uthor. Screenwriter. Star. Steve Martin wears all three hats with Shopgirl -- the movie based on his best-selling novella of the same name. A story of love in the modern age, the film stars Claire Danes as Mirabelle, an aspiring artist on medication for depression, who pays the bills working the gloves counter at an upscale department store. When wealthy but commitment-phobic
businessman Ray Porter (Martin) and a much less sophisticated roadie named Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman) pursue Mirabelle at the same time, she finds that neither suitor is what she expected. Tribute's Robin Stevenson talked to Martin and Danes at the Toronto International Film Festival.



How does it feel to finally have Shopgirl make it to the big screen?
Oh, it feels very good. We had a lovely screening (at the festival) with lots of laughter and tears and applause and it really felt good because it's been a long journey. The film's been ready for almost a year but we wanted to wait for the Toronto film festival because it's such a nice launch pad.

Do you feel your character Ray is sympathetic? He does some things in the film that made me think, "you idiot!"
You can't play a character to be sympathetic or likeable or unlikable. You just have to play the character and let the chips fall where they may. Last night I was with the wife of a friend of mine, please don't tell my friend, and she said, "no, I never found him unlikable." But I've had other people say he was unlikable or as you say, an idiot.

What was it like working with Claire?
She was fantastic. She just defined that role so perfectly, filled it up and couldn't have portrayed the role better.




What was it about the character Mirabelle that attracted you to the role?
She's wonderful because she paradoxical in a lot of ways. She is unsure of herself. She lacks confidence. Then she does these surprisingly bold things and she is actually capable of identifying what she needs and finding it. She's passive and active all at once and I like that tension. She's guileless, decent and searching for love. She's looking for love in all the wrong places.

You and Jason Schwartzman seemed to have a real chemistry. What was it like working with him?
A total joy. He's been of friend of mine for a long time. It was a thrill to be able to, you know, play make-believe with him and to meet him as an actor after knowing him as a person for quite a while. He's a wonderful improviser and I'm not. He totally outshined me in that way. I was desperately trying to tag along and keep up with him.

Was there added pressure working with Steve because it was his character?
A little bit because I knew how meaningful a story this was for him and I didn't want to maim it or taint it in any way. But he was also really happy to ultimately share it with us. He allowed his story to become our story too.