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By Suzanne

By Suzanne

Interview with Paulo Costanzo of "Royal Pains" on  USA Network 8/22/12

Costanzo was just hilarious on this phone call. I'm sure I wasn't the only one laughing my head off while I waited to speak with him. He was also not just funny but a little quirky. He's kind of like his character, Evan, it seems, only a lot less annoying. It was also great how he made sure to say our names back to us, and then he later revealed he kept a list! That is so cool.

Moderator: Amanda Altschuler
August 22, 2012
1:00 pm CT

Operator: Thank you for standing by.

Welcome to the Paulo Costanzo press call.

All participants will be in a listen-only mode.

Afterwards we will conduct a question-and-answer session. At that time, if you have a question, please press star 1 on your telephone. To withdraw your question, press your pound key.

Thank you. You may begin your conference.

Lynn Weiss: Hi everybody this is (Lynn) with USA. Thanks for joining the call. I appreciate your taking the time to talk to Paulo Costanzo -- who is making his directorial debut in next Wednesday’s episode of Royal Pains. It’s called “Dancing with the Devil” and it airs on USA at 9:00 Eastern.

So we’re ready to go and thank you again. And, (Kena), you can start the questions.

Operator: Again to ask a question please press star 1 on your telephone.

Your first question comes from (Jamie Ruby), SciFi Vision.

Jamie Ruby: Hi, Paulo, thanks so much for talking to us today.

Paulo Costanzo: Hey, (Jamie), how are you?

Jamie Ruby: I’m good. You?

Paulo Costanzo: I’m really good. This is a very strange format. I’ve never had this. I feel like I’m in an interrogation room where you all can see me but I can’t see out. I’m by myself in this exposed room. Hi everybody. You can’t say anything back, but I’m saying hi to you.

Jamie Ruby: All right. Well can you kind of talk about what it was like, you know, to direct your castmates you work with all the time?

Paulo Costanzo: It was really they were very supportive. Everybody on the crew was very aware that this was my first time. This is my first time directing anything. I’ve directed a couple short films, but I’ve never actually directed a feature or a TV show. So they all knew how big it was for me.

Also Mark was incredibly supportive because, you know, he has directed the show twice and I was - you know, he kind of - I was so utterly supportive of him. He more than returned the favor. It was I felt very safe.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great. And when did it kind of come about that you decided you were going to direct it? I mean, how was that discussion?

Paulo Costanzo: By the way, let me just - the other question I made it all about me.

Directing them was amazing because I got to see a different side of them. And I was actually very nervous about that because I didn’t know how they were going to take to me giving them direction.

But it turned out to actually be very good. And if I had to run a diagnostic of how I did as a director, working with the actors was one of the things I felt more confident in and got the best feedback about. That’s a better answer I think.

Jamie Ruby: Okay. Thanks. But how did you - like when did you decide that you wanted to direct? I mean, did you ask to do it? Like how did that kind of work out?

Paulo Costanzo: You mean in general in life or just the show?

Jamie Ruby: No for the show, for Royal Pains.

Paulo Costanzo: I wanted to direct from like the pilot. And I put it out there and it just took time.

The way it worked Michael Rauch, the Executive Producer, he basically championed me as well as Mark, but both of us. He took full responsibility for my episode. Meaning if I ran it into the ground, it would all be on his head. So it was a personal - I’m indebted to him for the rest of my life.

I can’t - I’m still kind of baffled that he allowed me to do it. He had so much more faith in me than I did in myself. I was so scared. But I wanted to do it from Day 1.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great. I think it came out really good. I enjoyed it, so thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you very much.

Operator: Your next question comes (Jaime Steinberg) Starry Constellation.

Jamie Steinberg: Hi. Double the (Jamie) double the fun.

Paulo Costanzo: Cool.

Jamie Steinberg: I was wondering how do you like the direction Evan’s been taking this season?

