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David Fincher: The Complex Mind of
'Social Network's' Anti-Social Director
2:08 PM PST 2/2/2011 by Stephen Galloway
#$%
&ran' (. )c'enfels *
+he new ,ollywood Reporter ma-a.ine offers a rare profile of the anti-
authoritarian re/el who shot Rooney 0ara topless for a new 12ra-on +attoo1
poster3 wanted to call 0ar' 4uc'er/er- 15udas31 and doesn1t play the )scar
-ame. 16ou won1t see me on 7ar/ara (alters3 )prah.1
+he followin- article appears in the current issue of +he ,ollywood
Reporter on newsstands +hursday.
Related +opics
#*%
891m -oin- to -ut this place:8
2avid &incher saunters throu-h the fortress-li'e3 ;;3!!!-s<uare-foot
,ollywood studio he /ou-ht /ac' in $!!$ that1s the closest thin- he has to his
own private fiefdom. 9t1s as /i- as his talent3 as vast as his ima-ination -- /ut
it1s still not <uite ri-ht. 80ay/e 91ll rip down the walls and have every/ody in
one open space38 he declares. 8(hat do you thin'=8
,e smiles slyly3 tippin- his -oateed head to one side3 almost darin- you to
disa-ree. 9t1s early mornin- on >ew 6ear1s 2ay and the director1s latest
film3 +he Social >etwor'3 is ?ust em/ar'in- on a roller-coaster ride that will
see it win the top critics awards3 then lose at the all-important @AB3 2AB and
SBA -- mainly to rival +he Cin-1s Speech. 7ut &incher is in a mood to
provo'e.
,e points to a rifle placed strate-ically on a des'3 8a reminder of the
conse<uences38 he <uips3 without statin- for whom. @erhaps he means for
the awards voters or for any studio executive who ta'e him on -- thou-h ri-ht
now3 few would dream of it.
B year and a half since he a-reed to turn the impro/a/le story of a /illionaire
computer nerd into one of the most ori-inal pictures in years3 &incher3 "D -- a
lar-e3 authoritative man3 coolly commandin- even in ?eans and a /lac'
sweatshirt -- has /ecome a superstar3 flooded with offers for pro?ects li'e his
upcomin- +he Airl (ith the 2ra-on +attoo. 9t1s an odd twist for a director
who1s 'ept a s'eptical distance from ,ollywood most of his life3 and mi-ht
have factored into his 2AB loss.
Blone on this rare day off3 except for an ea-er assistant who hurries to fetch
us coffee3 he -uides me throu-h his studio3 past production rooms and sound
/ooths and a tiny theater and into the art department3 where ima-es a/ound
from 2ra-on +attoo3 the story of a /isexual hac'er and the ?ournalist she
helps unravel a murder mystery.
+here are pictures of his heroine1s apartment3 the isolated house where some
of the action ta'es place and a dun-eon that1s pivotal to the climax. @hotos of
various actors line the walls3 many in different shades of color3 which &incher
and his team used to explore ways to render the period when the photos
would have /een ta'en.
+here1s also an aerial view of the island at the heart of the story3 carefully
chartin- each locale1s relationship to the others. &incher has immersed
himself in every detail of its -eo-raphy3 ?ust as he has Stie- Larsson1s /est-
seller on which the film is /ased. ,e1s a master of the meticulous -- famous
for his o/sessive research and endless ta'es3 sometimes 5! or more per set-
upE even so3 he shru-s3 8Bt /est you -et F!G of what you want.8
&inally3 we reach his spare3 modern office3 centered on a wooden des' as
imposin- as &incher himself. (armin- up -- as much as he ever allows
himself -- he ta'es out an i@ad and clic's on a photo he1s plannin- to use for
the 2ra-on poster. 9t shows actor 2aniel Hrai- half-hidden /ehind co-
star Rooney 0ara3 who1s loo'in- directly into the camera. ,er hair is spi'y3
her face pierced with rin-s3 her /ody covered in tattoos. 9t1s /lac' and white
and /eautiful3 /ut there1s no way in hell any studio will ever let &incher use it3
as he 'nows.
7ecause 0ara is na'ed from the waist up.
9 donIt thin' of myself as difficult. (eIre expected to do stuff thatIs
awesomeE that means weIre -oin- to have to push each other.J K
2avid &incher
8,e is systematically anti-authoritarian38 says 7ill 0echanic3 the former &ox
chairman who -reenli-hted &incher1s controversial ;999 drama &i-ht Hlu/.
