WGBH Station; WGBH Forum Network; Julie & Julia

Charo before she changed the world Julia Child was just an American living in France. Shouldn't I find something to do. What is that you really like each and now you said what does Julia Child have to do with me. Lonely cubicle worker Julie Powell So how's your job Julie. Re the person asking you about mind her or you can speak to me Give me power. No heartbreak so painful. Not in a bad way. Is this last if you met would you think that woman's loss I would think that woman is strangely care whatever that's from Showtime bought my blood for a mini series. I could write a blog. I have little real cloak like Julia Child To which I wasn't going to literally die. It usually stops to be a project I cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook

365 days 524 recipes. I am risking my well-being for a deranged assignment is a crazy. Yes you should have seen the way those men look at me. When boom they discovered oh it was meaningless. Now she would make it sound so simple. But your book is going to change the world but I don't make my deadline. I wasted a whole year of my life. They used to be thin No in fact just your face is supposed to be a big adventure but it just turns out to be a lot of meltdowns. Oh no. Writer director brothers and that is that is the story here. Spineless truth and meandered. Tom Peter what's for dinner or for to move on. You have

no idea of kooky. And you based on true stories I'm corporate cover and first of all we have to applaud everyone on the stage for their roles in Julia's life and of the movie and then I will introduce her. So you haven't guessed and those of you who know Judyth will have seen from the actress in the movie that there was something desperately wrong with the casting which is that Judith is one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. And I'm saying it in public. And that actress wasn't nearly beautiful enough. I know you will all agree. Thank you so Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Cannot she joined the company in 1957 as an editor working primarily on translations of French what writers such as bear come Mungy. She had worked before for Doubleday first in New York and

then in Paris where she was responsible for reading and recommending the Diary of Anne Frank and if you've read Judyth meant Judyth memoirs her or her portrait of life in Paris after the war and the excitement of who was there and what she was doing is really indelible. Over the years it could not. She's worked with many distinguished writers including Elizabeth Bowen John Hersey Langston Hughes William Maxwell Sharon Olds J.F. powers Aurthur Rubenstein I remember that book. Peter Taylor Tyler and for more than 40 years and more than 50 books our own John Updike. She's been particularly interested in developing a list of first great cookbook writers. You must have written this not such a you word first rate cook book writers and or authors of that area have included Julia Child Nancy Bertie bar lady busty on a James Beard matter Jaffery are Irene quot Edna Lewis Joan Nathan Jacques Pei Pat you've

probably all seen the moves on this very stage Claudia Rodin Nina Simons Nana Thomas among many others. And actually my neighbor across the way my neighbor whom I look at from my kitchen wrote her book for gold and wrote a book for third Judith about vegetarianism which I bought in the 70s Please welcome to the stage Judith Jones. It was more ash rust more ash to help build this very building figure a veil flee if not actually given his expertise. Arriving home enthusiasm nationwide with award winning programming Russell Moore ash has been called the father of how to and know how television in 1963 Russ teamed up with a budding cookbook author with an unmistakable accent which boy is going to be ringing in our ears all night thanks to Meryl Streep and a marvelous sense of humor to create the French chef with Julia Child for the next 30 years Russ and Julie created a number

of cooking classics for television which continue to represent the gold standard of that genre. Along the way Russ has accumulated 14 count any awards including 11 for outstanding director of a service show and helped found PBS favorites this old house and Victory Garden. He currently ranks 12th of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences list of top 100 Daytime Emmy Award winners. Russ Mora Thank you. You ask why you ask why and whom I haven't seen in far too long and only thought about during the lobster scene after receiving a formal colon area education from the coloring Institute of America chef Jasper white spent years traveling throughout the country. So being food in cultivating new ideas from behind the hotline He then said to Limbaugh's 1982 and carved out a nice in the local food scene deconstructing classics on his old cuisine menu in Jasper's restaurant.

While this formula was successful for business and for those of us who went there all the time even though we couldn't afford it when we first moved here Jasper always sensed that he would eventually return to his column area Truelove hearty family style cuisine authentic and flavorful not fussy. He's currently the chef proprietor of the much loved by all of us. Summer Shack at Mohegan Sun and K. Byrd Resort Casino in Connecticut. Boston's Back Bay. And right here where a lot of us really will go if we didn't have such a beautiful reception waiting for us right after here. From its inception the summer shacks have received enthusiastic reviews including for me from local and national press including the 2001 James Beard Award nomination for best new restaurant. Please welcome our own Jasper right now. I've got I've got to lead off the question with something unfair but Judith you must be prepared for this which is what would Julia think everyone wants to hear what you