Paulo Costanzo: It’s been less eventful. It’s been a little less eventful this season. He’s been given kind of less -- which was a blessing with my episode because I appeared in much less of it than other episodes. They wrote me small for it.

But Evan’s been - you know, I get to be supporting - support for Paige a lot, you know, at the end of a season -- which was a shift in gears that I have enjoyed. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not Evan hasn’t had as exciting an arc as the previous seasons for me though. Seasons 2 and 3 were my favorites so far.

Jamie Steinberg: There’s been a lot of fan talk about hoping for a Paige and Evan spin-off. Would that be something you would be open to?

Paulo Costanzo: Who - really?

Jamie Steinberg: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: I don’t know. I’d have to cross that bridge. I’ve never heard of anyone saying that, but I’m going to have to think about that.

Jamie Steinberg: What do you think it is then about Royal Pains that it continues to be such a fan favorite show?

Paulo Costanzo: I think it’s very easy to watch. I think it’s true escapism. It’s beautiful -- literally beautiful to look at. It brings you elements of every genre -- whether it be action or comedy or drama -- and it’s all wrapped up in this kind of nice package that USA seems to do so well.

Jamie Steinberg: Great. Thank you so much.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from (Tiffany Vogt), TV Addicts.

Tiffany Vogt: Hi, Paulo.

Paulo Costanzo: Hi, (Tiffany), how are you?

Tiffany Vogt: Doing well. Thank you. So I was wondering if you could let us know how the dynamics between Evan and Hank, how their relationship will be this season.

Paulo Costanzo: In the fourth season or the next season?

Tiffany Vogt: In the next season.

Paulo Costanzo: You mean in Season 5?

Tiffany Vogt: The current one.

Paulo Costanzo: You mean how as far as - because there’s only a couple episodes left. You mean for the rest of the season?

Tiffany Vogt: Well yes they’ve been a little bit tense. There’s been a bit - will there be any happy ending as far as Evan and Hank go? What can you tell us?

Paulo Costanzo: Well we were very tense for the beginning of the season. That kind of subsided around Episode 4.

I don’t think - I think more of the season’s going to wrap up more with Hank has his own storyline and Evan and Paige have their own things going on.

Tiffany Vogt: Okay. So will Evan be finding out about what Hank is doing with Boris?

Paulo Costanzo: That I don’t know to be honest. I actually haven’t read the finale yet.

Tiffany Vogt: Okay. Well how is it driving that red Ferrari?

Paulo Costanzo: It was when I heard - when I read that script, I was like I was very happy. When I got to set that day, I was very unhappy because that was actually a process trailer and I was not driving it at all. That was fake.

Tiffany Vogt: Oh no.

Paulo Costanzo: It was really...

Tiffany Vogt: Okay great. Thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: ...kind of depressing. I was so close yet so far.

Tiffany Vogt: Bummer. Maybe next time.

Paulo Costanzo: And the owner was this guy with a lot of chest hair who’s like, “Don’t touch it.”

Tiffany Vogt: Okay. Touch it.

Paulo Costanzo: Don’t touch it. He said don’t touch it. That would be even weirder if he said touch it. He was like, “Yo, man, touch it -- just touch it,” three times.

Tiffany Vogt: Okay. Well thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Operator: The next question comes from (Tobey Jeffery-Greer), VoiceofTV.com.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Hi.

Paulo Costanzo: Hi, (Tobey Jeffery-Greer).

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Hi, Paulo Costanzo. How are you.

Paulo Costanzo: I’m very well. You have three different names.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: I do have three different names. It’s a giant pain in the ass.

Paulo Costanzo: I’m sorry.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes I know. And the worst thing is, is I did it to my kid too because if I had to suffer, he has to suffer as well.

Paulo Costanzo: This is so awkward because any - I really want to do small talk with so many of you and all the rest of you are like, “All right let’s can you please keep it going.”

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: I know. There’s just like 2000 other people who can’t speak right now who are going (unintelligible)...