8,e challen-es authority3 challen-es decisions.8
&incher has /een challen-in- them ever since -rowin- up in 0arin Hounty3
Halif.E ever since -ettin- his /i- /rea' ma'in- commercials at the ridiculous
a-e of $;E ever since shootin- his first film3 Blien *3 when he fou-ht the studio
so hard he -ot fired three times.
>ow he expresses ?ust a modicum of re-ret. 86ou don1t want to see people
cut off their noses to spite their face38 he says. 87ut 9 pro/a/ly did on my first
movie /ecause 9 foolishly thou-ht /ein- this s<uea'y wheel was the only way
to /e heard.8 &incher fou-ht /itterly to ma'e Bliens * his3 while the studio
wanted it to /e ?ust another co- in its release schedule. +he result was a wor'
neither side li'ed.
&incher was $ when he -ot the ?o/3 and his career was flarin- li'e a roc'et3
/ut now it seemed poised to fi..le. +he failure of Blien *3 made worse /y
inevita/le comparisons to its Ridley Scott and 5ames Hameron predecessors3
must have hurt more than he lets on. Hritics panned it and the film made a
disastrous L55.5 million domestically -- <uite a contrast to the success of
&incher videos such as 0adonna1s Mxpress 6ourself and Berosmith1s 5anie1s
Aot a Aun.
8,e was very successful at a youn- a-e and had people try to ta'e it away
from him3 and he 'nows what that feels li'e38 his Social producer3 Scott
Rudin3 says. 7ut it still didn1t ma'e him toe the line. 8,e has an anarchist1s
mentality38 the producer adds. 8,e li'es to /low up systems.8
Mven when those systems /enefit &incher himself.
+ime and a-ain he refuses to do what1s expected3 declinin- interviews3 even
po'in- at the people who most support him. 891ve /een frustrated /y what
society wanted from me38 he ac'nowled-es3 thou-h he1s hardly the
confessional sort. 89 flip throu-h catalo-s and don1t see any/ody who1s li'e
me. &lip throu-h a 5.H. @enney catalo- and you -o3 1>one of these people
hold any of my concerns.1 8
7ut aren1t they the very people who watch his movies= ,e shru-s3 indifferent.
8+he comfort .one38 he says3 is when they love and hate his wor' in e<ual
measure. ,e recalls attendin- the premiere of 0artin Scorsese1s ;9D$
release +he Cin- of Homedy and thin'in-3 8+his is fantastic -- to ta'e an
audience to a place where they feel -enuine discomfort:8
(here &incher1s love of discomfort comes from is hard to -au-e. +he son of
a Life ma-a.ine ?ournalist and a mental-health nurse3 it was his father who
introduced him to film. 80y dad loved movies38 he says. 8(e used to drive
into San &rancisco and watch matinees.8 Bt a-e 3 he saw 7utch Hassidy and
the Sundance Cid. 89t was mind-alterin-. +hey1re /uildin- full-scale trains and
/lowin- them up. +hey1re firin- /lan's at each other and ridin- on horse/ac'
and travelin- to these locations -- and there1s Catharine Ross: (ho would
want to do anythin- else=8
Six months later3 &incher1s parents /ou-ht him a Super D camera and he
started ma'in- his own films. 9t was li/eratin- compared to his experiences at
an alternative school3 where 89 was a disinterested student. 9 don1t thin' 9 was
trou/leE 9 ?ust never /ou-ht into the idea that you are supposed to /ehave this
way /ecause some/ody is wearin- a /ad-e.8
Life chan-ed at ;" when &incher1s family3 includin- his two sisters3 relocated
to Bshland3 )re. +he teena-er dreamed of returnin- to San &rancisco and
?oinin- 9ndustrial Li-ht N 0a-ic3 the company created /y his former nei-h/or3
Aeor-e Lucas.
89t was li'e3 91m -ettin- further and further from the thin- that 9 want to do38 he
recalls3 thin'in- that if Lucas -- whom he never 'new well3 thou-h they lived
on the same street O8,e was a very <uiet -uy8P -- could ma'e a career in the
7ay Brea3 so could he.
Bfter wor'in- as a local theater pro?ectionist while at school -- where he fell
for films li'e Clute3 Bll the @resident1s 0en and 7ein- +here -- he volunteered
at a +Q station3 -ot a ?o/ with an animation company3 then at ;9 ?oined 9L03
where he served as an assistant cameraman and matte photo-rapher.
