Murray Schisgal who's been my dear friend for over 30 years
er..kicked off TOOTSIE with the thought of
how would you be different if you had been born a woman
in a conversation we had one time
not what is it feel like to be a woman
cause at all sexes have asked themselves the question
what is it feel like to be, what would it feel to be like the opposite sex
but his question was different
if you were born a woman
..how would you be different?
so that kicked off, which is..um..it would take too long to answer
how we then got involved in TOOTSIE for..
..for about 2 years before we even got it directed
..just working on different drafts of the script
But I did go to Columbia and I asked them if they would
spend the money to do make-up tests so that I
I could look like a woman. And if I couldn't look like a woman
they would agree not to make the movie.
And they say: "what do you mean?"
I just somehow intuitively felt that unless I could walk
down the streets of New York and not have..err..dressed as a woman..
..and not have people turned and said: "who's that guy in drag?"
or turned for any reason,..that..you know.."who's that freak?"
unless I could do that, I didn't want to make the film
I didn't want to make the audience to suspend their..their..their..
their..their believability. When we got to that point
and looked at it on screen, I was shocked that I wasn't more attractive
and I said: "now you have me looking like a woman, ..now make me a beautiful woman.."
because I thought I should be beautiful
if I was going to be a woman
I would want to be as beautiful as possible
and they said to me
that is as good as it gets..
er..
that's as beautiful as we can get you, Charlie!
and it was at that moment that I had an epiphany
and I went home, started crying..er.. talking to my wife
and I said: I have to make this picture
and she said: why?
and I said: because, I think I'm an interesting woman
..when I looked at myself on screen, and I know that if I met myself at a party
I would never talk to her, that character, because..
she doesn't fulfill, physically, the demands
that we're brought up to think
we have..women have to have
in order for us to ask them out..
she said: "what are you saying?"
and I said: "there's too many interesting women I have..
..I have..I have not had the experience to know in this life..
because I have..
..been brainwashed.
and ..
that was never a comedy for me!