Delpy approaches life’s challenges with humor in ‘2 Days in New York’
Julie Delpy likes to pack a lot of story into a tiny time frame. Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” movies cast her and co-star Ethan Hawke as characters who connect overnight in Vienna and Paris, respectively. As writer, director and star of 2007’s “2 Days in Paris,” Delpy imagined comedic consequences when her French character brings an American boyfriend ( Adam Goldberg) home to meet her parents and ex-boyfriends.
Her latest comedy, “2 Days in New York,” casts Delpy as Manhattan photographer Marion, whose life with boyfriend Mingus ( Chris Rock) and their kids goes haywire during a visit from her boisterous French father and sexy sister.
“When you describe what happens over a short period of time, it’s like having a microscope — you can dig deep into that short period and really see a lot,” Delpy says. “To capture a small moment in someone’s life, like Robert Altman or John Cassavetes did — that’s what inspired me originally to be an actress.”
Delpy’s father, actor Albert Delpy, co-stars in the film. Missing in action: Delpy’s mother, Marie, who appeared in “2 Days in Paris” but died shortly after the actress gave birth to her son a couple of years ago. Delpy dedicated the new movie to her mom.
“I wanted to make this homage to my mother but wanted to do it in a very light way,” Delpy says. Describing “2 Days in New York,” she says, “You don’t always end up with the guy you had the kid with, things fall apart, things get put back together in a weird way, and then you keep on living until you die. It’s best to talk about all this with humor. There’s no other way. You shoot yourself in the mouth or you keep on going and you have a sense of humor.”