Alex Belth > Quotes

“Goodman, a friend of the Coens since he worked with them on their second movie, Raising Arizona, laughed about the scene where William Macy tried to escape out of a motel window, only to be dragged back inside by the cops. “Macy in his underwear,” Goodman said, giggling. “That’s our answer to everything,” Ethan said. “You need a dramatic fall, put a character in his undies.”
― Alex Belth, The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski

“Turturro is coming in to play the pederast," Joel said. "He said he’d do his best F. Murray Abraham.”
― Alex Belth, The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski

“Michael Gambon, the British actor best known in the States for Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective (and later for playing professor Albus Dumbledore in the final six Harry Potter movies), was a contender for the role of the Big Lebowski. Joel had met him in New York, Ethan said, “Yeah, he’s … a good actor and we have a mutual friend and he’s supposed to be perfectly pleasant to work with …” “But?” “But …” Gambon was British. The idea didn’t seem … right, not for a real Pasadena guy.”
― Alex Belth, The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski

“They talked about Brando. Bridges said that his brother, Beau, once worked with Brando and the great actor said, “I want to have eye contact with you, do you mind putting the lines on your forehead?”
― Alex Belth, The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski

“Fargo was a vicious little crime drama shot on a shoestring budget. Ethan’s college friend, William Robertson, begged the brothers not to make it: You’ve just had a huge flop, now you want to make a crime drama set in North Dakota? Nobody will watch it,”
― Alex Belth, The Dudes Abide: The Coen Brothers and the Making of The Big Lebowski