,is parents tolerated his refusal to -o to colle-e. 7ut at 9L03 while he
discovered how /rilliant others could /e3 he was also reminded that the
esta/lishment wasn1t always ri-ht. 89 thou-ht3 1+his is a /unch of -uys in
(ran-ler ?eans and plaid shirts who are scratchin- their asses and tryin- to
fi-ure this thin- out31 8 he notes. 89t was horrifyin- and li/eratin- at the same
time. 9 reali.ed 9 had fallen for this idea3 /ecause Aeor-e Lucas has /lessed
these people with a place to /lather around3 that they were somehow u/er-
<ualified. Really3 it was ?ust a /unch of people tryin- to fi-ure somethin- out.8
>MR+ @BAM: &9>H,MR 7RMBCS 9>+) H)00MRH9BLS #"%
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+hree years later3 &incher tried to fi-ure out commercials. ,is first was one of
his most memora/le. 8B friend who was a truc' driver and wanted to /e a
producer said3 1Aive me an idea for the Bmerican Hancer Society.1 So we sat
down with some story/oard artists and said3 1Let1s do this thin- that1s the Star
Hhild from $!!;.1 8
&incher1s ad3 showin- a fetus smo'in-3 only made him L3!!! /ut led to wor'
on commercials and music videos3 first for Ric' Sprin-field3 then3 after
&incher moved to Los Bn-eles3 for other artists.
Bnd yet &incher was unhappy. 89 did videos that were pro-ressively less and
less expensive38 he complains. 89 ended up /ein- si-ned /y the music-video
win- of a commercial production house and ?ust didn1t flourish and didn1t have
much fun. 9 -ot told /y a lot of people that 9 was only -ood enou-h to play in
the 7- or H-lea-uesE 9 was never -oin- to -et the L; million spots.8 ,is
response= 89 said3 1&--- it3 let1s start our own company.1 8
9n ;9DF3 with Steve Aolin3 Si-ur?on Si-hvatsson and 2ominic Sena3 &incher
founded the mana-ement3 advertisin- and production entity @ropa-anda
&ilms3 ma'in- commercials and videos for the li'es of 0adonna3 0ichael
5ac'son and >ine 9nch >ails. Blmost overni-ht3 their annual /illin-s went from
L$ million to L! million. 89t was the /e-innin- of the explosion of video
directors /ecomin- commercial directors38 &incher recalls.
9t was also the /e-innin- of commercial directors turnin- to features3 which
crystalli.ed for &incher when he was -iven Blien *.
+he director1s run-in with &ox was /rutal. +o this day3 he hates to tal' a/out it.
Bs'ed whether he has disowned the film3 he says3 89 never owned it38 and it
has clearly soured him on studios -- thou-h he protests: 89 li'e studios. 9 ?ust
don1t li'e /ureaucracies.8
+hey didn1t li'e him3 either. >ever the warm and fu..y type3 one insider says
&incher was demandin-. 8,e is difficult with the mar'etin- and distri/ution
people3 especially38 one former collea-ue notes. 87ut that comes out of not
sufferin- fools.8
Bs'ed a/out his manner -- a certainty that can /order on the coc'y -- &incher
hesitates. 86ou 'now3 often times 9 thin' confidence can loo' li'e ... it loo's
li'e different thin-s to different people38 he says. 87ut 9 don1t thin' of myself as
difficult. (e1re expected to do stuff that1s awesomeE that means we1re -oin- to
have to push each other.8
Aiven this3 it mi-ht surprise &incher that so many of his colla/orators spea'
well of him. @roducer Brnold Copelson marvels at 8his 'nowled-e of lenses3
of every set-up. ,e1s an extraordinary filmma'er.8
Mven 0echanic says &incher1s reputation is exa--erated. 8+here were lots of
issues with the studio3 /ac' and forth as always with 2avid38 he notes of &i-ht
Hlu/. 8So 9 as'ed him to /rea'fast a few wee's /efore shootin-3 and /y the
end of /rea'fast we1d a-reed on procedures and he stayed ;!!G true to his
word. +here wasn1t anythin- at all contentious in the process. 9t was one of
the /est 91ve ever had.8
7y that time3 &incher had redeemed himself with Seven O;99*P3 which in
many ways defined his wor': dar'3 visually audacious3 emotionally distant.
89 was the first person hired for the film38 0or-an &reeman recalls3 8and 9
remem/er him tal'in- to me a/out the process he wanted to use to ma'e the
film dar'. 9 was intri-ued. ,e controls where the camera is3 minutelyE where
the actors are3 minutelyE where the li-hts are3 minutely. Bt the same time3 he
is very colla/orative.8
&incher followed Seven with the 0ichael 2ou-las thriller +he Aame O;99PE
then3 after &i-ht Hlu/3 he moved on to the 5odie &oster starrer @anic
Room O$!!$P and 4odiac O$!!P3 an adaptation of Ro/ert Araysmith1s /oo's
a/out the 7ay Brea 'iller who was active when &incher -rew up.
