Schwartz: A Pretty Cool Guy

Jobless and posse sit two rows from J Schwartzman during Q&A of Darjeeling in GTown

Jason Schwartzman at the Georgetown screening of Darjeeling Limited couldn't gush enough about his new movie, Wes Anderson, and India. He was so cute about it, we ate it up. After a roughly 45 minute talk about everything from his one-man band to his short film Hotel Chevalier, I and my compatriots had to admit, he was pretty damn funny and cool. And totally adorable in person (personal admission).

Schwartzman said he and Wes Anderson began the idea for Darjeeling during dog walks in Paris, his then home during the shooting of Marie Antoinette. Anderson had just finished the press tour for Life Aquatic in Paris and the two shacked up for a time. After a bit, Roman Coppola joined the suaree, they took a trip to India, started writing about 3 brothers who take a long trip and find themselves, and began adding character anecdotes from experiences in their own lives. When asked by the audience, "Which of you checks his ex-girlfriends phone messages?" Schwartzman quickly replied, "Uh, Roman."

Among the tib-bits disclosed to the attentive DC audience: Schwartzman has a CD out under his own label, Coconut Records, and each CD purchased comes with an original piece of artwork... a Polaroid either of him or taken by him; Schwartz says he's a one man band because no one else will play with him; Before Rushmore, pup Schwartz had almost no acting experience whatsoever, but he had written and directed several short films in his youth, one about a cop and a crack addict; Of his preference between alter egos Max Fisher and Jack Whitman, Schwartzman replied kindly with several similarities to each and concluded that he was "his own man"; Short film Hotel Chavalier, co-starring Natalie Portman, may soon screen in theatres before Darjeeling, and is a recommended prelude to the feature; Schwartz said this was his favorite Q&A. That's sweet.

He was then asked by a particularly enterprising young Georgetown student to join her in the GT cafeteria after the screening for a little Coolio concert. He quickly spout out other (and cooler) DC happenings, like British Sea Power at the Black Cat and The Shins to come on the 22nd. Not too bad, J, not too bad.

See Schwartzman talk about his real-life sibling experience (he has 3 brothers and 1 sister) on the VIDEO to post here tomorrow!

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