would say if it's such a tough question but everyone wants to know. Well I think it's very hard to see yourself depicted on the screen. I think I am but I do think that you really would have respected and been won by the miraculous performance the Meryl Streep. She comes to you it's you sometimes looking at those pictures out there you wonder which is which and admired politics. It's there. It was startling to see Meryl Streep do it which I got to do and were you on the set. At all or did you vent you know all that. Oh I didn't have any of that because it was just amazing to see I guess what that actors do this they just get into character and they stay in character. So even between takes I was there when she was filming the scene where she meets the her two collaborators in the powder room and as she did so many takes that was

fascinating to watch the way Nora Ephron worked. She made them do many readings of that scene. And then some of them. You know Meryl. Streep veered into caricature and I think that in in almost none of this to she very into caricature. And I think that's because nor' nor' nor' held her back. I've got to ask Russ did you ever stop her from varing into her own caricature. I don't think it's possible for a 20 24 something kid who meets a giant like this at all in a in in in the kind of situation I was in him to make that sort of. Analysis. Was it tough in fact to have such a huge personality to work with was that it. Tell us about how unconventional it was and how you decided to embrace it.

I wish I could say that when we came out of the set the first time or the last time that we thought of Julia as an enormous powerful talent that had to be handled that just wasn't the way she was. She was plain folks that you could possibly be and she treated me and I treated her as if we were and are good friends who needed no no go no disguises between us. She was a very down to earth person is what I'm saying. Well also I imagine that what you see in the movie is her digging in and collaborating. And I'm sure that Judith both both of you had to kind of help rein that in but also she protested hated She was always there and always working from what I knew of her. And she was incredible. And I think that. If you don't want my saying Russ has great gifts was that he'd let her be

spontaneous and it was never planned. I mean obviously the thing segments were worked out but it just happened as she looked it to. I remember once she fished out the little of. Her bouquet and then had been boiling and boiling so it was grey and sinister looking and she just picked it out that looked like a dead mouse. One time we were working on roast suckling pig and she characterized it as smelling like a burnt babies and I said a little bit. I mean she had a she had a dark side. But. With only limited you know one we didn't say to you you can't say that we just maybe raise an eyebrow or two but you could always cut it Jasper you must have cooked with her and you must have experienced that collaborative spirit a lot.

Yeah and I worked with her on cooking with Master Chefs and I remember this is the first time I've ever watched a movie about someone who was a friend of mine. And what was it like. I need to digest it really you know I really I really do need to digest it because. I mean I don't I don't know of anyone else who could have done that better than Meryl Streep. But it seemed like there were little parts through subtleties that were. You know. Missing you know from knowing him as a friend. But in fact you've touched on something I'd like everybody on the panel know or so intimately and so well to say say one thing don't say I love you I feel almost embarrassed to hear word through to Earth and Ross because my role into his life was the last 25 years of our life. It was a lot smaller and I didn't know what the younger Julie and I were. But unless you knew her and there are things you know there are things that struck you was is not being part of the portrait which might not have been Nora Ephron this

game but what is it that you missed. How do I put an intelligence about Julie that I don't think came through completely. It seemed like she was more obsessed with just the cooking and but I mean it's a movie so I don't know what I get excited and into it I love movies by the way. So I think she would have been I don't know she would've loved what happened but I think she would have respected Meryl Streep's job. I thought it was interesting in the movie that the producers Nora was able to comment on Julia's dislike of this project if that's the word she was insurgents or suddenly this is an end to for them to bring it up I think is impressive because you probably would either like it or not like it and apparently she didn't she never discussed it with with us so I wouldn't know one way or the other but it's quite like her not to like it. Yes. And so that's where that one stood and it

was brilliant I think to put that put that in the in the film. I was surprised to see it myself. Did you know that they would make reference to that. You know I did. It. How did you feel about being being late for dinner or being unable to come to dinner for just a little rain. Did you feel a little funny about that. Well now that was interesting about this to be a villain. And I say. Well it's as you said as you know I mean I was going to go out and see Julie because I hardly knew what a blog was I wanted to see what she was doing what the rights and the rights of these were it was a business I didn't know I was invited to dinner but I didn't know. But that's it I mean what a license come out and made it more of a more you invited to dinner where you going over there at eight o'clock in Queens you know it was going out on a Saturday. So they have taken license so you know or maybe that's the way to really

remember also there's an indelible story except that I probably missed remembering at that Sheryl Julian told in a piece about Judas. You were in an accident in where in Vermont in a car and tell us about getting out of that car. Well I was going. It was quite late at night and there was a. Tremendous friend storm. I go up a dirt road up our mountain and all of a sudden a little bird started sinking on the car with it and it was pretty sinister so I thought I better get out and open the door I had modeled all with me and we were just hurled from those what a stream and become a river of tolerant and I got out really by. Clinging to trees on the sod and pulled myself up and hid in a tree and then started showering at the top of my lawn.

