Harry Potter — Twilight — Jurassic Park. What do these movies have in common? They all started out as popular books. Going Down In LA-LA Land, which is premiering at this year’s Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, is based on the book of the same name by Andy Zeffer. As with any movie adapted from a book, there are always going to be specific details and nuances left out; but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to sit back and enjoy the film. Will seeing this movie make you want to pick up the book for those juicy details? “Absolutely,” says author Andy Zeffer. He recently caught up with Mark’s List to talk about his thoughts on the book-to-movie endeavor, his mixed feelings, the movie’s star, Matthew Ludwinski, and director Casper Andreas.
Going Down in LA-LA Land has its world premiere as the closing night film at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on May 1st. Are you excited to finally see your book as a movie?
Well this whole experience has kind of left me with mixed feelings. It’s a little bittersweet seeing the movie come out. Writing the book was very labor intensive, and I hoped it would lead to more in my career — a job writing for Page Six or something like that. But I’m excited about the movie, and I hope it brings a new audience to the book.
Have you seen the movie?
The filmmaker [Casper Andreas] would not let me see it. He told me he wanted me to see it as part of the audience. I’ve only seen the trailer, but from what I’ve seen it looks great.
Did you ever think that a movie would come to fruition?
It seems like it’s been so long and so much has happened between when I wrote it and now. The filmmaker [Casper Andreas] was involved with many different projects and kind of put this one on the shelf for a while.
When did you find out they were interested in making a movie?
I’ve known Casper for years and I brought the book to his attention to see if he would be interested in it. I think he really identified with it, because he is an actor himself. It’s an independent film and getting them made is a real struggle. So it was in the works for a while.
What do you think about the casting choice of Matthew Ludwinski? Who did you ultimately envision playing the lead?
I think he’s gorgeous. He’s young and, at the time I moved to LA, I was around his age. It seems like the perfect fit. It was really funny when he arrived in LA and first started looking for work. I was talking with Casper the other day about it and it’s eerily similar to the character in my book. I honestly thought an unknown actor would do the best job. I couldn’t really think of any well-known actors out there who could pull off the vulnerability needed for this role. But for the female lead I wanted someone like Anna Farris.
Did you work with Casper on the script?
I had started doing the script but had never really done one before. It’s hard because you have to take so much out of the book to fit within the amount of time for the movie. I’m hoping to re-publish the book on Amazon so audiences can get all of the details. But I do think the movie captured all of the great stuff. The ending is different than the book’s ending, but I think the script captured the essence of the book — the friendship between the gay character and his straight, female roommate; and trying to make it out there and survive when you really don’t know your head from a hole in the ground.
For those who haven’t already read the book, do you think they will get the same experience from the film?
I think after seeing the film it’s going to make people want to read the book even more. There is so much hilarious stuff in the book that couldn’t make it in the movie. There’s a chapter in the book about the “A List” group of guys in LA who drive all the hottest cars and have the newest cell phones and a lot of other fun things. I hope the movie will make people want to read the book even more. I’m also hoping the movie will open doors for everyone involved in the project and be a stepping stone to do other great things.
Will you be at the Film Festival?
I’m not sure yet. I have a lot of different things going on right now, but I’m really going to try.
What do you ultimately want the audience to take away from the story?
I hope people will love the movie and get a kick out of it. There is a really great friendship story throughout the movie that’s really touching and important.
Going Down in LA-LA Land has its world premiere as the closing night film at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on May 1st. Ticket information is available at www.mglff.com