+he film made only L** million in >orth Bmerica /ut was one the /est-
reviewed pictures of the year. (ith it3 &incher solidified his reputation as a
supremely talented filmma'er3 if sometimes arro-ant3 whose wor' was
defined /y its /rilliance and also coldness.
Bnd so it came as a surprise to many &incherfanatics Oyes3 there1s a we/site
of that very nameP when he too' on +he Hurious Hase of 7en?amin
7utton O$!!DP3 Mric Roth1s adaptation of &. Scott &it.-erald1s slender short
story. (hat was a cool fi-ure li'e &incher doin- on a warm love story li'e
that=
89 don1t /uy this notion that emotion and sentimentality are the same38 he
ar-ues. 86ou won1t see me on 7ar/ara (altersE )prah3 that1s not who 9 am. 9
don1t li'e sentimentality /ecause 9 don1t li'e movies that 1tell1 me -- 9 want to
en-a-e in a movie that says3 1,ere it is.1 9t1s not a colder point of viewE that1s
reductive. 9t1s more adult.8
0ore adult than the films &incher loved in his youth3 li'e 5aws and Star (ars=
89 loved Lu'e S'ywal'er and 9 loved 2arth Qader and 9 loved watchin- them
wor' it out38 he reflects. 87ut 9 also love Hhinatown: 9 love the fact that 5a'e
Aittes #5ac' >icholson% is some/ody that people had nothin- /ut contempt
for.8
7utton earned ;* Bcademy Bward nominations and ra'ed in L;$ million at
the domestic /ox office. +he film drew mixed reviews /ut reminded the
industry that superstars li'e 7rad @itt -- who also appeared in Seven and
&i-ht Hlu/ -- often delivered their /est performance for &incher. Bnd yet its
success was /ittersweet3 not /ecause the film won only three )scars /ut
/ecause it left him utterly3 ineffa/ly drained.
89t too' six years to -et that throu-h the startin- -ate38 he si-hs. 89t was ?ust
exhaustin-.8
>MR+ @BAM: &9>H,MR1S 1S)H9BL >M+()RC1 #5%
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+he desire to avoid that exhaustion came into play with Social >etwor'.
9nitially developed as a pro?ect for writer Baron Sor'in to direct3 the
screenplay was /rou-ht to &incher /y Rudin. 89 was -iven it on a &riday3 9
read it on a Saturday and on 0onday 9 was in a room with #Sony @ictures co-
chairman% Bmy @ascal38 he recalls.
Bfter ma'in- sure Sor'in was willin- to step aside3 89 said3 19 want to ma'e the
movie3 /ut 9 don1t want to ma'e it next sprin-. (e have to /e as close to
-round .ero with this phenomenon as we can. (e have to /e in Ham/rid-e in
the fall.1 8
Sony a-reed. &ollowin- the usual /ac' and forth -- the studio wanted to ma'e
the film for L$5 millionE &incher insisted on L"$ million -- shootin- /e-an three
months later. Unli'e 4odiac3 where &incher and Sony had parted ways over
castin-3 the studio accommodated the director1s wishes.
89 said3 16ou -otta have $!- to $5-year-old 'ids. 6ou have to -ive me free rein
to find the /est people for these parts31 8 he remem/ers. 8>ow3 9 said this
on 4odiacand 9 -ot the list and it1s Russell Hroweand +om Hruise. +his time3
Bmy wanted me to meet people in the Sony fold. 9 said3 1Let1s cast it widely.1
+hey came /ac' and said3 1(e -et it. Ao.1 8
8Ao8 meant allowin- &incher to shoot Sor'in1s ;F$-pa-e script uncut. Bfter FD
days of filmin- in 7oston and Los Bn-eles3 when Sony saw his rou-h edit --
missin- only the ,enley re-atta se<uence that would later /e filmed to fit
+rent Re.nor1s prewritten music -- 8+hey didn1t as' for any chan-es38 he says.
+he studio1s mar'etin- executives were more resistant. 8(e had the one-
sheet and we had to -et that throu-h38 &incher notes. 8#Cey art desi-ner% >eil
Cellerhouse came to us with one that had the ta-line3 1@un' prophet -enius
/illionaire thief.1 9t was fantastic3 /ut for a/out four months it was3 16ou can1t
do that: (e1re not -oin- to -et involved in a lawsuit:1 8
&incher smiles. 89 wanted 1@un' prophet -enius /illionaire 5udas.1 8
>ow he1s /ac' in the Sony saddle with 2ra-on +attoo.
