The commencement of production on The Rules of Attraction represented the culmination of a 15-year-long effort by director/writer Roger Avary to bring Bret Easton Ellis' withering social dissection to the screen, having become enamored of the novel upon its publication in 1987 as the author's sophomore effort following Less Than Zero. As the years progressed toward the turn of the 21st century, Avary found that the novel and its characters not only didn't age, but actually resonate more in a time of increasing nihilism among the economically favored youth of America. As a result, Avary eliminated the specific late 1980s setting of the story, feeling that The Rules of Attraction not only speaks of the current generation, but to them as well. "It's a complicated answer when I tell people that the story takes place during no time," notes Avary. "The film will contain an 80s conceit, be populated with present day dressings, but will exist--much like Killing Zoe--in a bubble universe all its own."
Avary was originally drawn to The Rules of Attraction because of its thematic connections to a period of social history that had particular fascination for him: the dissipation and dissolution of the French bourgeoisie in the 1930s, just before Hitler and the cataclysm of World War II catapulted their world into trivia. And as an avowed and lifelong student of film (his work as a former video store clerk gave him access to thousands of titles), Avary recognized tangible links between The Rules of Attraction and Jean Renoir's similarly titled 1939 classic The Rules of the Game. "Something to keep in mind is that the 80s nihilism of Ellis' work was very much alive in France during the 30s," notes Avary.
Provocative and often controversial, Bret Easton Ellis is one of the most uncompromising social chroniclers of his time. In a series of often devastating novels--Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, The Informers and Glamorama--Ellis has continuously picked at the scabs of materialism, trendiness and emotional stasis among his young, often frighteningly wealthy and wasteful characters. Often, characters introduced in one novel will work their way into others, either as protagonists or secondary characters. Hence, The Rules of Attraction's Victor is the subject of Glamorama, and Sean Bateman is the brother of Patrick Bateman, the main character of the aptly titled American Psycho, which was the basis of the critically acclaimed Lions Gate film released in 2000 starring Christian Bale and directed by Mary Harron.
Avary set about to engage in the talents of some of the finest young performers working today. "Casting James Van Der Beek as Sean Bateman was perceived by some as surprising and subversive," admits Avary. "'The Beek' is one of the coolest guys I've ever met, and has just the qualities I needed for my version of Bateman--not to mention the will to go there." It didn't take the writer/director long to make his choice for the right person to portray Lauren either. "I met Shannyn Sossamon at her home and chatted for several hours about the screenplay," says Avary, "and much to my delight our thematic discussion evolved into a therapy session. I knew instantly that I had found my Lauren--to be portrayed as a contradiction of confidence and insecurity--and asked Shannyn to join our troupe for what measured up to be an amazing psychological adventure."
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