Gus Van Sant Discusses ‘Don’t Worry,’ Joaquin Phoenix’s Character Obsessions & How Robin Williams Killed Time On Set [Podcast]

When “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot” hit theaters last July, it certainly had its eye on more prestigious (and real) accolades than 2018’s Quickest To Depart The Conversation. Yet early awards buzz for Jonah Hill‘s and Joaquin Phoenix‘sperformances therein, unfortunately, dissipated, and even with Amazon Studios‘ backing, Gus Van Sant’s latest feature just didn’t make much of a dent. (Maybe its fortunes will improve as “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot” became available to stream on Amazon Prime Video this weekend.)

READ MORE: Adam McKay & Gus Van Sant Talk ‘Vice’ & The “Unearned Confidence Of The Mediocre White Guy”

Even so, this unconventional biopic of quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan is notable for a few reasons. First, it marks Van Sant’s return to a certain benchmark of quality coming off the disappointing “Sea of Trees.” If a little scattered, ‘Won’t Get Far On Foot’ finds its lifeblood in some Van Sant storytelling hallmarks, namely great actors parrying their way to emotional revelation through wit and genuine goofballery. 

READ MORE: Gus Van Sant Says Robin Williams Originally Was To Star In ‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot’

Plus, it gave us a reason to revisit some of Van Sant’s most exciting subjects in familiar settings: Portland, Oregon, for one and therapy for another. 

READ MORE: Joaquin Phoenix In ‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’ [Sundance Review]

In his former stomping grounds of Portland — and the setting for breakout films “Drugstore Cowboy” and “My Own Private Idaho” — the Oscar-nominated director sat down last summer to share why he’s so drawn toward depicting therapy on screen. Our conversation also touches on some entertaining old stories about his crew’s near-mutiny on “Drugstore Cowboy” and the prodigious ways Robin Williams and Matt Damon entertained themselves on the set of “Good Will Hunting.”

READ MORE: 8 Established Filmmakers Who Reinvented Themselves With Risky Low-Budget Efforts

That interview was the centerpiece of Be Reel’s episode about curmudgeonly cartoonists in film last summer. We discussed ‘Won’t Get Far On Foot’ alongside “American Splendor” (starring Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar in 2003) and “Chasing Amy” (Kevin Smith’s prickly rom-com starring Ben Affleck as the fictional Holden McNeil in 1997).

Our critical response to those three movies was mixed, but Van Sant was, without a doubt, one of the best interviews we’ve had in four years of “Be Reel” — four years that hit a nice new high in December with our joining The Playlist Podcast Network, if you didn’t know!  Catch up with our podcast’s backlog here, stream “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot” is free on Prime Video as of this weekend, and listen to the Van Sant show below.