Paulo Costanzo: I know.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: ...shut up. My heart is breaking for you about the Ferrari. My husband’s sitting here next to me going, “No.”

Paulo Costanzo: Well I have to say though I got to drive the - what the hell was that thing I - the Tesla for Season 2 -- which was 50 times - it was like driving a rocket ship. So now I have a minivan and I get to fake drive Ferraris. It’s I’m not (unintelligible).

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Okay. So I know you said that they wrote you small for the episode.

Paulo Costanzo: Yes.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: But how do you balance acting with the technical attention to detail that directing requires?

Paulo Costanzo: Well for me obviously of this was a learning experience. Like every day I had about 100 firsts. My first day was a huge - there was like a six-person dinner table scene -- which for those of you who don’t know dinner table scenes are one of the more daunting things to shoot because you have to shoot - you have to do like, you know, 30 different shots around the table to make sure you get eye lines right and everything.

I knew I was in for a challenge that day. And I was in it and I was in every other scene that day basically almost.

What I learned very quickly is that it’s very taxing. Granted if you’ve done it a lot, I imagine it gets easier obviously. For me it was incredibly like oh my God it was so overwhelming.

But at the end of each of the days where I was in a lot of it, I had a sense of my brain was about to literally just implode and shutdown. But I felt a huge sense of accomplishment because it is a lot. There’s so many things going on that you have to - your mind never stops. And frankly I’m a person who thrives on that, so I actually enjoyed it.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Good. And we do know that Mark has directed twice and you said that he was very, very supportive of you and that’s very wonderful. And just to bump up the TV sibling rivalry, who did it better -- you or him?

Paulo Costanzo: Who did it better? You mean like as far as Mark and I being competitive in life?

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes in life -- just in life in general. No who’s the better actor/director -- you or him?

Paulo Costanzo: Who’s the better actor/director? You’d have to ask everyone else because I have no idea. But when you find out, tell me. I’d love to know.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: That’s a very diplomatic answer. Thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: No it’s true. I would tell you if I knew.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes okay.

Paulo Costanzo: And then take it. Okay is that end of our little interchange?

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: I guess so. Two questions. Thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you very much. Nice to meet you, (Tobey Jeffery-Greer).

Operator: The next question comes from (Suzanne) (unintelligible), The TV MegaSite.

Suzanne Lanoue: Hi it’s nice to meet you.

Paulo Costanzo: How do you pronounce your last name?

Suzanne Lanoue: It’s actually Lanoue. That’s why I’m laughing.

Paulo Costanzo: That’s what I thought. Yes I’m a little embarrassed.

Suzanne Lanoue: That’s okay.

Paulo Costanzo: "Suzanne Lanoue" (said in French accent), is that French?

Suzanne Lanoue: Yes, people never pronounce it or spell it right. It’s okay. Hey, it could be worse. My maiden name was McGlone and it was ugly as well as hard to spell and pronounce.

Paulo Costanzo: McGlone?

Suzanne Lanoue: Yes it’s ugly  and everybody misspelled it.

Paulo Costanzo: It sounds like when you mess something up. Oh, man, you just did a McGlone.

Suzanne Lanoue: Oh, ha ha.

Paulo Costanzo: You just totally McGloned that.

Suzanne Lanoue: Okay... Yes, so nobody’s saying hurry up on this call because we’re all too busy laughing at you guys.

Paulo Costanzo: Okay. Thank God. I’m so glad you said that. Okay good I can stop (unintelligible) my personality.

Suzanne Lanoue: You actually sound so much like your character and I don’t mean just your voice obviously. But, you know, you get actors that don’t, you know, sound like their character very much.

How much of you is in Evan?

Paulo Costanzo: That’s a good question. So let’s see. I’d say a lot. They let me improvise a lot. I’m kind of "that guy" on the show. I guess I fiddle with a lot of stuff. So I kind of I got the audition off of, you know, an audition where I made up like half of the audition, so I set the stage for that dynamic -- which they support a lot.

