Abbas KiarostamisWhere is the Friends House, he answers.
I think that was 25 years ago.
That film by the brilliant Iranian filmmaker, who died last summer, came out exactly 30 years ago.
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That was originally where my film was planned.
That could have been an amazing place to shoot, too.No.
And for logistical reasons it was virtually impossible.
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It was then when I came across Uyuni.
And they are the largest salt flats in the world.
Over four thousand square miles.Its not a question of largest.
Its a question of extraterrestrial.
And they looked more extraterrestrial than anyplace Id seen.
Not of our planet.
There is a dormant volcano named Tunupa that plays a role in this film.
I do have a lifelong fascination with volcanoes.
I dont think hes ever acted before.No.
But he was in my documentary about the internet,Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World.
You should be in one of my movies!
You dont have anything scheduled yet for your next film.
What are you developing now?Ive never developed anything.
Things come at me with great rudiments.
There are three or four feature film projects that could be next.
Sometimes my films have a strange fate.
The film was seen as your own unique commentary on the Gulf War.
I do have a few feature film ideas that are all very much about the world today.
What can you tell me about those?It would be too early to say something.
It depends which one gets financed first.
This is your third time directing Michael Shannon in a film.Hes the best of his generation in my opinion.
It seems like you two share a lot of sensibilities, in terms of your style.
Both of you are concise and unfussy.Probably.
I didnt discover him but I engaged him in his first big leading part.
Whats the collaboration like between you and him?Instant rapport.
Very, very easy.
Ive always had a good time with actors.
Maybe the only conflicted sort of relationship was with Klaus Kinski.
But even there I made his egomania and his paranoia kind of seductive for the screen.
You madeMy Best Fiendabout him, which is one of the great documentaries about friendship and performance.
He died in 1991 but people are still fascinated by him.
And by you, too.
The internet has a lot of bizarre qualities.
I would say it has something to do with a clear understanding of something authentic.
When you look at Facebook, its all embellished selves.
Its all fake, all those personas created online.
If theres somebody out there whos hardcore, somehow the internet understands it.
There is [a parody]Twitter, which is not me.
There isFacebook, which is not me.
There areletters to my cleaning lady, which were not written by me.
And the are voice impersonators.
And there are people who give advice in my name while trying to imitate my voice.
Do you have some affection towards all those?Perhaps.
I have to get accustomed to the different ways that the wider public spends their time.
And I know that I should not overlook the glorious achievements of the internet.
Im fascinated by it, of course.
What else can I say?
