Malkovich Sessions Intro

It was the fall of 1999 when Steppenwolf theatre producer Tim Evans rang me on the phone asking if I would be interested in photographing the Steppenwolf ensemble members for upcoming plays, billboards Ads and playbills.  Knowing the depth of this famous ensemble including the likes of  John Mahoney, Joan Allen, Gary Sinise,  Martha Plimpton, Terry Kinney, Amy Morton, Rondi Reed, Frank Galati, William Petersen, Tracy Letts, Laurie Metcalf, Francis Guinan and the great actor who would become my friend and muse John Malkovich it took me all of 3 seconds to say yes.

By November of 1999 I had a good many of these fabulous actors and actresses thru my studio. So far so good, everyone please, I’m on a roll shooting some of the most expressive, raw, emotional portraits of my career. Then I finally get the call that John Malkovich is coming to town and we need to capture him as the theatre had not had anything new from him since Victor Skrebneski had photographed him many years earlier.

John was just coming off probably his greatest movie to date, Being John Malkovich, The critics loved it, Hollywood loved it, movie goers all over the world loved it. John Malkovich was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. He was on fire. 

As a photographer you never know which movie star your going to get the day you meet. Who will they be that day?  Good mood? Not interested in being here?  Don’t talk to me I’m just way too important?  Was I going to get Lenni Small, Vicomte Sebastien de Valmont or was I going to get Cyrus the Virus?  You never really know but you had better be prepared. Minutes later black car pulls up, John Malkovich opens his own door, does the Malkovich shuffle to the door, enters studio, puts out his hand and says “Hello I’m John Malkovich. (Like I didn’t know) Well this is weird. Where is the Queen PR monster? Where is the entourage?  Where is the beautiful young big breasted blonde assistant? Uhm? They must be coming in the next car. 

Fifteen minutes later no other car. John Malkovich here alone? This could be very interesting. It was that chilly November day where John and I began our work together. He was a mild mannered loving type of man, kind sometimes a little feminine only in his demeaner of style. He dressed impeccably in clothes that he designed himself. I found him to be extremely interesting with the stories he told covering the globe with his many different ventures whether it was performing on a theatre stage, doing an opera he co-wrote, producing or directing or acting in some film. He also found time for every fashion season to design and put out a new line of clothing from his label Technobohemian.  John to me became the most interesting man in the world. If only Dos Equis Beer Company knew, Jonathan Goldsmith would have been out of a job.

Forty- Five minutes later I had John in front of my camera. I had my very gutsy, sculpted light skimming John’s facial features.  I drew and directed emotion from john. He took direction easily; he was truly a pro as he understood the camera, light, mood and the importance of sharing something special. He was brilliant to work with, a real photographers dream. The lines in his then younger face still had lines that offered me a novel into his life. He hid nothing from me, He let me have all of him. Sixty minutes later we were finished. The Polaroids in front of us showed us we had something very special. John gave me secrets of himself and I took them from him.  I believe it was that first meeting and working together that we both understood this wont be our last meeting. John enjoyed his experience and was very delighted in my work. He trusted me and I him. Never had I worked with anyone that offered so much of himself, his confidence level was beyond how I had ever seen anyone to carry themselves. That day was the beginning of the Seventeen year session.

So often with a celebrity or superstar of some sort, the relationship with photographer and subject is a one and done. Rarely will a photographer and subject continue a working relationship for many years. We have gone on to create some 100 plus portraits, some very iconic, some a parody, some funny some drastically disturbing and grotesque but all coming from two people who have a bond much differently then most photographer subject relationship. I have a deep respect for the man, a man love if I could say. My dream is to continue this relationship of creating portraits, films and art together till the day one of us checks out. To me there is something very very special about documenting time pass with someone that offers you so much. I believe John cherishes these times we create together. For him it’s just another avenue for him to be somebody else.