cameron diaz movies
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 Chapter 3 - The Ringleader
"For a whirlwind of creative energy, McG is an extremely articulate man," declares Goldberg, "which is how he got the job of directing the first movie, even though he hadn't directed a feature film before. When he came in and did a presentation, he went through the entire movie scene by scene, doing line readings, changing scenes that he didn't think worked and coming up with new ones. He brought a new look to the material. And he captured the style, tone and kinetic feel, which was the whole trick."
McG confesses that he was overwhelmed at landing the assignment, but also thrilled. "I was so excited to be there that I didn't want to waste a second being nervous or uncertain. I remember showing up the first day of filming and there was a flotilla of trucks and gear and people. It was kind of like being a young tennis player who somehow manages to get into the finals at Wimbledon his first time out. You don't fully appreciate what a big deal it is and how frightened you should have been until you look back on it."
Having quelled his trepidations and making it through the first film fueled by sheer determination, this time around the director exudes even greater ease and confidence, according to Goldberg. "And he's helped by the fact that the drama is right there and the comedy is sharper, more finely honed. McG knows what he wants from the cast and how to get it. It's our good fortune that he has the enviable ability to communicate to his actors the emotional content of a scene and get them to respond appropriately. That's impressive and a talent some directors never acquire."
"I'm just a huge fan of movies," admits McG. "But I also have an MTV upbringing, as well as my involvement in commercials and music videos. The films that have influenced me the most seem to have an architectural composition everything from the movies of Hitchcock, who storyboarded every single frame, to Mike Nichols' The Graduate, a portraiture-style film, to David Lean's epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. Those are my biggest influences."
Like such other current directors as David Fincher, Mark Romanek and Spike Jonze, McG is proud to have emerged from an advertising and music video background. "It's a great place to cut your teeth and find out what it's like to shoot on the mountaintop, shoot at night, get caught in the rain. You learn what you need and figure out what it takes to get the day's work done and evoke emotions from your actors. It's a hands-on place to train and I'm delighted to be a part of that community."
Virtually everyone on the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle team was infected by McG's infectious optimism and intensity. Among his most ardent fans are the three women who portray Charlie's crack team of super sleuths. For Barrymore, it was crucial to have a high level of energy and enthusiasm from a director "because at six o'clock in the morning when you're supposed to be kicking butt, it's the director who has to put you into that insane place. McG not only feels that arousing everyone's energy is his job, he really does want to make everyone happy and feel great."
Barrymore was impressed by the breadth of McG's knowledge about film, television and music. "At any given time he's liable to reference The Matrix or West Side Story or Foul Play. And he knows how to marry all those influences and gracefully make them flow together."
What amazes Lucy Liu is McG's tenacity and drive. "From the beginning to the end of the first movie and through this one, he never once lost his energy or his spirit," she says. "He's always trying to elevate scenes, to make them more colorful, artful and energetic. Making something vibrant on film is not easy but he has that ability. McG wants to be inspired all the time and when you're around that, you can't help but get caught up and inspired. It's like a hit of fresh oxygen."
The director also has a knack for dramatic balance, Liu continues. "There's a very fine line between comedy and drama. You can't have one without the other that's what makes it work. It's a very difficult balance. But he knows that the audience is smart and he refuses to dumb things down."
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