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Woody Allen, that`s what I call neurotic
Venice, Aug 29: Woody Allen is afraid of elevators, tunnels and even certain kinds of shower drains. Some people might call that neurotic -- he certainly does.
Venice, Aug 29: Woody Allen is afraid of elevators, tunnels and even certain kinds of shower drains. Some people might call that neurotic -- he certainly does.
"I am a neurotic in a more benign way. I mean I have a lot of neurotic habits," the quirky American director and actor told Reuters Television.
"I don't like to go into elevators, I don't go through tunnels, I like the drain in the shower to be in the corner and not in the middle," Allen said in an interview after showing his new comedy "Anything Else" at the 60th Venice Film Festival.
His fear of elevators forced the cast, including Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs, to climb three flights of stairs for a news conference ahead of the premier on the Lido. "I cut my banana into seven slices every morning before I put it in my cereal," said the creator of off-beat characters like Isaac Davis in the romantic comedy "Manhattan" (1979). "These things don't hurt anybody else, but they are neurotic."
His famously unstable characters, frequently played by himself, have suffered a wide range of phobias, fears and neuroses, often seeking solutions on the psychiatrist's couch.
In his new romantic comedy, Allen, 67, plays David Dobel, an aging, neurotic schoolteacher who sees anti-Semitic plots all around him. But this character is more than quirky. His pent-up fears have made him paranoid and even violent.
Allen handed over the leading man role to Biggs, 25, who plays an aspiring comedy writer smitten by unpredictable Amanda, played by Ricci.
"I didn't want to give up the girl to somebody else, but I got too old to play that part," Allen said.
"I had to let Jason play the part that I would have liked to have played... I could have fooled around with (the girl) for a while, which would have been more fun than taking all those walks in the park."
"I don't like to go into elevators, I don't go through tunnels, I like the drain in the shower to be in the corner and not in the middle," Allen said in an interview after showing his new comedy "Anything Else" at the 60th Venice Film Festival.
His fear of elevators forced the cast, including Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs, to climb three flights of stairs for a news conference ahead of the premier on the Lido. "I cut my banana into seven slices every morning before I put it in my cereal," said the creator of off-beat characters like Isaac Davis in the romantic comedy "Manhattan" (1979). "These things don't hurt anybody else, but they are neurotic."
His famously unstable characters, frequently played by himself, have suffered a wide range of phobias, fears and neuroses, often seeking solutions on the psychiatrist's couch.
In his new romantic comedy, Allen, 67, plays David Dobel, an aging, neurotic schoolteacher who sees anti-Semitic plots all around him. But this character is more than quirky. His pent-up fears have made him paranoid and even violent.
Allen handed over the leading man role to Biggs, 25, who plays an aspiring comedy writer smitten by unpredictable Amanda, played by Ricci.
"I didn't want to give up the girl to somebody else, but I got too old to play that part," Allen said.
"I had to let Jason play the part that I would have liked to have played... I could have fooled around with (the girl) for a while, which would have been more fun than taking all those walks in the park."
His character, Dobel, spent a lot of time in Central Park giving advice to his young protege, played by Biggs.
Allen said he is currently working on a new "serious comedy," but attempts to lure Robert Downey Jr. had fallen through, so he was still looking around for the right actors. Bureau Report