The “very bad movie” that made a lasting impact on Diane Keaton
A movie isn’t always going to turn out great, and a proper actor knows that – and they know how to brace for impact if that happens.
As an actor, to think about every movie you make as its end goal is surely no way to do it, because you spend so much of your time actually making it, and while it must be rewarding to get to sit down with a room full of people and watch a movie you’ve worked hard on, isn’t it also rewarding to form valuable relationships and enjoy yourself while you’re dedicating so much time to it?
Diane Keaton realised this when she appeared in a movie that she found to be terrible, but she could hardly regret making it, because, you see, while shooting, she was able to form some close, life-long friendships, and these made the experience of being in a box-office flop all the more worthwhile.
Not everyone hated the film, but it wasn’t exactly a masterpiece. Directed by Mark Rydell, the movie was brimming with stars, like Michael Caine, James Caan, Carol Kane, and Elliott Gould, with Keaton playing the journalist Lissa Chestnut. According to legendary film critic Roger Ebert, “the direction and tone are just a little too muted,” which seemed to be its pitfall – the actors did the best with what they were given to work with.
Keaton absolutely hated it, though, and it probably didn’t help that she was fresh off the back of starring in The Godfather and its sequel, which had seen her receive tremendous acclaim. Yet, she still looks back at the 1976 comedy with a smile, because if she hadn’t taken on the part, she might not have formed some vital friendships.
“I always remember with great fondness any movie that did well and any movie [in which] I experienced the forming of a new friendship,” she told Movie Web. “I did a very bad movie called Harry and Walter Go to New York, but you know something, I made two of my dearest friends in my whole life on that movie, and they’re still my friends.”
While Keaton didn’t specify who, she is almost certainly including Carol Kane, whom she remained close to for the rest of her life. Answering the question ‘At this time in your life, what do you value most?’ from Kane for Interview Magazine, Keaton replied, “I value a very strong friendship, like ours, which I’ve depended on for such a long time.”
Keaton was also close with co-star Gould, whom she worked with on several films, including I Will, I Will… For Now and The Lemon Sisters. When the actor heard about Keaton’s passing, he wrote in The Guardian, “I loved her. There was nobody like her. Bright, talented, generous, and very smart and witty. She had more than just a sense of humour; she was hysterical. Whatever it was, she just had it.”
Clearly, working among good company can even make the memory of a terrible film bearable, so Keaton can’t ever be too ashamed of appearing in Harry and Walter Go to New York.
