Julia Roberts, Manhattan NY, 1998. The first time I shot Julia was for Time Magazine. She showed up in this t-shirt and on it was a picture of Marlon Brando. And I thought that was cool, you know. So we get all set up to shoot and I’m like, “”Okay, what are you going to wear?”” And she says, “”Well, this,” and I’m thinking, you want to wear a Marlon Brando t-shirt on the cover of Time Magazine? Now that’s cool. That’s Julia.On this one shoot in Manhattan, we were all set up in the studio—pre-lit the day before, chose the wardrobe—I mean, the whole thing ready to go for this big star. She went into hair and makeup, then into styling to get dressed. When she came onto the set, I turned to everyone and I just went, “”You know...I’m not feeling this right now…but there’s this old tire repair shop down the block...it’s kind of different. I think we should shoot pictures there.”” Julia was like “Okay!” with no hesitation, so I got everybody—my assistants, stylist, hair, makeup—carrying equipment, lights, tripod, and clothes, and we schlepped down 10th Avenue with Julia in tow. I dragged this entire posse two long New York blocks to the tire shop, and when we got there, it just worked.It was my way to put her at ease—to put her in an environment that’s fun and new, as opposed to a studio set up. It broke the ice. That spontaneity set the tone, and we brought that momentum with us when we returned to the studio. Striking that balance between structure and on-the-fly creativity is what made the shoot a moment. If I’m too preconceived I’ll fuck it up, and being able to be reactive—to the subject, the circumstance—is how I make it happen.
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