Director Rob McKittrick and David Koechner (as Dan) on the set of Waiting.
Photo credit: Steven Teagle. ©2005, Lions Gate Films. Used with permission.

 
Given how long and hard you’ve been trying to get this movie made, the title “Waiting…” probably has even more meaning for you. It’s been a long road getting this film made, hasn’t it?

It’s been an insanely long road. Ultimately everything worked out in what I would consider the best-case scenario, so the wait was worth it. Back in 2000, when I gave up the rights to the script, and as a result gave up my guarantee of being the director, I felt like a sell-out. But who cares now? Not I. I mean, I got all the money for “selling out” and I still ended up being the director. And yes, you are not the first to point out how aptly titled the movie is to the long road to getting it made. I should have renamed the movie, “Just make the fucker.”

On your blog you’ve written quite candidly about your experiences (both good and bad) as a newcomer in Hollywood. What aspect of filmmaking were you least prepared for?

Hmmm… That’s a tough one. In regards to directing “Waiting…” I was so over-prepared when I eventually got to make it. That’s one of the positive by-products of it taking over six fucking years to get made. In the end, I wish I had had an extra week of shooting. Or hell, even an extra three days. There are scenes where I didn’t get all the coverage I would have liked, and as a result either the scene was cut, or it’s not one-hundred percent of what it could have been. But given that we only had 23 days of shooting, it’s a minor miracle that we got as much coverage as we did…

Speaking of your blog, you took a bit of heat for some of the content, most of which was hilarious, by the way. When can we look forward to reading about the further exploits of the “Shitbag Producer” and other tales?

Well, I’ve pretty much told the whole Shitbag producer story. Unless he gets into contact with me and whines like a little bitch or something, there isn’t much more to tell. Actually, there is one new, minor thing… After all these years, I’ve wondered if The Shitbag Producer has maybe learned from his mistakes. After all, it was several years ago, and I think he was only twenty-three at the time. But I found out recently that he blames a mutual friend for all the bad-blood between us. When the Shitbag Producer attempted to blackmail me, a mutual friend tried to play mediator, but The Shitbag Producer flew off the handle and got defensive and bitter (because he knew he was in the wrong and didn’t want to have to justify his actions). That’s when he immediately called me up and threatened me (”You’re gonna be a fucking waiter for the rest of your life!”). So now, after all these years, he blames our mutual friend for causing him to fly off the handle. He takes no responsibility for his own shitbag actions. He takes no responsibility for the fact that he tried to blackmail me. So after all these years it seems he is still the same piece of shit wrapped in a (very short) bag…

This is probably a deeply personal film for you at this point…what do you think will be harder, having gotten the film made or waiting for the reviews?

Are you kidding me? Getting the film made was the hard part. Waiting for the reviews is easy. I don’t expect the movie to be a critical darling or anything. I think some people will really like it, some people will absolutely abhor it. But for me, I put to rest any worries after our first test screening. I was in a theater filled with 250 random people and it played like a motherfucker. That test screening was one of the single greatest moments in my life… Of course I’d love for the movie to get great reviews. Who wouldn’t? But given how many dick jokes and F-bombs (of both the “fuck” and “fag” variety) there are in the movie, I don’t think it’s particularly critic-friendly.

Funny you should say that. -Ed.

Obviously “Waiting…” has it roots in your years as a server…so tell us, knowing what you know, do you ever send food back to the kitchen?

Every now and then. Sending food back isn’t really the problem. It’s how you deal with it. If you are nice and respectful to your server, and explain that a mistake was made, chances are they will jump through hoops to fix it for you, because you’ve been cool with them, and they still want a good tip. If you are an asshole, however, all bets are off. In truth, I only tainted food once, and it wasn’t even for my table. A waitress friend of mine was being abused by a bitchy lady and her two bastard children. I couldn’t let her bitchery go un-punished, so I tea-bagged her and her children’s food.

You’ve taken to the Internet Movie Database message boards to help promote your film and you’ve encountered all internet personality types, including a few trolls here and there…including those that claim that “Waiting…” is a ‘rip-off” of other films. What is your opinion of that criticism, but also, what is your opinion of the films that people claim you are “ripping off”?

Any time you put yourself out there, especially on the internet, you open yourself up for attacks. It goes with the territory. And it depends what they are saying I’m ripping off. If they say I’m ripping off “clerks,” well, they’re partially right. “Clerks” made my movie seem possible. But anyone who has seen the movie will tell you the movies are quite different. I love “Clerks” with all my heart (still Kevin Smith’s best film, by a margin, imho), but “Waiting…” is much more of an ensemble comedy. There are sixteen major characters in my movie. It has a decidely different feel, even if I did draw much inspiration from “clerks.” (dick jokes and witty banter that takes place primarily in one location). Another movie I have been accused of ripping off is a movie called “Waiting”. It’s an indie comedy about waiting tables in a restaurant. But my movie title has a “…” after it. “Waiting…” not “Waiting”. See? Totally different. But seriously, the movie was release in 2000, so I can understand why people might think that, especially since they have the same name. But honestly, I wrote the script back in ‘97, completely unaware that in the collective-conscious someone was thinking of the same thing. I happened across the website one day and my heart sunk. I thought my movie was D.O.A. Once I read the website a bit, I realized that the movies seemed quite different. I have to be honest, I’ve still not seen the other “waiting,” though I know I will eventually. Beyond those two movies, obviously it’s not fair for anyone to call the movie a “Rip-off” since no one has actually seen it yet. But why the fuck am I talking about fairness? It’s the internet for fuck’s sake…

As a first time director what was it like having such a solid cast of comedic actors to work with?

It sucked…

Obviously it fucking rocked. I would say there are at least ten to fifteen big laughs in the movie that I didn’t write. Whenever possible I let the actors have some wiggle room to find some comedy that I hadn’t thought of, and it paid off time after time. Especially with David Koechner and Dane Cook.

That’s another positive thing about it taking so long to get made. Had I made the movie when I was twenty-four, I think I would have been a bit more close-minded about letting the actors ad-lib. But since so much time elasped, I had some distance from the script and was able to be more objective. The best thing is, it still says “Written by” me, and me only. So I get credit for their brilliance anyway.

Was there ever a moment where you wondered what you were doing?

The week before shooting. It was a Sunday and I had the biggest panic attack. It suddenly hit me that I had never directed a thing in my life, and yet in one week’s time I was going to be leading a three-million dollar production. I didn’t tell anybody. I just stayed in my room and shook like a little bitch. I was worried that the fear would come back once I actually got onto set that first day. But as it turned out, since it took soooooo long to get my movie made, being on the set wasn’t nerve-racking at all. It was pure excitement. I was too overjoyed to be worried. And once you get past the first day, the rest is cake.