Whether you know him as the brilliant, dry-witted cornerstone of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries or the French translator in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Bob Balaban is a singular force in American cinema. But here on the East End, he is also a longtime neighbor and HamptonsFilm board member. This October, HIFF honors Balaban with a Lifetime Achievement Award, marking a three-decade relationship that goes back to 1994, when his directorial effort The Last Good Time won the HIFF Audience Award.
PURIST: You’ve been a fixture on the East End for decades, and a HamptonsFilm board member. What does it mean to receive this honor from a festival you’ve watched grow up over the past three decades?
BOB BALABAN: A fixture makes me sound like a table lamp, but it’s a great feeling to be celebrated by your friends.
The Last Good Time won the HIFF Audience Award back in 1994. What do you remember about that night?
Our previous screenings had been small. HIFF was the first time I had seen the film with a sizable audience. The film played well, so that was fun. It never occurred to me it would win any kind of award. On the last day of the festival, I was racing to get into the car and get back to the city, when the then-festival-head literally threw his body in front of me to stop me from leaving. He told me I had to stay, but he wouldn’t tell me why. So, I tried to leave again, and he stopped me again. At that moment I sort of figured out the evening would end well for me and the film.
You’ve watched the East End’s film community take shape. Who were the people who made this feel like a creative home base, not just an escape from the city?
Before I came here, I had a group of Hamptons friends who were writers, actors, artists and generally smart people. Nora Ephron was the Hamptons linchpin for me. She was the Hamptons linchpin for so many of us.
Is there a spot out here that’s become part of your routine or that you’d point a visiting filmmaker toward?
For me, there’s nothing like breakfast or a milkshake at the Candy Kitchen. Or Carissa’s for a spiffy lunch. Or Nick & Toni’s for dinner—I don’t know if it inspires my filmmaking, but I always run into friends there, and I always eat well.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind still finds new audiences, decades later. What’s it like to have a role from your 30s still be many people’s first introduction to you?
I adore Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I adore Steven Spielberg. I adored François Truffaut. I even adore my bushy, insane beard in that film.
In Fantasy Life, you play opposite Amanda Peet in Matthew Shear’s directorial debut. What made you want to be part of a first-time director’s project?
I love first-time directors because I was one. I remember how grateful I was when I directed my first movie and actors like Mary Beth Hurt, Randy Quaid and Sandy Dennis supported me.
Is there anything you’re working on now, or hoping to take on, that you can tell us about?
I’ve been working at this acting/directing/producing thing for more than 60 years. I need a nap.
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