Jon Landau opened the door. Besides fielding my requests with unwavering patience, he made things happen, as all great producers must. His steadiness and good humor in the midst of completing a dizzyingly complex movie is one of Avatars truly special effects. Rae Sanchini is another lobe of Cameron’s brain. To have had her time and insight in researching his career was invaluable.
Several people helped me understand Cameron’s contributions to the art and science of filmmaking. Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, and Steven Soderbergh provided the crucial perspective of fellow directors, while Dennis Muren patiently walked me through the early years of CG, and Rob Legato thoughtfully explained the intricacies of performance capture. John Rosengrant provided a critical tether to the special-effects legacy of Stan Winston Studios, Al Giddings described the delicate art of underwater cinematography, and Vince Pace guided me through the 3-D advances.
Many of Cameron’s creative and business partners shed light on his career. Gale Anne Hurd carefully advised me on his early years, as did Roger Corman. Stephanie Austin detailed the kinetic sets of Terminator 2 and True Lies. Peter Chernin brought me on the roller coaster of making Titanic, and Jim Gianopulos, Tom Sherak, and Larry Gordon all shaped the tale from the studio executive’s suite. His writing partner on Avatar, Laeta Kalogridis, sketched for me Cameron’s life as a writer. Sam Worthington provided insights on his work with actors. Josh McLaglen, Jimmy Muro, Russell Carpenter, and Peter Lamont helped me understand the passion and endurance of a Cameron crew, while James Horner, Conrad Buff, and Gary Rydstrom described his postproduction style. Don Lynch, Ken Marschall, and Robert Zubrin brought an outside-Hollywood perspective to Cameron’s projects.
Cameron’s friends are a fiercely protective lot. That so many shared so thoroughly was crucial to my understanding of him. Randall Frakes and Bill Wisher brought the knowledge of thirty-eight years of friendship, while Tom Arnold, John Bruno, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke with the insight of colleagues who had become comrades. The director’s family is as smart, interesting, and no-nonsense as he is, and his parents, Philip and Shirley, and his brother John David gave me countless funny and illuminating stories about Cameron before he was king of the world.
• • •
A book, like a movie, rests on the shoulders of many people. My agent, Ed Victor, has been a smart and indefatigable supporter, shamelessly fun to work with from our very first meeting. My editor at Crown, Sean Desmond, championed this project through every twist and turn with a preternatural calm and optimism. I’m thankful for the agile team at Crown, who treated me and my manuscript with warmth and care. Michael Gruskoff, a genuine Hollywood gentleman, helped me find the right advocate for my book, and Zack Norman, one of my dearest friends, pushed the idea before there even was one.
My father, Charlie Winters, was the first person who thrust science fiction into my hands and asked me big questions. I am grateful for the artistic and loving home he and my late mother, Justine, and sister, Amy, created for me.
My husband, Martin, believed that I could write this book before anyone else did, including me. He read every page, often in the wee hours of the morning after hours bent over his own writing, and offered precious insights with his usual energy, wit, and wisdom. I love him dearly.
Notes
Author interviews conducted with Jessica Alba, Stephanie Austin, Jeff Berg, Michael Biehn, Kathryn Bigelow, John Bruno, Conrad Buff, James Cameron, John David Cameron, Philip Cameron, Shirley Cameron, Russell Carpenter, Peter Chernin, Roger Corman, Guillermo del Toro, Bert Fields, Randall Frakes, Jim Gianopulos, Al Giddings, Larry Gordon, Richard Harris, Lance Henriksen, James Horner, Gale Anne Hurd, Peter Jackson, Laeta Kalogridis, Peter Lamont, Jon Landau, Robert Legato, Joe Letteri, Don Lynch, Ken Marschall, Josh McLaglen, Dennis Muren, Jimmy Muro, Vince Pace, Bill Paxton, John Rosengrant, Gary Rydstrom, Rae San-chini, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Sherak, Steven Soderbergh, Anne Thompson, Bill Wisher, Sam Worthington, and Robert Zubrin.
CHAPTER 1: A BOY AND HIS BRAIN
1. Marc Shapiro, James Cameron: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker (Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 2000).
CHAPTER 3: KICKING IN THE DOOR
1. Nigel Andrews, True Myths: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger(New York: Bloomsbury, 2003).
2. Steve Daly, “No Pity, No Fear, No End,” Wired, April 17, 2009.
3. Christopher Heard, Dreaming Aloud: The Life and Films of James Cameron (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1997).
4. Stan Winston, “Commentary,” Aliens, collector’s ed. DVD, directed by James Cameron (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 2003).
5. Heard, Dreaming Aloud.
CHAPTER 4: THIS TIME IT’S WAR
1. Paul M. Sammon, “Mothers with Guns,” in Aliens: The Illustrated Screenplay, by James Cameron (London: Orion Books, 2001).
2. Sigourney Weaver, “Commentary,” Aliens, collector’s ed. DVD, directed by James Cameron (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 2003).
3. James Cameron, “Commentary,” Aliens, collector’s ed. DVD, directed by James Cameron (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 2003).
4. Ximena Gallardo and C. Jason Smith, Alien Woman: The Making of Lt. Ellen Ripley (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004).
5. Stan Winston, “Commentary,” Aliens, collector’s ed. DVD, directed by James Cameron (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 2003).
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
CHAPTER 5: STARING INTO the abyss
1. The Abyss, special ed. DVD, Disc Two (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 1993).
2. John H. Richardson, “Iron Jim,” Premiere, August 1994.
3. Under Pressure: Making “The Abyss, “special ed. DVD, Disc Two (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 1993).
