Todd Haynes was born in Los Angeles on January 2, 1961. He is an American independent director, producer, and screenwriter who is considered one of the pioneers of the New Queer Cinema filmmaking movement. When he filmed the short film ‘Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story’ in 1987, it brought him to the attention of the public. This short film covered her life story but was unusual in the sense that it used Barbie dolls rather than real actors. His fame grew in 1991 when he made his feature directorial debut with a three-part film called ‘Poison’ about the AIDS-era. Since then he has received great critical acclaim for his work, which includes movies such as ‘Velvet Goldmine’, ‘The Village Voice Film Poll’, ‘Far from Heaven’, and ‘I’m Not There’.
Here are five interesting facts you might not know about the director Todd Haynes.
1. He Has Appeared in Front of the Camera
Although he is best-known for his work behind the camera, he has also made appearances on the other side of the camera. Although most of his acting roles were when he was at school in amateur productions, he did several commercials as a child, including one for McDonald’s.
2. He Had Intended to Pursue an Academic Career
Todd Haynes did not always dream of a career in the movie industry. In fact, he had originally planned to pursue an academic career. Although he was interested in directing and films, he initially believed that the best career path for him was teaching as he was inspired by some of his own teachers. It wasn’t until he was in college and began to look at films in a different way that he started thinking that the movie industry was a good fit for his skills and interests.
3. He Doesn’t Watch a Lot of Movies
Despite working as a director, producer, and screenwriter, Haynes does not actually watch a lot of movies himself. He has explained that this is due to a lack of time to relax and watch movies. However, when he does get the chance to kick back and relax, his guilty pleasure is middle-brow movies. On the other hand, his partner watches a range of low-brow and high-brow movies so, between them, they cover everything.
4. He Admires Actress Rooney Mara
One of the actresses he admires the most is Rooney Mara. He loves the fact that her film roles are diverse and that she often plays tough characters. Examples of her roles he has given are in the movies ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, ‘Carol, and ‘Side Effects’. In interviews, Haynes has said that her performances are remarkable despite being at the beginning of her career.
5. He is Experimental but Likes to Plan
Haynes plans each and every aspect of the movies he directs. He is meticulous about the details and thinks this is what makes all the difference to the quality of a movie. However, he does like to experiment during filming. He does this either by using new techniques, covering topics that are controversial or by presenting themes in an unusual way.
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