Is this a woman who wouldn't get on a subway to where I. It clearly would rain the whole year although it is not and I remember your quote which was that assistant of yours had introduced you to yoga and I think of it every Saturday morning struggling in yoga class I think Judith. It saved her life. It will save all of our lives because of Judas example because you have that same fortitude that did Julia had and so it makes a nice plot point in the movie but it's not what Judith would have done. Was her big personality and working with her did. Was it hard sometimes to keep up with her energy and. AT And was she directive of the way the the sequences should be shot. No she wasn't she wasn't so she did not consider herself technically competent although she probably was.

To comment on our side of it. And aside from saying that she liked to certain shots for example she you see charm from Paul child with his role if Lex trying to take pictures of anyone but half the people in this room are too young to ever look through a roll of flicks it's a hateful. Thing because it's upside down I would add in a hammer for my father oh my god you can't take a good picture with it because it's when you move with this when you tilt down the thing goes up. So it's just it's it's the way it's. It's with the way the mirrors work and it's very difficult to frame a shot. So what and he always always does it with his from his on his belt. So he was trying to get a shot of the chicken and Julia was insistent that all of us who worked were there remember that what's important is the object not her face not I mean she never said that but she she encouraged us to shoot the objects rather than the rather than the people now. I won't name any names but you look at most cooking

shows and it's all about the face and it's all about the lighting on the inside. Jewel didn't care a whit about and yet her personality was so strong that she is considered to have launched the entire craze for cooking shows on television. Yeah well I mean the little bit of history there were no outlets. The thing I found odd about this is the scene that they tossed in about Paul coming up with the idea and that she'd be great on television. Totally impossible. I think that's rubbish but it's a movie. But could you could you tell us I mean in fact it's as I've read it you would know perfectly well didn't she come in to try to promote her book. That's why she was there and she was on one secrets and you're right it was a sort of literary show I've been reading I've been reading with a lot of Duhamel their legs on her and I'm a little burner just in case. But it was pretty smart and pretty and smart and it was pretty you asked me earlier on Korby about whether she she led the forces. But as far as the

energy and I think there are enough people in this audience that didn't hear me the last time I was here. Well I can tell this story again we were shooting or in Norway a thing called a taste of Norway where she revisited. The country that she and Paul were in for several years and thus it was that we decided to cook up a helicopter tour where she's to get in this helicopter and fly off following a full eight hours of I don't know a vodka distillery and pig farm and cooking salmon and various other things that we push her right to the limit and then the end of the day we were going to take the helicopter and we wanted to photograph or getting in the helicopter and the helicopter. So they got two helicopters for us. So we were in the chase helicopter and she was in her helicopter so to speak with some nice French young men that she really liked very much I don't know how they got into the Norwegian helicopter company anyway. So this is then in Norway in the summertime of course is a go to about

23 hours of daylight so we had no idea what time it was but it was light and up go the helicopters and we're photographing her and and she's apparently in this other helicopter and so forth she was and she she came to come on the ground before us we had the shot of her coming down on the ground. And one of the pilots got out and he said who said to me he said she's asleep. Now this was a very active up the mountains over the snow field down through the waterfalls and Julia Hood was totally asleep. So we woke her up and got her into the cars and then a half hour drive into the hotel and my beloved wife Marian was with us and she and I were just wasted. We were absolutely was nothing left in the tank that we'd eaten 500 meals that day and drunk everything and now a helicopter and Marian had come by car. What a day and we're in this little village.

Well the bed was there. We flopped on the bed. Ring the bedside telephone pick it up. Where are we going to get in there. I mean energy that wouldn't quit right up until the very last. Were you on the A. The American Institute of wine and food in which she was an enormously active for many years of the trip to. Puget Sound in Seattle with the but with the biplane. She went to we were going to an oyster farm I have no idea why I was on this trip but I was and she waited and she got off the by plane and just rolled up her khakis if they come straight from the old Abercrombie and Fitch the Explorer outfit and she waded up to all of the waiting oyster culture yrs and it was as if she was Margaret Mead who would go home.

To discover them you know and they were just in awe. You know this great white woman coming at them. So she was she had she had she had that an enormous energy. Jasper did you did you collaborate and what was she like. I remember her. I watched some of the shoots at her I was there you were part of and I remember her being enormously generous to the people she was shooting with she was so loving and so great to work with and when I saw M.C. us with her. It was there was a controversy about that about whether we should kill a lobster on television or not because of the PETA element out there. And which was already there. Oh yeah it was already present. And I wanted to meet with her a couple days before going to she said you know we don't know about this. Killing this lobster and what if we poached it first. Like just a little bit and I was like yeah it wouldn't be good. Well what if. Is there any other way we can do it.

