VERMONT VOICES
David ( cont .): thought , “ Okay , we ’ ve got to shut down the Hollywood freeway to do a big dance number . How do you do that ?” The California Department of Transportation ’ s highway department showed us places on different freeways that were shut down , where it was safe to shoot for a few days . One of those was the elevated portion between the 105 Freeway and the 110 Freeway . When we showed that location to Damien , he said , “ Oh , my God , this is great !” He liked it , because when you look in the direction of downtown , it looks like the City of Oz . From my perspective , another very important aspect of film production and production design is safety . We were 100 feet off the ground , and the parapet was only knee-high . We had people dancing , running , and jumping all over the place during the shoot , and we didn ’ t want anyone to fall . Everything was very carefully planned , and I ’ m happy that it all worked out in the end .
Sherman : You also got to work with Aaron Sorkin on Molly ’ s Game , which was his directorial debut . How did you first connect with Aaron Sorkin ?
David : He ’ s an iconic movie and television writer , and I had the quickest interview I ’ ve ever had in my life with him . I brought my portfolio book to the interview , and he didn ’ t even want to look at it . He just knew that he wanted to work with us . I
LEFT : David and Sandy , 1985 at the L . A . Griffith Park Observatory Planetarium rooftop . A frequent spot to view sunsets . Photo by David Wasco
RIGHT : David & Sandy nominated for BAFTA , Best Art Direction for La La Land , London . 2016 . Photo by Devin Mann
will say , though , that the film presented several difficult challenges . Half of the movie takes place in Los Angeles , and half of the movie takes place in New York . We did extensive research , but we were told that the majority of the movie was going to be shot in Toronto . With the exception of a few scenes on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and Central Park in New York , we were able to shoot the whole film in Toronto . I think that when an audience watches that movie , they don ’ t know that the movie was not shot entirely in L . A . and New York , which I ’ m very proud of . Another hurdle that we had to overcome is that the writer of Molly ’ s Game , Molly Bloom , was not allowed to enter Canada due to the fact that she was a convicted felon . Sandy got to talk with her over the phone about the different characters , and she was a wonderful source of information . It ’ s always good to be able to talk directly to the author when you ’ re working on a film that is based on a book .
Sherman : You ’ ve had an extraordinary career and life together , and I ’ m grateful to have you here in the studio with us just down the road from where David grew up in Bennington . What does it feel like after you ’ ve been to all of these different places and worked with all of these amazing artists to come back to Vermont , David ? Does it still feel like home ?
David : Vermont is an amazing place . I was once told that the photos from the visual pollution photograph project that I did at Mount Anthony Union High School as part of D . U . O . were used in the fight to pass the anti-billboard law that went into effect in Vermont in the 1960s . I still have a place in my heart for Vermont , and I like to think I played a part in keeping this carefully-preserved state beautiful .
To listen to the extended audio interview with David and Sandy Wasco , go to VTVOICES at OldMillRoadRecording . com
40 VERMONT MAGAZINE