I would like a lot of these questions to be about directing. I’m just going to say that because that’s I think probably more on point with what we should be talking about.

Suzanne Lanoue: Well, I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of any other directing questions.

Paulo Costanzo: That’s okay. Do it now.

Suzanne Lanoue: Oh. gosh. now you put me on the spot. Actually... okay, so, what more would you like to tell us about your time directing on the show?

Paulo Costanzo: For one thing, our show relies heavily on our guest stars. If we cast - which has happened. I’m not going to say the (unintelligible) with every show. If you cast a guest star who’s not very strong, the whole episode is just dragged down by it.

And my episode - I don’t know if you guys have seen it yet. Have you seen it? Did they show it to you?

Suzanne Lanoue: I haven’t seen it. They sent me the link, but I haven’t seen it yet.

Paulo Costanzo: Patti Murin -- who is a Broadway girl -- who currently is actually touring with Wicked playing (unintelligible) the lead of the show -- which I’m star struck by because I love that musical.

She showed up and we weren’t sure and, you know, the first day we weren’t sure. And she just utterly knocked it out of the park and there’s so much nuance and subtly and her and I worked together really well. That was a just a pleasure to know that I had a guest star that I could rely on and lean on and believe in and ultimately who really held up the episode.

So that was good. As a director, that is something I learned is that’s very important -- which I lucked out on. Hit the jackpot my first time out of the gate.

Suzanne Lanoue: Wow. All right, well, thank you very much, and I’ll look forward to seeing it.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you very much.

Operator: The next question comes from (Linda Seed), (Your) Entertainment.

Linda Seed: Hi, Paulo, it’s so nice to speak to you.

Paulo Costanzo: You too, (Linda). How are you today?

Linda Seed: I’m doing pretty well.

Paulo Costanzo: Is it (Seed)?

Linda Seed: I wanted to ask you.

Paulo Costanzo: Is it...

Linda Seed: When did you first get the bug to direct?

Paulo Costanzo: Okay good question. I’m glad you asked. When I was in high school, I was in kind of an art school and one of our projects at the end of the year was to do a short film -- which of course I procrastinated about. In the last three days, I shot in sequence -- I just made it up as I went -- this movie called The Outcast and I edited it in like one night.

And I’m still proud of it. I’m actually transferring it from VHS to DVD and color correcting it so I can have it because I loved it so much. And when I did that, I was like I love acting, so I was doing that too. But I’m like this is what I really want to do.

And then the real moment was when I saw Trainspotting in the theater. And when I walked out of Trainspotting, I think I wrote myself a note saying like, “You will direct. This is what you’re going to do.”

And acting came along and kind of got in the way. But I’ve always kind of had this desire and this love -- which Michael Rauch gave me the gift to do this first episode -- which really is a beginning for me and yes.

Linda Seed: That’s really cool. So I guess we could expect to see you directing more episodes.

Paulo Costanzo: Well hopefully. That’s the goal. I mean I haven’t been promised anything nor has Mark.

Linda Seed: Right.

Paulo Costanzo: But I have my fingers crossed for next season for sure.

Linda Seed: That’s really cool. Were there any scenes left on the cutting room floor?

Paulo Costanzo: Oh yes.

Linda Seed: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: Yes every episode of our show is left about five minutes long so that the producers and writers can look at what’s there, choose the scenes that are the least important and cut them out to make the episodes feel tighter.

Linda Seed: (Unintelligible)

Paulo Costanzo: And there are two scenes that were left out -- both of which I at first felt pained by their leaving and then I got used to it. And actually now I don’t miss them at all.

Linda Seed: (Unintelligible). Okay now I’ve seen the episode and I think you did a fabulous job. I particularly loved watching Mark’s imitation of Marlon Brando. Who’s idea was that?

Paulo Costanzo: He’s good. It’s really good.

