| MICHAEL WYLIE / not doing this for attention, but deserves it. |
| Written by Fleur Douglas |
| Wednesday, 11 November 2009 08:41 |
 Rule Number One: Don’t buy fish on a Monday. Rule Number Two: Don’t poke an angry German. Rule Number Three: 'PUSHING DAISIES' was the best looking show on television, and they’ve got the Emmy to prove it. 'Pushing Daisies' was a beautiful show that sadly lacked the deserved ratings to keep it alive... and after it died, there was no pie-maker to touch it back to life. One thing remains and that’s the precious bright look that was always somehow self-unaware – all courtesy of MICHAEL WYLIE; the show production designer... as unassuming and humble as the show itself. Wylie won a Creative Arts Emmy for Best Art Direction at the 2009 awards, beating out popular and critical favourite 'Mad Men'. COUP DE MAIN: Do you think that your name and work will always be associated with that glossy bright beauty that you brought to life (if you’ll excuse the phrase!) with 'Pushing Daisies'? MICHAEL WYLIE: I hope so! What happened on 'Pushing Daisies' doesn’t happen all of the time. There was such a confluence of inspiration that you rarely find; anywhere. The fact that I had worked with Barry Sonnenfeld and had a shorthand with him, and I got on immediately with Bryan Fuller and established a lot of trust really quickly, and the crew that was assembled had a real REAL understanding of this material and where the funny was and where the beauty was... Astonishing. I know we weren’t curing cancer or doing something brave, but for what we do I will always be happy to be associated with the show. (BTW, hopefully I won’t be that guy living in an alley behind a restaurant screaming “I designed Pushing Daisies” at passers-by!)
 CDM: 'Pushing Daisies' had such an instantaneous appeal and cult following. It was such a huge surprise to people when it was cancelled. What do you think could have saved it? WYLIE: Everyone has an opinion about that and in order to give my opinion, someone’s feelings might get ruffled. It was expensive. It was hard to make. It was maybe too niche. There was seemingly little support from those that should have supported it. It just ended. These things happen... CDM: How hard is it to work on something like 'Pushing Daisies' with a really iconic look, where the production design itself is almost like another character - compared to creating something more everyday? WYLIE: Well. 'Pushing Daisies' was difficult because it was so iconic (or certainly eye-catching). But the look that we came up with is SO much a CLEAR character that it was actually easy to make happen because the scripts are so specific and OUR WORLD; (our boundaries) is so specific that sometimes we would be having so much fun saying “what if...” and the next thing you know, you have a cool set. I think the mundane stuff is much harder in a lot of ways because it's so un-specific. “Who is this guy? Why are we here?” Then you have to make it all up and the director wants it to look like his house so he can keep the sofa at the end... and nobody is driving the ship. CDM: 'Notes From The Underbelly' (which we LOVE) also has, though of course more muted, a brightness to its design - what were the similarities between that job and 'Pushing Daisies'? WYLIE: The number one similarity is Barry Sonnenfeld. The way he shoots with super wide lenses at very low angles, forces one to build a set in a certain way. It has to be big. It must have a ceiling. He also enjoys a lot of colour. He is a very, VERY funny man and that humor and whimsy, comes through in everything he touches.  CDM: And you won the Emmy... how has that changed things for you? WYLIE: I was so surprised when that happened. I always wondered what it would be like and what happens when you get escorted backstage by the beauty pageant lady after your speech, and now I know. I’m so proud of my crew and happy for the show. We won a lot of hardware in the last two years. It’s a dream come true. My agent called me about five minutes after I won and left a message on my phone - “Congrats on the win. Just remember, this doesn’t change anything.” Shocking at the time, but she was right. Nothing, is really any different. People don’t seek you out because of that award. People in Hollywood seek you out way more, for having a good reputation and for being someone who is a pleasure to be around (mostly). It is simply icing on a really delicious piece of cake to “win” a prize. Bloody fun though! CDM: Now that you’re not competing... What do you think of the production design on 'Mad Men'? WYLIE: Perfect. They are really good. Dan Bishop is a very quiet thoughtful man who delivers VERY thoughtful sets. I wouldn’t trash talk them at all. Yes it may be true that they have a wealth of visual reference to draw from, but that really doesn’t make that job any easier or better looking. It still comes down to choices and they make great choices. AND they are still on the air so they can win next year. CDM: Who are some of the great production designers you admire? WYLIE: Bo Welch ('Men In Black', 'Edward Scissorhands'); who I had the pleasure of being one of the worst Art Directors for. I like Rick Heinrichs ('Sleepy Hollow', 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' 2 & 3). Anyone who’s ever worked for Tim Burton. (Mr. Burton, I am available!) I think Nathan Crowley ('The Dark Knight', 'The Prestige') is awesome.  CDM: You’ve received so much popular and critical acclaim for your work on 'Pushing Daisies'... is there anything less mainstream and maybe even more dear to your heart you’ve worked on, that you wish could get the same level of attention? WYLIE: I don’t do this for attention and I’m really sorta shy about the whole thing. I really like some of the work I’ve done for different reasons. A TV show called 'The Tick' was a favourite. One of my first films called 'Wishcraft', which was a pretty average teen horror movie. I thought it looked really great and was always very proud of it. CDM: What part of the job is the most satisfying? WYLIE: The people I get to work with. I really think there is something about the kind of person who leaves their hometown and everyone they know, to drift off to the edge of this huge country for God-only-knows-what. You end up in rooms with people who have done and seen everything, or who have the most amazing sense of humour, or something really special about them. And they drive such creativity sometimes. I know there are a lot of shitheads in this town; but for the most part, it is a great collection of characters. CDM: Can you take a step back from your work and admit that it’s done, or is there always just one little something you’d like to tweak? WYLIE: Ha! I used to beat myself over the head and think I could have done so much more. Now I am in a place where “The Big Picture” is the name of the game. If it looks like what we had set out to do, and the crew is wanting to shoot, we are done. One could tweak forever. That’s not to say I’m careless. Just getting more practical. CDM: And finally, of course... where to next? WYLIE: I have no clue. Isn’t that fun? I just did a pilot. Bryan Fuller ('Pushing Daisies', 'Heroes') is writing something. Mr. Sonnenfeld has his fingers in a couple of pies. It’s just before the holiday season here. The shops are starting to shut. The New Year will bring new adventures. I hope for something I can sink my teeth into, with all of the people I love working with.  |
