With THE LAST RODEO hitting theaters May 23, we sat down with director, co-writer and producer Jon Avnet (AFI Class of 1972) to discuss his return to the big screen. He made his feature directorial debut with FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, which earned multiple Academy Award® and BAFTA nominations, along with a Golden Globe nod for Best Picture. His versatile body of work spans film, television and theater – directing BETWEEN TWO WOMEN, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL, RIGHTEOUS KILL and THREE CHRISTS, helming standout episodes of BOOMTOWN, JUSTIFIED, SNEAKY PETE and JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL, and serving as producer on the Broadway hits “Spamalot” and “The History Boys.” Among his many producing credits are the iconic ‘80s classic RISKY BUSINESS, the acclaimed indie film BLACK SWAN – directed by fellow AFI Alum Darren Aronofsky (AFI Class of 1992) – and crowd favorites including THE MIGHTY DUCKS trilogy, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and INSPECTOR GADGET.
A dedicated member of the AFI community, he currently serves as Vice Chairman of the AFI Board of Directors, after eight years as Chairman. He has also twice led the Directors Guild of America’s Negotiations Committee, securing major gains for members – including the first AI protections adopted by any U.S. union – and is preparing to step into the role for a third time. We spoke with him about his training at the AFI Conservatory, the story behind THE LAST RODEO – a powerful drama about a grieving former bull rider pulled back into the arena by a family crisis – and what it means to be a leader within the DGA at this inflection point driven by rapid technological change.
AFI: What made you first decide to apply to the AFI Conservatory, and do you have any core memories of mentors or master filmmakers at AFI who inspired you?
Jon: I applied to the Conservatory because I knew nothing about the film business and needed somebody to guide me if this dream was ever to become a reality. When I got to AFI, it was at Greystone, and the person who was the most impressive to me was Frank Daniel, who was just amazing. The way he taught the film analysis course was very useful. Toni Vellani was also good, and James Silke taught me a lot about Westerns, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I used to spend time with David Lynch in the stables, helping get him food, raw stock and mag stock. He was the most unbelievably grateful person. I also had the opportunity to run the seminar for Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE LAST TANGO. That was a big deal because THE CONFORMIST was one of the most brilliant films that had just come out at that time. The seminar was a massive event because it was not only sold out, but people flew in from all over to see it. It was really cool to ask Bertolucci questions and have him disabuse me of all these ideas about what he was trying to do.
AFI: Coming from such a different background, what drew you to make your directorial debut with Fannie Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes,” a Southern story steeped in feminist and LGBTQ+ themes?
Jon: I loved the book that Fannie wrote – the characters were really interesting and not unfamiliar because I came from a very matriarchal world. I had two brilliant older sisters, and my mother was quite impressive. I believed that if I had the chance to tell the story, I could make it both entertaining and moving. I wrote the script, which took me 20 drafts. I remember one person saying, “you’re going to do a movie that ends with barbecuing the villain?” That was pretty broad, and Kathy Bates smashing the car was pretty broad. Then cut to the food fight scene, which, to me, was a way to show the love between these two women. We only had one take because we didn’t have the money for makeup and hair to redo it. I had to use three cameras, which was unusual at the time. I gave the actors each some lines and some ammunition, and they were great. The movie is ultimately about the impact of storytelling. As someone once said to me, the film is “about how we tell stories to keep people we love alive.” The internal logic and spirit that came from Fannie’s book, I think I captured that. I had incredibly great collaborators and that dissonance of me being so removed from this world might’ve also added something to it.
AFI: What did you enjoy most about making the transition to working in TV with BOOMTOWN (2002-2003), where you met Neal McDonough for the first time?
Jon: I didn’t know when I did BOOMTOWN 10 years ago that it wasn’t really a medium for a filmmaker. As a filmmaker, I get final cut and I make all the choices. I loved Graham’s script for BOOMTOWN, and Graham and I forged a really strong relationship on that show. He wrote such a good pilot script, which I shot, and the same thing was true when we were shooting. A lot of things we did were fairly audacious, but it was me again trying to make use of images and behavior to tell stories where television, particularly at the time, was more about words. There was a slight tension there, but I enjoyed that.
AFI: What was your experience like on JUSTIFIED (2010-2015), particularly collaborating with creator Graham Yost and lead Timothy Olyphant?
Jon: Michael Dinner [AFI Class of 1979] directed the pilot on JUSTIFIED, and I thought he did a great job. Tim understood the tone of the piece probably better than anybody. By and large, he was really easy to work with. He was about the material, and that’s where I am comfortable. I may have also been somewhat responsible for Tim in the hat because originally he didn’t like the cowboy hat and when I got on that first episode, I said, “what do you mean. You look great.” I said, “Tim, this is an iconic look. You really wear it well. Not everybody wears it well.” Finally, I wore him down, and I’m glad I did because that was a great look.
I also remember when Graham had written the script for the third to last episode of the sixth season for the shootout in the Winnebago. Mary Steenburgen said to me, “I’ve never died in a movie, Jon. Can you give me a good death?” I said, “No, I’ll give you a great death.” She smiled, and so I called Graham after I read it. I said, “do you want me to blow out the sides of the Winnebago and make this a big set piece?” He said, “no.” And I thought, oh, that’s interesting. That’s a challenge. From the way I shot it, it was all contained so it limited certain things and made other things more important, which I thought was a brilliant concept. That was a perfect example of Graham setting the tone and me going, let me see if I can live up to that.
AFI: Pivoting to your new film THE LAST RODEO, which saw you reunite with Neal McDonough, what was it about the story that excited you and made you think I can really sink my teeth into this?
Jon: Neal McDonough and Derek Presley wrote the original script, and Neal asked if I would direct it. I read it and really liked the conceit, particularly this character who was a bit of a fallen angel who didn’t have faith. The bull-riding world I knew nothing about, but Neal said, “make it your own.” What interested me was the father-daughter story. I’ve seen it with enough audiences to know that people are very moved by it. I wrote this kick ass scene between Joe and Sally, with his daughter saying, “You can’t ride,” and asking if he remembered what happened last time when he broke his neck. And he says, “I do.” And she says, “no, you don’t.” She talks about feeding and bathing and cleaning him. But it would’ve been nothing without Sarah [Jones], who was amazing as Sally and helped form the character in very important ways. The film asks the question how do people deal with mourning? In toxic ways, in incomplete ways. I mean, how many people do it well? How many people do you know who have lost someone they really loved and mourned them well? It’s not easy, so I think it’s very relatable on a certain level.
AFI: As the reappointed Chair of the DGA negotiations committee, what is top of mind for you and your colleagues at this pivotal moment of change within the industry?
Jon: I’ve been very fortunate to be asked to lead those negotiations for our 19,600 members. The biggest thing that’s clear is that the industry is hurting. Globally, production is down significantly as a result of two factors – the strikes and a consolidation that was going to be necessary. The importance of unions is getting work for members, as well as medical benefits and pensions. We’re unique in our industry in that we still have them. We won’t have them unless we are stewards of them and figure out how to be as productive as possible in making things that are profitable for the studios so they can put as much as possible back into production. Obviously, AI is going to have a major impact. I’m co-chair of that committee with Christopher Nolan, and its impact will be across many areas. It’s going to be a change like all technological changes. People were worried about VHS; they were worried about television. People worry understandably, but you have to go with the change. The question is how we do it in a way that has the most benefit for the most people.
