"I thought he had the potential to be a gifted director," adds Polly Platt. "I also enjoy working with first-time directors because they're so open to new ways, ideas and stories. It keeps me open. Sometimes I feel that Cameron doesn't have a dark side. The film reflects his personality: It's decent, funny, vigorous, energetic and fresh because film is magical and picks up the properties of the people who direct it."
When it came time to begin casting, the filmakers immediately settled upon the much-in-demand John Cusack for the role of Lloyd. "John was our first and last choice," according to Platt. "Thankfully, we were able to get him to do that role. Not only is John a most gifted actor, but he is the only actor who could serve Cameron's script. He's very intelligent -- you can see it in his face. He knows exactly what he's doing."
"I always thought John had a Holden Caulfield-type quality," Crowe adds. "He's a wonderful actor who has been able to combine the humor and soulful qualities that the character Lloyd called for. I'd seen all of Cusack's mocies and I knew one thing: He's incapable of playing a stereotype -- there's too much going on inside him."
Ione Skye was signed for the role as Diane Court immediately. "Cameron had shown me a magazine picture of Ione," Platt recalls, "and my initial reaction was no, she's far too provocatively sexy. Then, when I saw her in 'River's Edge,' I was tremendously impressed. She came in and read better than anybody else. We tried putting off making a commitment so early in the casting process, but we were so sure that she was special that we went ahead and cast her anyway. We've never regretted it. Ione brings a fragility and vulnerability to the role which makes Diane more interesting. Without these qualities Diane's perfection would be boring."
"I had see 'River's Edge,'? recounts Crowe, "and Ione jumped out at me because she seemed so real. Then I met her, and she was dressed the way I imagined Diane would dress. Like Diane, she's a subtle beauty. It's beauty that comes from not fully realizing how beautiful you really are. Her performance is haunting in the same way. She's the girl who would send you through the streets at 2 AM, just to see where she sleeps."
The role of James Court, perhaps the most complex of all the characters, was the hardest to cast. "We had a very difficult time finding an actor in that age bracket," Platt notes, "who could play such a demanding and complicated role. We wanted a relatively fresh face who you would never guess had a negative side. We didn't get to John Mahoney until a few days befor rehearsals began. He's a wonderful, versatile professional. Once again, we were very fortunate."
"John Mahoney gives a cutting-edge performance as James Court," Crow adds. "It's amazing how often 'Dad' is still portrayed in films as a pseudo 'Father Knows Best' figure. Mahoney shows the many layers of a single father who wants to inspire his daughter without being a silver-haired authority figure. This, of course, brings it's own set of problems..."
As a contributing member of Gracie Films, producer Polly Platt read "Say Anything" while it was still in development, "I asked to produce this film because it glorifies a lot of values I hold dear in my life and in my daughters' lives. Diane is a smart and courageous girl. I was drawn to the idea of doing a film about a gifted young woman and the choices she makes. The film is a primer about love and how to love well."
"I believe that the most important thing about this picture is that we have created a subtly different kind of young hero and heroine," says Brooks. "What makes the hero so special is that he meets a spectacular girl, so spectacular that he automatically is willing to spend his life celebrating hers.
"In reality, it's usually the reverse: Women have traditionally served men's gifts. Although this is something we don't directly address in this film, it is something we all spent a great deal of time discussing. From a woman's perspective, Lloyd is an ideal man, a dream man. Not many men have the talent to be so supportive, especially when they are eighteen or nineteen years old."
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