By Adam Brody is lost in a land of women. Literally.
“It got kind of lonely actually,” Brody said, about being on a mostly female set of the movie “In the Land of Women,” a coming-of-age story about a young man who develops a series of relationships with the women around him that change his life as well as theirs. In simpler terms, he gets to hook up with the cute girl next door and her mom, too.
“One of the things I liked about [the story] was that none of the relationships are conventional, and they’re not treated as such,” Brody said.
In the film, Brody plays Carter Webb, a television writer who has just been dumped by his girlfriend before he heads home to Detroit to take care of his dementia-prone grandmother and drown his sorrows in writing. In Detroit, he meets the Hardwickes, a family living across the street that tailspins him into a journey of self-discovery.
“The way the movie evolved was sort of odd. It felt like a lucky accident,” writer and director Jonathan Kasdan said.
The film uses words and emotion to connect Brody’s character with the female characters. As Carter uses conversation as a way into the women’s hearts, Brody does the same for himself.
“I’d like to think I’m a good listener,” Brody said. “But I also talk a lot.”
Talking is definitely something Brody is known for, playing the wisecracking Seth Cohen on television’s “The OC” for four years before the show’s end earlier this year.
“Carter was the most still and quiet I’ve ever been, and that was a refreshing change,” he said. “He is just far enough away from Seth that it was the perfect transition for me, yet it doesn’t feel like I’m running away from that character [Seth].”
The role allowed Brody to flex his acting muscles, having a series of scenes that ranged from crying to laughing to getting punched in the face.
“It felt very natural to me,” he said. “Jon [the director] wrote a really well-rounded part. I got the guy instantly, and I kind of just walked in and did it … it was challenging because it’s a range of emotions, but the character was no sweat.”
Despite the fact that he got a little lonely on a male-deprived set, Brody was able to form a friendship with Kasdan.
“We sat down and instantly reacted to each other,” Kasdan said. “We had a rhythm and a similar set of interests. It was sort of love at first sight. I didn’t even feel it was necessary for him to audition.”
Kasdan grew up in a Hollywood family. His father Lawrence was a co-writer for screenplays such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” and also served as the executive producer for “In the Land of Women.” His mother, Meg, worked as an actress for several of the films his father worked on. His brother Jake has directed movies like “Orange County” and the television show “Freaks and Geeks.”
With “In the Land of Women,” Kasdan finally got the chance to shine amongst his family’s work. Despite the pressure, he said there was not any sort of competitive nature.
“It’s incredibly intimidating, but honestly, this movie simply would not exist had I not grown up in the house that I did,” Kasdan said.
The film also stars Meg Ryan as Sarah Hardwicke, who acted in Kasdan’s father’s film “French Kiss” almost 12 years ago.
“I think she’ll always kind of see me a 12-year-old boy,” Kasdan said with a grin.
“In the Land of Women” marks Kasdan’s directorial debut, something that Brody said was surprising and is not evident at all in his directing style.
“He was extremely confident,” Brody said. “He was the sweetest director…he knew exactly what he wanted…I’ve never seen anyone more confident in the captain’s chair.”
Having relatives in the film industry made it easier for Kasdan to write a screenplay that could actually be made into a movie.
“This was the first thing my family read that they thought could actually get made,” Kasdan said. “It had an original enough voice that we thought maybe I can con people into letting me direct it.”
