Film: "Owning Mahowny"
With Richard Kwietniowski
Director and Co-Writer
Thursday, May 1, 2003; 11 a.m. ET

"Owning Mahowny," based on the 1987 bestseller "Stung" by Gary Ross, is the true story of an unlikely gambling addict. Devoted Canadian assistant bank manager Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has an uncanny knack for numbers and an insatiable appetite for sports, ponies and the gaming tables of Atlantic City's casinos. It's 1982 and banking confidence is high and scrutiny is low. Mahowny siphons millions from the bank to feed his gambling addiction and gets away with it. For awhile.

Richard Kwietniowski, director of the film, was inspired by the book and says that both the movie and the book are highly visual: "the marble-encrusted bank with its monolithic regulations and the seductive, self-contained world of the casino without clocks or windows." His objective was to make the banking world as intriguing as the casino world and to get "under the skin of it and work almost obsessively with a central character."

Kwietniowski was online Thursday, May 1 at 11 a.m. ET, to talk about "Owning Mahony," his 1997 feature film debut, "Love and Death on Long Island" and his short films.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

washingtonpost.com: Richard, thank you for being with us today. We understand your new film, Owning Mahowny, is partly based upon the book Stung? What drew you to the story and did you immediately think it would make a good movie?

Richard Kwietniowski: For the longest time I wasn't sure about whether this would make a film. I've seen so many boring films about casinos before and about addiction but there was something about this story that really happened in the early 80s that I couldn't get out of my head. So eventually, I decided what I wanted to try and do was take these really extraordinary facts and try and tell them in a way that made them very ordinary and understandable.

Washington, D.C.: The Dan Mahowny story is fascinating -- I'm looking forward to seeing this film. Did you get to interact with Mahowny at all in preparing for the film? What was he like?

Richard Kwietniowski: I left it until the last minute to meet the real Dan, just before we started shooting because I wanted to make sure we were inventing a new Dan based on things the real one had done. But I also wanted to receive his blessing. These events happened to him a long time ago. He has a new life now. And I wanted him to know that the project had integrity -- that it was not just going to be a sensational movie of the week type of project. I'm happy to say the script did indeed receive his blessing and he provided some very useful details as background for the shoot.

Washington, D.C.: Richard, you worked with John Hurt in your previous film, Love and Death on Long Island. Why did you choose him again for Mahowny?

Richard Kwietniowski: Because I really love him as a person and an actor. And also because I thought I had a completely different role for him. In the previous film, he plays an innocent who goes on a romantic adventure. In this one he plays a rather transparent villain and he enjoyed every minute of it of course. Philip also loved the idea of working with him and John loved the idea of working with Philip and I like my actors to be happy.

Washington, D.C.: I was a big fan of Love and Death on Long Island and I'm looking forward to your new film. I've noticed that it's been a while (six years?) since your last film came out. What have you been up to in the meantime?

Richard Kwietniowski: I'm really delighted that so many people remember the previous film. In the years between the two, I wrote or rewrote a new script every year but was unlucky securing finance, so I really was trying all those years and not lying on a beach somewhere. One problem I have is living in London. My own industry doesn't appreciate my work as much as others, especially the U.S. industry, but I've always been a Londoner so I just have to keep trying.

Washington, D.C.: One Web site writer said that watching Hoffman as Mahowny was like watching an accident happening to a nice guy who spirals down into the gambling addiction. Is this depiction accurate? And is the movie funny also?

Richard Kwietniowski: I think it's funny in many ways, especially because some parts of it are so sad, you just have to laugh. The story is a very self-destructive one for Philip's character. And it is a bit like watching a car crash that you can't turn away from. But I hope that because of the way Philip plays this character, we actually share what he's going through very intimately and care about this very ordinary looking character doing extraordinary things.

Silver Spring, Md.: What is Mahowny doing now? How much time did he serve in prison?

Richard Kwietniowski: He was a model prisoner so he got out earlier than the full sentence of six years, remains married to Belinda with kids in Toronto and works as a financial consultant.

