October 8, 1999
We think that author Warren Adler should be a household name by now. He's written 23 books, two of which have been made into film with big stars and directors --- WAR OF THE ROSES and the recent RANDOM HEARTS. This talented writer dives into the hearts, minds, and psyches of his characters in every one of his books. TBR's Executive Producer Carol Fitzgerald plucked this book from our reading table, loved it and knew there was an interview to be had. She felt the writer nailed the subject of intimacy in marriage dead on. Find out what Adler thinks of the film Random Hearts, the Internet, the movie industry, marriage and more in this telling interview.
BRC: RANDOM HEARTS was first published in 1984. After fifteen years, the story holds up so well. When it was first published, what was the reaction from readers? In 1984 I would think this topic may have seemed a tad more radical.
WA: When the book was published in 1984, it was well received, well reviewed and immediately purchased by many foreign publishers. The movie rights were quickly optioned. It was not considered radical. The themes of betrayal and infidelity are universal and enduring and have been portrayed in the bible, Greek dramas, through Shakespeare to the present day. My books are about relationships, with a strong emphasis on the mysterious power of attraction and the compelling nature of "love." Why "him" not "her" and visa versa forms the centerpiece of many of my stories, although they are not by any stretch "romance" novels.
BRC: One thing that struck me was that the characters we see at the start of the book --- Lily and Orsen --- seem so different from the ones that Vivien and Edward know. You almost wonder which relationship was the fantasy. What do you think?
WA: The fact that these characters come from different backgrounds is what underpins the idea of "Random" in terms of attraction. In the movie the filmmakers went too far in pushing this idea. Harrison's character is a cop, a very fatigued genre. Kristin's character is a Congresswoman, an equally overworked genre. Establishing these careers in the movie were too sketchy, unnecessary and unbelievable, undercutting the dramatic impact of the story and interfering with the central issue. In my opinion it was a big mistake. But more on that on my website shortly, WarrenAdler.com.
BRC: Are any of your characters --- Lily, Orsen, Vivien and Edward --- based on anyone you know?
WA: Characters created in the mind of a fiction writer are more of an amalgamation of conscious and subconscious data absorbed by the writer and reshaped in the creative cauldron of his imagination. Thus, I cannot say if they were specifically based on any single person that I might have known.
BRC: When you wrote this book, were you thinking how it might work as a movie? The character of Sergeant Lee McCarthy, the detective is what made me think about this. His character and comments provide such a terrific bridge to move the story along.
WA: I never think about how my work will be adapted in any other medium. The fact that the movies have always been so interested in my work baffles me. RANDOM HEARTS has taught me that I had better not sell anything to the movies unless I have creative input, not necessarily control, but a seat at the table. I might have been able to divert the film makers from stepping on the minefields that hurt their film version.
BRC: McCarthy drives the suspense, but from what we know about him he seems to be using these characters to explore his own failed marriage. Was that your intent?
WA: In life as well as in the minds of the characters I have created, their personal experiences shape their motivation. People generally relate to what they have gone through in their lives and are motivated primarily by these personal experiences. McCarthy is no exception.
BRC: You write with great perception about the intimacy of a marriage, not just sexual intimacy, but the way people interact and feel. Your comments about relationships are so honest and keen. Is it difficult to keep your own relationship separate?
WA: No honest writer can keep his own life truly separate from his fictional life. Nevertheless it is better to act out these fantasies in one's fiction than louse up one's personal relations by acting them out in real life.
BRC: What have your married friends said about the book?
WA: The story of RANDOM HEARTS is disturbing to most couples who truly believe their spouses are sexually faithful. Do any of us truly know one another, really know?
BRC: Do men and women see this book the same way?
WA: I haven't done a survey, but I believe that men and women see the book in the same light. Fidelity has no gender. Both genders can be driven by their need for love, both in flesh and mind.
BRC: What is your own marriage like? Does your wife comment on your work?
WA: I have had one marriage. My wife and I have been pals since we were kids. We are totally supportive of each other and are having a great life together. We don't agree on everything, but that adds a bit of spice to our relationship. I never show my wife any of my work in progress, but allow her to read it when completely finished. Her comments are honest, sometimes ecstatic and sometimes brutal. I rarely make changes based on her comments.
BRC: How do you come up with your titles?
WA: I never title a book until it is totally finished. Then I empty my mind of all the titles I have accumulated and pick one that best serves the story.
BRC: Films based on books traditionally attract a new readership with tie-in titles. Are you encouraged about this prospect for RANDOM HEARTS?
WA: In the case of RANDOM HEARTS, the movie has led to a massive resurrection of interest in the book. It was out-of-print for a number of years in the United States and elsewhere. It has now been or about to be republished in most countries of the world. I look upon the movie as a powerful billboard for my work. Nobody is better at promotion than the movie people. My major fear was that the film makers might change the title. That is the kiss of death for most novelists who sell their books to the movies. Naturally, I would like the movie to be a massive hit like The War of the Roses. At this point, I am doubtful. There are too many flaws in the movie. Somewhere along the line they took a wrong turn which diminished its effect. It would be self-serving to say that their basic mistake was not following the character models and plot line of the book. This, of course, is every novelist's complaint. In this case, I sincerely believe they should have paid a lot more attention to the nuances of character and plot in the novel. In Hollywood terms, this is called "defending the book." The book needs no defense. The movie does indeed.
BRC: To date, you have written 23 books. This kind of a battery of work implies that you are an extremely disciplined writer. What is your writing style?
WA: I have an established routine for writing. I write every day of my life, all morning and, if I'm hot, most of the afternoon. It is not discipline. It is joy.
BRC: You have openly embraced the online medium with your website, www.warrenadler.com. How long have you had this site? Also, you are planning to use it for readers to comment on the film as well as the book. Can you tell us a bit about that?
WA: I am a great fan and believer in the Internet. My site has been up for two years and is gaining momentum as more and more people become aware of my books. I have openly stated both on my website, through my e-mail and in my recent article in the New York Times (October 3, 1999) that I will published all reactions to my book and the movie, pro or con. I have encouraged people to read the book, then see the movie or vice versa to understand the agonizing process of adapting a book to make a movie. There is another factor at work here. Writers have had little chance to be heard on the subject of how they truly feel about an adaptation of their work. Most have simply been accepting or silent, not necessarily by choice, but because there were no outlets to accept the immediacy of their comments. With the Internet, we writer's have a potent weapon of response and I intend to use it.
BRC: What is your next project?
WA: I have just finished a novel called RING AROUND HER FINGER which explores one woman's cynical search for a wealthy man to rescue her from poverty and despair through marriage and what she learns about herself in such a crass pursuit.
BRC: What writers influenced you?
WA: I have been influenced by many writers from Shakespeare, through all of the classic British, Russian and French novelists. If there is any one novelist that I truly admire most for his concise and brilliant psychological portrayals it is Georges Simenon, not in much favor these days, but a prolific and accessible literary genius.
BRC: What are you reading now?
WA: I am reading Shakespeare who always got it right. In fact, I am taking a course in Shakespeare in the New School. The secret of his durability, aside from the gorgeous languages, is his sure insight into human behavior.
BRC: What are your thoughts on the millennium?
WA: My only thought about the millennium is that time is both our most precious possession and our mortal enemy.