9t1s two wee's after our first meetin-3 and we1re in a tiny trailer at @aramount3
where &incher is filmin- 2ra-onon six soundsta-es -- even more than 7utton
-- and is huddled with his lon-time companion and producer3 Hean Hhaffin.
Bn initial offer to visit the set has /een scuttled at the last minute3 possi/ly
/ecause of Hrai-1s reluctance to /e spotted with Rachel (eis.3 thou-h
&incher avoids the su/?ect.
2espite -ettin- a hu-e /ud-et and precisely the actors he1s wanted3 &incher
seems fra..led3 dealin- with an overheated studio where air conditionin- has
to pump in cold air to simulate the /itter Swedish winter -- an ironic contrast to
his Swedish shoot3 where the actors had to pretend the sun was /a'in- while
temperatures stooped to "! de-rees.
891ve /een shoutin- at everyone all mornin-38 &incher -rouses3 only half-
?o'in-.
Hhaffin -lances over3 concerned. +hey1ve wor'ed to-ether for ;D years and
/een a couple for ;53 since &incher split with his first wife followin- a /rief
marria-e that left him with one dau-hter.
0eetin- Hhaffin casts &incher in a whole new li-ht. She1s as warm and open
as he can seem chilly and remote. 8(e1re oil and water38 he ?o'es. 7ut in fact3
Hhaffin reminds you of all the thin-s it1s easy to overloo' with &incher: ,is
complete re?ection of the ,ollywood trappin-sE his loyalty to those closest to
himE his stron- /ond with familyE his utter immersion in the wor'.
8Hean is very supportive of 2avid38 Copelson says. 8She ma'es it possi/le for
him to /e totally enmeshed in his life of ma'in- movies.8
,e1ll /e enmeshed in 2ra-on<uite a while lon-er. (ith a shoot that includes
locations in Stoc'holm3 4urich and Mn-land3 he still has 9! days of filmin-
ahead. 9t1s a -iant pro?ect that &incher initially avoided when
his 7uttonproducers3 Cathleen Cennedy and &ran' 0arshall3 /roached it.
89 had ?ust /een throu-h five years pushin- a roc'38 he explains. 89 sort of felt3
1&---3 9 can1t see any/ody wantin- to ma'e a movie of this scale a/out a
tattooed3 /isexual hac'er in Stoc'holm.1 9 can1t -o tap-dancin- a-ain.8
,e continued to resist even when Rudin o/tained the ri-hts. 89 was s'eptical
/ecause the /oo' is hu-e and there are so many characters38 he says. 87ut
what put it over the top was #Sony chairman% 0ichael Lynton and Bmy1s
insistence that they loved the idea of a franchise for adults. 9f you can1t do a
piece li'e this as a franchise3 there1s no chance of ever doin- one.8
>ot that it1s /een easy. &irst3 there was the issue of castin- the lead3 Social1s
0ara. +hen &incher had trou/le with his director of photo-raphy3 replacin-
him with 5eff Hronenweth. Bnd finally came the reality of filmin- in Sweden.
89n the MU3 you can1t shoot a ;$-hour day38 he explains.
7etween that3 the weather and the actors1 complicated schedules3 &incher
has had his hands full3 thou-h he1s thrilled with 0ara. 8(e -ot her an
apartment in Stoc'holm and she 'ind of disappeared38 he says. 8She learned
how to ride a motorcycle and -ot all of her piercin-s and tattoos. Blso3 9 as'ed
her to learn how to s'ate/oard /ecause you need to stand li'e a ;*-year-old
/oy. 9 said3 19 don1t want you to stand li'e a -irl.1 8
9nsiders who1ve seen Steven 4aillian1s script say it focuses far more on her
character3 Lis/eth Salander3 than the Swedish adaptation of the /oo'. So
&incher desperately needs 0ara to deliver -- ?ust as the studio needs him.
8+here are de-rees of wron-3 /ut ultimately 91m responsi/le38 he says. 891m
either li/erated or hamstrun- /y the material 91m tryin- to ma'e. 7ut if 91m
hamstrun-3 it1s my f---in- fault.8 ,e runs his hand throu-h his hair3 thin'in-.
Mven with that rifle /ac' in his studio3 should he ever need it3 there are limits
to what he can do.
86ou1re in char-e3 /ut you1re not in control38 the famously controllin- director
says. 8Bny/ody who thin's they are in control is nuts.8