"I had to create a safe place for these actors to do what they do," the film's director softly said into the microphone during the Q&A following the premiere of The Education of Charlie Banks in Chelsea Friday night. The breathy male voice, almost a loud whisper, touched on future aspirations, stuttering, "I really would like to, to apply what I've learned and how I've evolved." He also discussed "just living and evolving and growing." The owner of the enlightened catch phrases was Fred Durst, better known as the front man for rap/rock super group Limp Bizkit.
Last seen with a goatee and baggy clothes, flaunting tattoos as he screamed "I did it all for the nookie" into a microphone, Durst appeared slimmed down and classed up. Dressed in a suit with a cleanly shaven face and head, he was barely recognizable.
The film, Durst's directorial debut, is a coming of age story about three boys growing up in New York City, best friends Danny and Charlie and the cool kid Mitch. Charlie fears Mitch while Danny defends him, despite Mitch's penchant for mercilessly beating people up. Even after he has won a fight, Mitch kicks opponents' heads and stomp on their torsos. Cut to three years later when Danny and Charlie are in college and Mitch shows up unannounced. Charlie has to deal not only with his fear of Mitch, but Mitch's pursuit of his crush, Mary.
After the movie, Durst went out of his way to praise his actors, Eva (pronounced eh-va) Amurri (Mary), Jason Ritter (Mitch), Chris Marquette (Danny), and Jesse Eisenberg (Charlie). Eva, who shone in a bright green dress, goes to Brown and is the reason the film had permission to shoot on campus, for which Durst was quick to credit her. When he finished extolling the cast's virtues ("amazing actors") and gushing about his locations ("Brown was amazing"), the Q&A became Eva Amurri family time, as mom Susan Sarandon and stepdad Tim Robbins each piped up. The premiere was their first time seeing the film. "I have a question for the writer," announced Robbins, "I grew up in Greenwich Village and I think I know Mitch. Was he based on a real guy?" He got laughs but no answer.
And about the quiet, humble new Durst? Maybe not. Sunday's New York Times Styles Section "A Night Out With" follows Durst. He's photographed drinking in New York's private club Soho House, armfuls of tattoos on display, with his 5-year-old son Dallas dive-bombing a couch in the background and a young Russian woman he picked up at a bodega seated beside him.
At least the goatee is gone.
For more HuffPost coverage of the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, go here.
- Katherine Thomson