According to Greenfield, the importance of casting Emile Hirsch as Matthew cannot be overemphasized. “If we didn’t get Emile, I probably wouldn’t have made the movie,” he says. At first, the young actor, who had not yet read the script, resisted because he perceived the project to be a teen comedy. “Emile is serious about his craft – he’s been memorizing Brando since age 9! – and didn’t want to do anything formulaic,” says the director. “But when he did read the script, he said he was shocked by how edgy it was, and he signed on.”
“Yes, the script was shocking in a way,” Hirsch confirms. “It’s smart and edgy and is partially set in the world of pornography. But I laughed a lot when I read it, and I really like the character of Matthew. He starts out as an overachiever, but one who’s pretty fearful. The girl next door, played by Elisha, makes him break out of his shell and become the guy he always wished he could be. He’s a budding politician who ends up learning about real world politics.”
Upping the stakes of Matthew’s relationship with Danielle is Kelly, her former “producer,” who’ll stop at nothing to keep his favorite actress in the porn fold. Kelly is everything Matthew is not: cool, handsome and mysterious. He challenges Matthew with a query that sums up a key theme: “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” Is Matthew willing to risk everything for Danielle?
As conceived by Greenfield and co-screenwriter Stuart Blumberg, Kelly is far from a typical bad guy. “He’s a charming rogue,” says Blumberg. Adds Greenfield: “Kelly is a different type of villain; in some ways, he’s the big brother Matthew never had, because he takes him under his wing… at least until Matthew persists in his pursuit of Danielle.”
Greenfield credits Timothy Olyphant with keeping the character real. Olyphant, in turn, sees Kelly as Matthew’s best friend – and worst nightmare. “Your most fearsome enemies in life are your best friends who know you and your vulnerabilities.”
Kelly’s professional rival is adult film producer Hugo Posh who, like Kelly, figures prominently in Matthew’s life and pursuit of Danielle. “Hugo is very different from Kelly in many ways,” says veteran actor James Remar, lately of “Sex and the City,” who takes on the role. “For one, Hugo’s hit it big – he’s very successful, with the huge mansion, the cars, etc. – while Kelly is still somewhat small-time.”
Matthew’s closest friends are Eli, a wannabe filmmaker played by Chris Marquette, and Klitz, who is even more uptight than Matthew, played by Paul Dano. The three friends’ bond is so strong that they refer to themselves as a “tripod”: if one falters, then the others go down, too. So, Klitz and Eli will do anything to help Matthew in his quest for Danielle.
The music in THE GIRL NEXT DOOR also plays a key role. “From the beginning, Luke had the movie and the soundtrack in his head,” says Charles Gordon.
The 37 songs hand-picked by Greenfield and music supervisors Peter Afterman and Chris Douridas, as well as composer Paul Haslinger’s score, create unexpected mood and emotion throughout the entire film. The artists featured on the soundtrack represent several musical eras and include The Who, David Gray, Donovan, David Bowie and The Verve. “Ninety-eight percent of the songs I wanted made it into the soundtrack – it was a miracle,” says Greenfield, who wrote many of his “wish list” of songs into the script. “And if the song weren’t mentioned in the script, I still ended up playing it on set, constantly feeding Emile and Elisha the songs I envisioned for whatever scene they were rehearsing.”
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