Matthew Broderick has described an unexpectedly prolonged meeting with Warren Beatty that stretched from a single day into several months.
During an appearance on the podcast “Nepo, Baby!,” Broderick recalled traveling to Los Angeles for what was intended to be a brief meeting with Beatty ahead of filming the 2016 romantic comedy “Rules Don’t Apply.” Broderick said he arrived early and, feeling nervous, pulled over to wait. “I had to pull over and wait at a curb for a while, just sweating,” he recounted.
He described Beatty, then in his 80s, as looking strikingly like his public image, dressed in a white shirt and pants. Broderick also noted burn marks on Beatty’s face, which he interpreted as a procedure to enhance his on-screen appearance, remarking that Beatty “looked more human.”
The initial meeting included dinner, and conversation did not immediately turn to the film. Beatty eventually provided the script, and Broderick was given a room to read it. By the time he finished, it was late, and after discussing the movie, Beatty invited him to stay the night rather than return to his hotel.
Broderick’s attempt to leave discreetly the following morning was thwarted when he encountered Beatty in the kitchen. When Broderick suggested going to the gym as a reason to depart, Beatty pointed out that a gym was available at the house.
“I don’t remember when that ended, but the reason I say it might be the longest meeting ever is I did the movie and stayed there. He had a little guest house,” Broderick said. He humorously added, “That meeting, in a way, went on for, like, three months because I never left. I never really left Mulholland.”
Beatty directed and co-wrote “Rules Don’t Apply,” in which he also starred. The film also featured Broderick, Lily Collins, and Alden Ehrenreich. Beatty’s wife, Annette Bening, also appeared in the film.