Richmond, Va.: Did you spend time in casinos to get a feel for that lifestyle?

Richard Kwietniowski: Absolutely. I felt it was also important to be seduced by such a world where there are no windows or clocks. There's no day or night. I wanted to experience the pleasure of reducing my life down to two simple phenomena: winning or losing. But because the film was relatively low-budget, I had someone with me to make sure I did not go crazy and spend most of the budget.

Alexandria, Va.: Is there really a day called "Dan Mahowny" day in Atlantic City?

Richard Kwietniowski: Yes. That really did happen. Most of the details in the film are accurate. I really didn't have to invent that much. I simply had to work out how to combine the fragments to make the story dramatic.

Bethesda, Md.: It seems like Philip Seymour Hoffman is getting more and more lead roles these days. What was it like working with him?

Richard Kwietniowski: Intense. Challenging. Sometimes I had to run to keep up with him. And I think it's relevant that he started acting at college after he stopped wrestling. But it was a very rewarding experience and I was delighted to be able to offer such an exceptional actor a very complex lead role.

Utah: Iwas fortunate enough to see O.M. at the Sundance Film Festival -- this might be a dumb question, but I was wondering about when you're shooting a period movie like this one, how do you round up all those circa 1980 cars? Is it tough? I admired the period realism of the film (specially the big honkin' glasses!) -- that's why I was wondering.

Richard Kwietniowski: It's a great question. I am a bit of a petrol head and personally auditioned almost every car in the movie. Toronto is a big town for film production and it's amazing what comes out of the woodwork when you announce the fact that you need seventies and early eighties cars. In general, although I was initially scared of making a period film, I eventually loved the excuse to invent a special world for this special story -- one that looks different to our world now, e.g., no cell phones, very few computers and much nicer cars.

Arlington, Va.: Richard, I'm curious about the genesis of the project. Did you read Ross's book first and decide to option it or was the project brought to your attention? And how does optioning work anyway? Thanks!

Richard Kwietniowski: An option is something you buy for a book or a script which gives you and only you the right to make a film based on this material within a limited period of time. If you fail to go into production in that period, the rights are returned to the owner and you don't get your money back.

I was brought a script based on the book which, in fact, I turned down. It was pretty good, but it was for a very different film which attempted to explain the character and spent much more time in the casinos than in the bank. Then I was persuaded to read the book which goes into great detail about the nature of addiction, the gaming world, how casinos operate and how banks operate. So I started to try and find a way to tell a story about addiction differently and to make the banking world as important to it as the casino world. So I ended up rewriting that first script about seven times. Strangely, therefore, I at first said no, then maybe, then yes please.

Austin, Tex.: Is the real life person the character named Dan Mahowny or Brian Molony -- if it's Molony, what made you decide to change the name?

Richard Kwietniowski: His real name is Brian. I felt the need to put some distance between the character we were inventing and the real man who has been through so much. Also, to give him a little privacy. Incidentally, many years ago I showed a program of short films in Austin, Tex. and had a great time there.

Boston, Mass.: I know Mahowny hasn't even come out yet, but do you have another project lined up?

Richard Kwietniowski: Of course! I wrote a new script before Christmas which is lighter in tone but still deals with obsessive behavior. Don't ask me why, but I like stories that take me places I would not go in real life, I suppose. We are looking for finance right now for the new one. As usual, the British don't really like the new script because of my usual extreme subject matter.

Washington, D.C.: I know you worked with Jason Priestly in the past. What do you think of him being a race car driver now?

Richard Kwietniowski: He is an extraordinary character with many capabilities. One thing I know for sure is that anything he commits to he will give 100 percent and that is what he gave me in that film. And I will always remain grateful for that.

Washington, D.C.: When does the film come out?

Richard Kwietniowski: The film opens in New York and L.A. this Friday, 2nd May, then goes wider on 16th May to places including D.C. and San Franscisco and then wider still early next month. Sorry if some people have to wait but it is not X2!

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.