4. Martin Kasindorf, “Fox Plunges into ‘The Abyss,’” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1989.
5. Aljean Harmetz, “‘The Abyss’: A Foray into Deep Waters,” New York Times, August 6, 1989.
6. The Abyss, special ed. DVD, Disc Two.
CHAPTER 6: AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
1. Christopher Heard, Dreaming Aloud: The Life and Films of James Cameron (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1997).
2. Richard Corliss, “Why Can’t a Woman Be a Man?” Time, August 5, 1991.
3. Heard, Dreaming Aloud.
4. Tom Gliatto, “Problemo Child,” People, August 5, 1991.
5. Nigel Andrews, True Myths: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger(New York: Bloomsbury, 2003).
6. Jody Duncan, The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio, (London: Titan Books, 2006).
7. James Cameron, “Commentary,” T2, Extreme DVD (Santa Monica: Artisan Home Entertainment, 2003).
8. Duncan, Winston Effect.
9. Ibid.
10. Peter Plagens, “Violence in Our Culture,” Newsweek, April 1, 1991.
11. James Cameron and William Wisher, Terminator 2: Judgment Day: An Illustrated Screenplay (New York: Applause Books, 1991).
12. Ibid.
13. Janet Maslin, “In New ‘Terminator,’ the Forces of Good Seek Peace, Violently,” New York Times, July 3, 1991.
14. David Ansen, “Conan the Humanitarian,” Newsweek, July 8, 1991.
CHAPTER 7: MYTHS AND lies
1. John Lippman, “It May Be a Classic,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1992.
2. Kathleen O’Steen, “Arcara Files Countersuit in ‘Crowded Room’ Flap,” Daily Variety, January 7, 1993.
3. James Cameron, Strange Days: You Know You Want It (New York: Penguin Books, 1995).
4. True Lies, DVD (Los Angeles: Twentieth Century Fox, 1999).
5. Kenneth Turan, “The Secret Life of ‘True Lies’,” Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1994.
6. Roger Ebert, “True Lies,” Chicago Sun-Times, July 15, 1994.
7. Caryn James, “The Woman in ‘True Lies’: A Mouse That Roared,” New York Times, July 17, 1994.
8. Brian Lowry, “T
rue Lies,” Variety, July 11, 1994.
9. James, “Woman in ‘True Lies.’”
10. “‘True Lies’ Protested by Arab Groups,” Hollywood Reporter, July 18, 1994.
11. Michael Hiltzik, “A Tangled Web of Deal-Making,” Los Angeles Times, August 29, 1998.
12. James Cameron, “Spider-Man Scriptment.”
CHAPTER 8: THE UNSINKABLE
1. Paula Parisi, Titanic and the Making of James Cameron (New York: New-market Press, 1998).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Steven Smith, “Ship’s Star Trouper,” Los Angeles Times, December 14, 1997.
5. Ibid.
6. Kate Winslet, Titanic, special collector’s ed. DVD, Disc One (Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures, 2005).
7. Smith, “Ship’s Star Trouper.”
8. David Gritten, “Making Titanic,” Los Angeles Times, May 11, 1997.
9. Titanic, special collector’s ed. DVD, Disc Two (Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures, 2005).
10. Linda Hamilton on Larry King Live, aired October 14, 2005.
11. Roger Ebert, “Full Steam Ahead: The Masterful Epic ‘Titanic’ Pulls into Port,” Chicago Sun-Times, December 19, 1997.
12. Janet Maslin, “A Spectacle as Sweeping as the Sea,” New York Times, December 19, 1997.
13. Kenneth Turan, “‘Titanic’ Sinks Again,” Los Angeles Times, December 19, 1997.
14. Douglas Jehl, “Why ‘Titanic’ Conquered the World,” New York Times, April 26, 1998.
15. Karen Schoemer, “Our Titanic Love Affair,” Newsweek, February 23, 1998.
16. Natasha Stoynoff, “Champagne Breaks on ‘Titanic,’” Toronto Sun, November 24, 1997.
CHAPTER 9: A MODERN-DAY MAGELLAN
1. Carl DiOrio, “Cameron Sinks Board Role at Digital Domain,” Hollywood Reporter, August 20, 1998.
2. “Man Overboard,” People, May 11, 1998.
3. Linda Hamilton on The Oprah Winfrey Show, aired April 5, 2005.
4. Don Lynch and Ken Marschall, Ghosts of the Abyss (Toronto: Madison Press Books, 2003).
5. Ibid.
6. James Poniewozik, “2020 Vision,” Time, October 2, 2000.
7. Maureen Dowd, “Dead Heat Humanoids,” New York Times, October 5, 2000.
8. Interview with James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici, MSNBC.com, March 4, 2007.
9. James Cameron, “The Drive to Discover,” Wired, December 2004.
CHAPTER 10: PROJECT 880
1. American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004).
2. Elizabeth Weitzman, “Zoe Saldana: Beware, Silly Superheroes: This Tough-Talking Damsel in Demand Can Take Care of Herself,” Interview, July 1, 2004.
3. “Talk of Retirement Is Alien to Sigourney” Scottish Daily Record, August 5, 2008.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a Hollywood-based contributor to Time magazine, Rebecca Keegan has profiled actors and directors including Francis Ford Coppola, Will Smith, and Penelope Cruz. She has written trend stories about 3-D, horror auteurs, and fanboy culture and penned play-by-plays of the Oscars, the Sundance Film Festival, and Comic-Con. She spent seven years in Time’s New York bureau covering breaking news stories such as 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and the Catholic Church sex-abuse crisis. She has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NPR. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Keegan
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.
eISBN: 978-0-307-46033-2
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