And I said Well no because you know when you roast the show and the flavor goes into the oil the blood and she said OK we'll kill the lobster. And she said but you got to do it really fast. And I cut up to live lobsters in about 30 seconds like the fastest I ever I ever did and she just kept the real cool. You know stone faced and it was shot and we didn't get many comments at all. Somebody wrote to Reader's Digest and said you know Jasper is a cruel freak of a human being. But. Yeah it was always about the truth and anybody who knows Julie also knows you never quite know knew what she was going to say next. What to expect and you know again I think that that elements missing a little bit. And I also was thinking about Meryl Streep and she really did a beautiful job. And it's really the story is so much more important than Julie's story.

I wonder if we wasted her not doing the whole story. Everybody's going to say that when they were views come out of times during there was a profile of Nora Ephron in The New Yorker about two weeks ago or a week ago in which the reviewer who'd quoted Nora Ephron who is a superb journalist in an early piece when she was taking the woman she liked the subject of her profile Dolly Schiff the owner of the New York Post and said I don't like what I'm going to do here because she eviscerated this woman and the writer of the profile at the end says I don't like what I'm going to do here and she says Meryl Streep is such an overpowering presence that it's really boring. When Julie Powell is on the screen and all you do is resent her for not being her whole story and I think that a lot of people are going to feel that I mean they did start the Julie Julia story started as a story and it was Nora Prince genius

to see this. To bring the Judas story end and see these two a sort of power yet not power although a lot I mean it gave a dimension to it but it still the hope was yes and I have to and I'm so glad that Nora used Alex programme's book which is the memoir of my life in France and I owe him an enormous apology by email tonight because I haven't seen this yet and he was on the other side of me when I was an extra in that in one of the scenes. And I'm talking to Julia Child proof. You knew she had a great niece named for her. And she she plays she plays two parts she plays first the actor I'm talking to right behind Julie and Bertolucci Simca Beck. And also she plays the bridge instructor because she's a professional actress in Los Angeles. And

that's what she does. She's an actress so of course she had to get a part in this movie. But Alex's book is terrific and he's a real writer which is which is a SOS. But it was an interesting challenge because it literally was channeling to do it. I mean. They're her words and yet he just sort of put it all together until a couple is very loving and he's a craftsman and Ed a real writer and he's written a book on municipal water and bottled water that's going to come out this fall and I'm really looking forward to. I wanted to ask you you and Ross briefly about polls we're all on the set and in the book because he plays such an important part in this movie and you you knew him in life so could you talk about their collaboration as you as you saw it. Well when I when I first met them that was what I was immediately struck by that how they work together and how in a sense Paul quietly unable to. And you know just go for it I

mean it was kind of a fantastic idea that this woman who knew nothing about French food a couple years later is teaching it and then taking on the task of Mastering the Art of French Cooking with absolute best of all was always believed in it. And I can remember his saying Truly submit it to that test and that was if there's anything a bit off on the on the movie. It's his characterization I like what Tucci did with with the with the thing but Paul was a dour character. He was not a smiley happy go lucky kind of guy hell is thought maybe he was before I met him. And and he never had big glasses that he looked through he always looked over his glasses which I think they really missed and I missed that. But he never cracked a smile. I mean he he said some very funny things and if you did he was very quiet very especially when any

stranger was present or any other other than Julia was was was present. And I find that I find that a little a little off. But they had a great love affair and there were great affection between them. And that was beautifully. Touched on here a bit late in life and I'm sure Jasper saw them and lots of people in this audience she was so enormously devoted to him. It was clear that he was the center of her of her life. I am now going to invite you all to a reception that I had a preview of and it reminded me of these students have complete. Leave done their very best to make the most beautiful food out there and we're going to get to enjoy it. But. It's really for Julia and their cooking for Julia the way Julie Powell does in this in the first time I met Julie I was just out of college and interviewing her and a caterer who knew

her or her written to her was also invited to lunch at the Irving Street house which was one of the three Why did they change it to 1:30 in the low. And it was clear she had spent days in days cooking the food she drove up from Baltimore I have no idea who it was but this woman had driven from Baltimore to take lunch to Julie and Jess and her and the people who were here who because I see some of the audience who who cooked numerous times were doing this for a year we did it for a lot of years and it's part of what I think made all of us better. I used to tell my cooks every night you know. Julie I might be in tonight because you didn't always make the reservations under. Under it wasn't always under her name sometimes someone was entertaining and you know she'd walk in and so she shot and I did not I tell you how easy read I would bring her in. You know they were like I heart attacks every night you have to be ready and that was a really good thing.

So the greatest thing this movie could do is to keep another generation cooking for Julia as we'll all get out to enjoy. Right now thank you all for coming in thank you.