Interview with Bruce Almighty Director Tom Shadyac

Q. Why this movie and why now?

I have been researching God my whole life; I've been on a spiritual quest as long as I can remember. Silent retreats at Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky led me to ask questions like "Who is this force who is God and how do we understand him?"

Q. What are some of the influences in your life that led you on this path?

I read Aquinas, Merton, Rilke and the Sufi mystics, too. A Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L'Engle's, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (1980) is a must for anyone with a spiritual bent in the entertainment industry.

Q. How did the other members of the crew feel about making a movie about God?

The writers and the crew and I were all on the same page about the film, we were all very comfortable with it.

Q. What is it with Bruce? What's the movie about?

Bruce is a guy who is really angry because he needs help and he thinks God won't help him. So the movie is about what happens when God suddenly does answer Bruce's prayers.

Q. Do you think it's appropriate for a person to be mad at God?

Yes, because this kind of anger is real. Anger is honest. It's not a movie about blaming God, it's about taking responsibility for yourself, to grow up, to relax and let God work in your life.

Q. What else is the movie about?

It's about the spiritual quest. Making the movie was a way to "research" about God, to think about God. The film goes beyond humor to different levels of thinking about God. I hope that people will go beyond the surface humor to see the deeper meanings that comedy can reveal. And God really has a good time here.

Q. Does the film make fun of God?

This is not a film about making fun of God, it's about God looking at us and our foibles and having a good laugh at the messes we get ourselves into. It's a movie about grace. God pokes, prods and challenges people. Like a good comedian, God wants to go deeper and unpeel the onion of meaning to how God wants to be in relationship with us.

Q. Who should see Bruce Almighty?

Everyone - because it is hilarious and because it's about being in relationship to God who wants to relate to us as father, mother, friend. And it's a whacky comedy.

Q. If you were stranded on a desert island (that had electricity) what one movie would you want to have with you?

That's easy - It's a Wonderful Life.

Tom Shadyac is from Virginia and moved to Los Angeles in 1983 at age 23. He began his career as the youngest staff joke writer ever for Bob Hope. Shadyac attended the UCLA Film School and then worked in television and did more writing. Shadyac has done standup comedy, acted, and is most known for directing and producing several major motion pictures (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar, Liar, Patch Adams, The Nutty Professor, Dragonfly) and for being one of the executive producers for the new hit comedy series, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teen Age Daughter. Tom lives in Los Angeles and is a practicing Catholic.