Oscar-Winning Saxon Calls Palisades Home

Pacific Palisades residents have probably seen film producer Edward Saxon around town, driving car pool, going to his daughters’ school events’usually with a ready smile. You may even remember his face from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ as a head in a jar. He won a 1992 Best Picture Oscar for producing that movie, and his latest film, the adult comedy ‘Away We Go,’ is now showing in theaters after receiving mostly positive reviews. ‘I saw a script and thought it was the best one I had seen forever,’ Saxon said. ‘Sam Mendes [who won a 1999 Oscar for directing ‘American Beauty’] called and said he was interested.’ During filming, the crew shot in Connecticut (‘where we got a fabulous tax credit’), Arizona, Florida and Colorado. Once the film was completed, the decision was made to roll it out slowly, so that word-of-mouth would help propel it – and the buzz has been good. Saxon loves comedies, but selects his projects based on movies he’d like to see. His favorite film is ‘The Godfather Part II.’ ‘It is an extraordinary immigrant story,’ he said. ‘It has the hopefulness of coming to America as a family man and shows what happens if you don’t have a moral compass.’ He describes ‘Godfather II’ as high craft married to a great script and incredible performances. Saxon’s next film underway is an untitled wedding comedy starring Palisades High School graduate Forest Whitaker. Described as a culture-clash, the story centers on two overbearing fathers, Whitaker and Carlos Mencia, who must put aside their differences to plan the wedding of their children, played by Lance Gross (‘Meet the Browns’) and America Ferrera (‘Ugly Betty’). The movie is likely to open next spring, and Saxon, who was on the Los Angeles set on Tuesday, said, ‘So far, it’s fantastic. It’s really going great.’ When reading a screenplay, the first thing Saxon notices is the writing. He advises new screenwriters to work on their craft, noting that if the script is not carefully written, it keeps him from finishing it. ‘The intent and clarity are diminished if there are not grammatically correct words that are well-chosen,’ said Saxon, who has been reading scripts for 25 years. He notes that screenplays haven’t changed much, that only the genres go in and out of style. Today, movies are more likely to be made if there is a built-in awareness or marketing, such as with ‘Transformers’ or the Harry Potter series. ‘It’s a good time for comedy, given the economic climate,’ said Saxon, who was raised in St. Louis and attended McGill University in Montreal. He graduated with a degree in English in 1980. Saxon applied to the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC, but was turned down. He admits that it was probably his grades that caused the rejection, telling the Palisadian-Post that he was preoccupied with theater and foosball, as opposed to reading the required material for his English literature classes. He was eventually accepted at USC, graduating with an M.F.A. in 1984. During college, Saxon did everything from Shakespeare to hosting an original radio show. When asked if he has any acting aspirations, he said, ‘I never turn down a part if I’m asked, but I never get offered one either.’ Saxon jokes that show business has always been in his blood because his grandmother was a Rockette. His mom even wrote a script titled ‘My Mom was a Rockette.’ In 1984, he met director Jonathan Demme while both were working on a PBS half-hour comedy written by Beth Henley. They worked together through 2002 and produced (in addition to ‘Silence of the Lambs’) ‘Beloved,’ ‘Philadelphia,’ ‘Married to the Mob,’ Something Wild,’ and ‘The Truth About Charlie.’ The partnership ultimately ‘ran its course.’ ‘I wanted to do more producing and he wanted to go a different direction.’ Saxon produced Spike Jonze’s 2002 film, ‘Adaptation’ (written by Charlie Kaufman), and Richard Linklater’s ‘Fast Food Nation’ in 2006. ‘I like the variety which goes with producing,’ Saxon said. ‘You do a little bit of everything:’ looking at scripts, casting, finding a director, finances and visiting different locations. Saxon and his wife Kirsten Coyne, an artist who does large-scale installations and sculptures, moved to Pacific Palisades in 2005 to be closer to his extended family. His mom and four brothers live in Los Angeles, as does his sister, Leslie Saxon, a Palisadian who is chief of cardiology at USC Medical Center.   Saxon and Coyne have two daughters, Violet and Willow.