Distinctly Montana Magazine

“MY FAVORITE THING IS COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, LEAVING LA ON A HOT, SUNNY DAY, AND FLYING INTO THE MAGIC OF A MONTANA WINTER.” performed to a record player that had a tendency to skip. I went to college in Maine and New York, but came back to Bozeman to work on my first feature film, The Horse Whisper. I was a PA for nearly two years, an unusually long time for a Hollywood film. I got a job working for Redford in LA after that. Were/are you as athletic as your family? My family is filled with mountain people, very serious adventure athletes. My sister and brother were both pro- fessional skiers. My dad was an exceptional skier and run- ner as well. My mom has done the Montana Ridge Run more times than I can count. I think she was sponsored for a while. I literally cannot compete within my own family, although I am a closet triathlete. I just finished my first triathlon last weekend. What were the steps that led you to producing for such noted filmmakers as Robert Redford? I was given a big break by a producer, who now lives in Bozeman, Patrick Markey. I met Patrick and Redford when I was in high school on A River Runs Through It and was desperate to be involved somehow. When they came back to Montana with The Horse Whisperer, I did every- thing I could to get my rather meager resumé on their desks. I think Patrick didn’t know what to do with me, so stuck me in the production office, which sparked great friendships with people I still work with. What led to the collaboration with Nicole Kidman and the formation of Blossom Films? Nicole and I really connected over our love of movies, of classic films by Polanksi and Cassavetes. She wanted to start a company that focused on stories about something, by new and fresh filmmakers and writers, a company that was designed to support the artist through the difficult process of getting a film made. Our similar sensibilities brought us together and we started Blossom at Fox in 2006. [Editor’s note: Other upcoming Blossom films include Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez and Lasse Halstrom’s The Danish Girl, in which Nicole Kidman plays a transsexual and also stars Rachel Weisz.] Do you come back to Bozeman very often? Do you have relatives here. I love Bozeman—it will always be home to me. My fa- vorite thing is coming home for Christmas, leaving LA on a hot, sunny day, and flying into the magic of a Montana winter, getting off that little airplane and seeing the snow and my family. Bozeman is about family, and that is the most important thing to me. 38 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SUMMER 2011

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