soon after, he began to work steadily in the film industry, before landing his breakout role in “Science.” Since then, he’s starred in everything from huge action films such as “Twister” and “True Lies” to smaller, more homegrown films.
But despite his growing resume and recent Hall of Fame induction, Paxton still finds himself humbled now and then.
“You know, my dad is about to appear in ‘Spider-Man 3,’ and I’m on a TV show,” he laughed. “That kind of puts it all in perspective.”
Other Headliners
Paxton wasn’t the only main attraction at SXSW on Saturday as other celebs invaded the spotlight to showcase their new films. Writer/actor Ken Marino, actor Paul Rudd and writer/director David Wain all showed up for the 4 p.m. screening of their movie “The Ten” at Austin’s Paramount Theater. The film, made by “The State” and “Wet Hot American Summer” alums, is comprised of 10 comedic anecdotes, each loosely based on one of the Ten Commandments.
The theater was filled with laughter as the audience got a glimpse of the troupe’s wicked sense of humor, and the laughter only got louder as the trio took the stage following the screening for a tonge-in-cheek Q&A, where they answered inquiries about everything from the religious right’s reaction to the film (they faced off with the filmmakers in a grueling match of squash, Marino said) and the anticipated rating for the risque film (definitely an R, Wain said.)
After “The Ten” premiered, the Paramount played host to “Elvis and Anabelle,” the latest movie emerging from UT’s Burnt Orange Productions. Stars Max Minghella and Blake Lively showed up for the screening, and thanked Austin (where the movie was filmed) for its generosity.
In addition to “The Ten” and “Elvis and Anabelle,” other screenings of note included the political doc “Manufacturing Dissent” and “Everything’s Gone Green,” a film based on novelist Douglas Copeland’s (“Girlfriend in a Coma”) first screenplay that was crafted as an ode to Canada.
Sunday’s lineup is equally packed, as even more big premieres are set to take place. Included on the list are “Diggers,” another collaboration between Marino, Wain and Rudd and based partly on Marino’s childhood on Long Island; “Eagle vs. Shark,” which documents a romance between two very quirky characters”; and “What Would Jesus Buy?,” a documentary that chronicles the hectic holiday shopping season.
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