In Tim Blake Nelson's '86 recent film, "Leaves of Grass," a Brown professor is tricked into returning to his hometown in Oklahoma, where his identical twin brother involves him in a world of drug commerce and redneck criminals. Nelson wrote, directed, helped produce and has a supporting role in "Leaves of Grass," which premiered in limited release on Sept. 17.
‘The learning curve'
As a high school senior, Nelson only applied to Brown and two other schools. "When I visited, I just had a gut reaction, and there was no other place that interested me nearly as much," he said. Once at Brown, he said he valued the free-spirited energy on campus. "Wherever I went, students were incredibly happy and wildly diverse."
Though he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the humanities or the arts, Nelson chose to concentrate in classics. "I thought that the wide horizon of the New Curriculum and all the opportunities that it would afford me would be best grounded in a more traditional concentration," he said.
Outside of the classroom, Nelson was heavily involved in theater. He said the intensity of auditions at Brown reflects the way it is in the real world.
"Brown attracts top kids from around the country, and I know a lot of them are talented — you're going to get bruised," he added. Throughout his freshman year, he auditioned for several productions, but was never cast or even called back for auditions until his sophomore year.
"What I most remember about my time at Brown in theater was that coming from Oklahoma, I didn't have much of an understanding of what acting was or what an avant-garde play was … I wasn't exposed to any of that in Tulsa."
Nelson said he was working with kids who grew up in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, "who really understood theater and had been exposed to really extraordinary playwrights and directors."
"The learning curve for me was extraordinary," he said, adding that he learned "what was possible in how a story could be told on stage and what real acting was."
According to Nelson, the professor in "Leaves of Grass" is loosely based on Professor Martha Nussbaum, who he had in mind when writing the role. An American philosopher, Nussbaum is now a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago Law School, and she still keeps in touch with Nelson.
In an e-mail to The Herald, Nussbaum wrote that Nelson was "an outstanding classics student," adding that she was aware of Nelson's talent even before he attended Julliard after Brown.
Starting the story
Nelson came up with the idea for "Leaves of Grass" when a movie he was working on fell through during its pre-production phase. From this experience, he came up with the idea to write a story about someone who "just got completely side-swept in life," Nelson said. The story spun from the idea of a "rationalist, classics professor who thinks he's got it all figured out but just gets pummeled by theories of experiences and challenges," he added.
Nussbaum wrote that "the figure in the film is not much like me, because he represents only one side of what I discussed as a tension in Plato's Symposium … so I would say the academic twin represents only half of my thinking about Plato."
"I saw an early cut of the film, and I admire it. I think the acting is terrific," she wrote.
"Leaves of Grass" is set in Nelson's home state, Oklahoma. Nelson said he chose this setting because he wrote the screenplay while dealing with personal and professional issues. For Nelson, there was no better way to "attack personal demons than to go right into the heart of your personal biography."
Edward Norton — who was also a producer on the film — plays the main character, taking on a dual role as both the professor and the twin. Nelson said he and Norton were "already pals" but he "first and foremost" appreciates Norton's "ability to address the technical challenges of the role — when you're playing the identical twin."
Susan Sarandon P'07 P'14 plays the twins' mother, and Norton said she is "a very bright, serious, soulful actress who brings a gravity to any role she plays." This is a quality "that was very important in the family drama storyline," he added.
Taking risks
Throughout his career, Nelson has acted in and directed many movies. In the Coen brothers' 2000 film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Nelson had a feature role alongside George Clooney and John Turturro.
He said this experience marked a turning point in his career. Working with the Coens allowed Nelson to take risks because he "trusted them so much," he said. "Because the Coens' movies generally succeed, I had the blessing of getting to know that everything was going to change while making the movie, so I really relished the experience," he added.
For Nelson, past risky film projects were not as enjoyable as his work with the Coen brothers. He said these experiences left him "plagued all day with self-doubt because you don't know the director very well, or it's a fire time director and you can be trepidatious."
"But with the Coens, there's never any doubt," he added.
During his career, Nelson has also had the opportunity to play many exciting supporting roles, such as Officer Le Flore in "Meet the Fockers." He said working with Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro was "great," adding that "those upper echelon stars with whom I've gotten to work have all been really nice, extremely supportive and fun to be around."
Nelson is about to go to Alaska to shoot "Everybody Loves Whales" starring John Krasinski '01 and Drew Barrymore, which will premiere next year. Nelson will be playing a local fish and wildlife official. Six movies that he has acted in are set to come out within the next year.
Nelson said he credits Brown with playing an immense role in getting him to where he is today. "So few in the entertainment field are educated and continue to educate themselves. If you assay that field with the sort of education that Brown can provide it will make all the difference for you particularly in terms of longevity."
He said he made many of his closest friends in college, including actress Laura Linney '86.
The best advice Nelson said he can give to students at Brown who want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry is to "control your own destiny."
"You can act and direct, act and write, direct and write … what's most important is not to confine yourself to a single focus, but to pursue all avenues of creativity."
