Jeff Daniels Talks About His New Film GUEST ARTIST, The Difference Between Film and Theatre, and More!

Jeff Daniels is starring in the new film Guest Artist, based on Daniels play of the same name.

He recently chatted with Salon about the film, his feelings on theatre vs. film, and much more!

"In a play, there's no cut to at the end of every scene, like in a screenplay," Daniels said. "If the characters are in the room and in real time, you have to keep them in the room."

He also went on to talk about how he began the playwriting aspect of his career.

"When I was able to open a theater company, I thought, I could do this. I can put two people on a bench for 20 minutes and make them funny," he said. "But what do I do before and after? I took the time to learn how to do it. I can write comedy, which sells tickets. I learned what to leave in and what to take out, and structure."

Guest Artis is based on an incident that happened to Daniels' mentor and friend, playwright Lanford Wilson.

"Lanford could knock out a play once a year. I took that idea and ran with it. I learned pretty fast. I kept at it, and that work becomes more solo, and more like a painter with a painting," Daniels said. "Lanford wouldn't consider doctoring a screenplay for $100,000. He was a pure artist."

Read the full interview on Salon.

"Guest Artist" is available to stream on demand on July 21.

Watch the trailer below:

Jeff Daniels' Broadway credits include To Kill a Mockingbird (Tony nomination), Blackbird (Tony nomination), God of Carnage (Tony nomination), Redwood Curtain, 5th Of July (Drama Desk Award). His many Off-Broadway as a member of Circle Repertory Company including Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun (Obie Award). As Founder and Resident Playwright of Michigan's Purple Rose Theatre Company, his many plays include Flint, Guest Artist (Runner-Up, American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play), Across the Way (Finalist, ATCA), and The Meaning of Almost Everything (ATCA nomination).

Daniels' film credits include Terms of Endearment; Something Wild; The Purple Rose of Cairo; Fly Away Home; Dumb and Dumber; Gettysburg; The Hours; Speed; Pleasantville; 101 Dalmatians; Good Night, and Good Luck; The Martian; Steve Jobs; The Squid and the Whale.

Television credits include Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom" (Emmy Award), "The Looming Tower" (Emmy nomination), and "Godless" (Emmy).