By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
March 7, 1999
Myles Berkowitz was a man on a mission: He would go on 20 dates with 20 different women, film each date and, hopefully, land a girlfriend and a movie deal at the end of the project.
The 36-year-old hyphenated guy (actor-screenwriter-director) couldn’t have scripted a better ending. He got engaged to lovely Elisabeth Wagner and he sold “20 Dates” to Fox Searchlight (“The Full Monty”). The film opens Friday at Pipers Alley.
During a recent trip to Chicago to promote his film–which he describes as a romantic docu-comedy–Berkowitz served tea and coffee to Wagner and a reporter at his suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel downtown.
“See that,” he said, not spilling a drop. “I really did used to be a waiter.”
OK, that’s all fine. But we had 20 questions for him, and they went something like this:
1) You’re a good looking guy. Why would you have a difficult time getting a girlfriend?
I was never a good dater, never a ladies’ man–I was just never any good on dates. I never liked to date. When Friday and Saturday night rolled along, I’d rather hang around with my good friends. I also was always broke so I could never afford to date. Combine all that and you’ve got one lonely guy.
2) Good friends, huh? The nicest things they said about you in your movie was that you’re difficult and picky.
You think that was the first time I heard that? [Laughs.] I actually thought that they would clam up in front of the camera. I have a very attacking sense of humor, as do they. When I showed the footage I had to the editor who was letting us use his facilities, he said, “You have to promise me that you won’t cop out.” I said, “Well, what do you mean?” He said, “Well, you’re a bit of a jerk.”
3) And even strangers thought you were “a bit of a jerk.” What was the deal with the girl on the beach who flipped the bird at you?
There Elisabeth and I were having a romantic meal at the beach and I saw her walking along, coming into our shot. The guy part of me was really into talking with Elisabeth, but the filmmaker in me saw an opportunity to add drama so I told the girl to walk away from our shot. To add insult to injury, we then had to chase after her to have her sign the release form. We filled 120 hours of real footage and we couldn’t use a lot of it ’cause we couldn’t get everyone’s permission to be in the film. It was a real hassle.
4) Speaking of permission, some of the dates who made it into your film got a little tense when they realized you were filming the dates. How many dates did you have to go on to make “20 Dates”?
About 25. Not everyone would sign the release form.
5) Elisabeth, when Myles told you he was a filmmaker, did you think that it was a line, since everyone in Los Angeles claims to be in show business?
I believed he was making a movie. I had seen him at the mall a few days. He came into the store without a camera and he was jumping around and hitting on me. I wasn’t looking around to go out with an actor or anyone in the business, but I thought he was nice and joked around with him, too. But he said I didn’t come off as being very nice in the beginning.
6) There must’ve been something about her that made you be persistent, Myles, since she was obviously sending off, “Don’t bother,” vibes.
Well yes, she’s very beautiful. But you know what it was though? The first thing that I saw about Elisabeth that I fell in love with was her posture–the way she walked was so beautiful.
7) Did you know that she was “the one”?
Not at first. Originally I’d go in there thinking, “I have no shot with this woman. So at least I can keep going in there until she screams, and that will be funny.” But because I had nothing to lose, I’d just go in there giving it everything that I had. Sometimes she was less than interested, but she warmed up to me. There’s something to be said for hanging in there.
8) So persistence is the secret to landing a date?
Absolutely. That and volume. If you really wanted to hook yourself up with a boyfriend, you can’t go out on dates every two or three months, because a couple weeks before the date you’re all anxious, getting your haircut so it’ll look just right before the date and then you’re all nervous by the time the date shows up that you’re a mess. The date is performance theater where you’re not acting like yourself.
9) What would the proper approach be then?
You should set aside three months of your life and say, “I’m going to go out on 20 dates if it kills me.” Have friends introduce you and go to classes and be open to everything because the first five, six, seven, eight dates are going to be nerve-wracking. You’re going to be all nervous, but then by the time you get to nine or 10, you’re going to be so used to it that you’ll be able to be the with person and be normal without even realizing it.
10) But one of your dates–the feminist ballerina–stabbed you. Wouldn’t you call that a little extreme for a date?
Yes, but you probably won’t be going on a date with a hidden camera like I did. She was nice to me before I told her she was being filmed. She just grazed my hand with her fork. We’ve made our peace now.
11) How’d you meet her?
[Laughs.] Through friends. I told you my friends and I all had attacking senses of humor.
12) And on another date, the woman’s stalker ex-boyfriend came to cause a little trouble for you guys, right?
Yes. [Laughs.] I told you I was a horrible dater. But I hung in there.
13) Your sound man seemed to enjoy it very much when your dates went sour. Your cameraman was generous with his shots of Greg [Kita] laughing.
He actually is a pretty good sound man. [Laughing.] He’s just a mean little vicious guy. This whole experience has gone to his head.
14) The two dates that actually distracted me were the ones you had with a couple of actresses, Tia Carrere and Julie McCulloch [who played Kirk Cameron’s girlfriend on “Growing Pains”). You were so adamant that your dates were going to be “real” people. What happened?
Both were friends of [producer] Elie [Samaha]. He wanted some glamour and he got it.
15) Speaking of Elie, he comes across as a loud-mouthed bully in your movie. Didn’t that make it difficult to get him to continue financing the film?
He has a really good sense of humor and as long as he’s portrayed in a macho way, I knew he’d be OK with it. I also provoked him to get the reactions that I wanted.
16) Since you’re the first to admit that this is more of a movie than a documentary, why not just make a movie with Johnny Depp playing you?
Because I wanted to be in it! [Laughs.] It’s definitely not a documentary because we cut it like a movie so that it has a Hollywood ending. Nobody would believe that Johnny Depp couldn’t get a date. But people root for me because they know that I’m like them. It ends up being a very inspirational movie because moviegoers can see that if I can do it, anyone can. That’s very much the message of it.
17) When you started the film, did you really think that you would find true love on a bunch of blind dates?
Never! I knew where the movie was going to begin and end, but I didn’t know what would happen in between then. I thought I’d have enough to make a mean, little vicious comedy about dating, and it looked like I was heading that way. And then the project got away from me.
18) Elisabeth, were you disappointed that even though the two of you had fallen in love, Myles was still going on date with other women?
I didn’t enjoy it. [Laughs.] But I knew he was legally obligated to finish the film, and that meant producing 20 dates on film. But it got a little tough at times. I don’t think anyone wants to share their boyfriend.
19) Was there ever a question whether Tia would win out over Elisabeth?
Never! [Elisabeth smiles and pats the hand that was once stabbed by the feminist ballerina.]
20) So, when’s the wedding date?
It’ll be either Oct. 9 or Oct. 16.
