Tom Bean and Luke Poling: Writer/Director team of PLIMPTON! STARRING GEORGE PLIMPTON AS HIMSELF

Tom Bean and Luke Poling with Hugh Hefner

1Q Tell us a little about the origins of Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself, from concept to financing.

LUKE POLING:  I had always been a fan of George’s work and when Tom and I hit upon the idea, our first thought was, “why hasn’t anyone done this before?” We contacted Sarah Plimpton, George’s widow, and she not only said go ahead, but she gave us access to George’s archive of audio, video and film, a lot of which, no one had ever seen in a very long time.

2Q: It appears that the film has been screened at other festivals. Do audiences respond differently at some festivals than they do at others? And do you ever stop being nervous?

TOM BEAN: I’m not sure if this feeling wears off later on in people’s careers, but since this is our first film, it never stops being exciting when we get into a festival. I haven’t noticed a strong disparity of opinion geographically or from festival to festival, but each person seems to find different things they like about the film (or think could have worked better). In all, it’s been a pleasure to share the film with folks. And, no, I haven’t stopped being nervous about how each new screening…

3Q: What was your best and/or worst experience while making Plimpton! ?

TOM: It took us several years to make the film, so there were a number of peaks and valleys along the way. For me, one of the best parts of making an historical film like this was doing all the research and finding the archival material (searching through archives and libraries, digging through boxes in Plimpton’s old office, discovering letters, photos, etc). The other part I loved was meeting and learning from all the fascinating people who inhabited George’s world (including his wonderful family).

4Q: Festival audiences often have to make hard decisions about what to see, and the catalog descriptions sometimes run together. In your own words, why should people see your film?

LUKE:  You will learn things watching our film.  How to box a light heavyweight champion. How to act alongside John Wayne. How to play percussion for the New York Philharmonic. How to throw great parties. And how to live one of the most fascinating lives anyone has ever seen.

5Q: There are now so many different ways in which to distribute a film; each has pros and cons. What are your hopes or plans for future distribution?

TOM:  We’re going to be doing a theatrical release of the film starting in late May (Laemmle/Zeller Films is doing the distribution), which we’re very excited about.

Watch the trailer!

Buy tickets to see Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself at Cinequest!

Buy tickets to see Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself at the Atlanta Film Festival!