Linda Seed: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: That’s just something Mark does. I think they wrote something in there and he kind of elaborated on -- which I thought was awesome too.

Linda Seed: Was it difficult being the director during your scenes -- acting scenes?

Paulo Costanzo: Yes. Like I said before and I’ll elaborate more, it’s a lot. I look forward to doing it again because this time there were a few moments and to be transparent there’s a couple moments where my mind was on directing and the acting part I’m like, oh my God, I don’t know how to categorize where my energy should go. I’m like kind of like okay (unintelligible) and I kind of got kerfuffled.

Michael Rauch was always with me. He’d step in and kind of give me a note if I was like - he’d help the acting part when I was working on the other part.

But for the whole, once I kind of got into it, I actually really liked it. It was just it felt - you know, I imagine a lot of directors really enjoy the feeling of being in control.

Linda Seed: Right.

Paulo Costanzo: And I’m somewhat of a control freak and a perfectionist, so it just gave me an extra ounce of control knowing that I was also a force in the scene as an actor as well as directing it to just massage it the way that I thought it should go.

Linda Seed: I’m sure. I’m glad it was such a good experience for you. One last question, were there any hijinks on the set? Did anybody like pull any pranks because it was your first time directing?

Paulo Costanzo: Absolutely not. If anything, nobody would have in any way risked that. It’s an anxiety-ridden thing. Every director - I called about four or five of the directors that have worked on my show who I admire in preparation for the show and all of them said you like don’t be weirded out if you puke the night before and I was like shut up. And I swear I almost did. I was so nervous the night before because...

(Linda See): (Unintelligible) you’re kidding.

Paulo Costanzo: ...their like your first (unintelligible) they still get nervous. A lot of them still get nervous. Like people who have been doing it for 25, 30 years they’re like, “I still get nervous before I step on the set,” because everything hinges on you. Your vision has to be there and you have to push the ship forward or things can fall, you know.

But like anything, anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Linda Seed: That’s right.

Paulo Costanzo: To me all the things, all the accomplishments that I’ve been most proud of in my life most of them involved me wanting to puke the night before out of the amount of anxiety I’ve had about them. So...

Linda Seed: Wow. Well it’s been a pleasure talking to you and I just want to tell you that the scene between (Vivia) and is it (unintelligible), is that how you say it?

Paulo Costanzo: (Kotan).

Linda Seed: (Kotan). The scene between (Vivia) and (Kotan), it was absolutely fabulous. It was such a turn on with him (unintelligible) her neck -- absolutely fabulous. I just wanted to tell you that.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you very, very much. Yes I’m proud of that one.

Linda Seed: You should be.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Linda Seed: Okay thank you so much, Paulo.

Paulo Costanzo: All right you too.

Operator: The next question comes from (Guillermo Paz), (Series MTV.com).

Guillermo Paz: Hi, Paulo, how are you?

Paulo Costanzo: (Guillermo).

Guillermo Paz: (Guillermo) that’s correct.

Paulo Costanzo: How you doing?

Guillermo Paz: You know your Spanish.

Paulo Costanzo: No I don’t. That was actually my Italian.

Guillermo Paz: Oh okay. Well yes we’re from the same origins then.

Paulo Costanzo: That’s correct and we’re both very good lovers.

Guillermo Paz: Yes of course. And not that I know firsthand from you, but...

Paulo Costanzo: Okay you didn’t have to go there with it, Mr. (Paz).

Guillermo Paz: Yes. Since we’re talking origins, Mark had the chance to direct his father (Harvey) this season. Would you like to welcome someone from your family to the show?

Paulo Costanzo: Yes we’d love - I would love it. My mom was an actor growing up. I would love my mom to be on it. My dad would be quite an interesting person to have on it. Yes that’s about it. My grandma, that would be the best. My Grandma (Mitsy) who would just be there - she’d be like, “What? I don’t like this. Get me out of here. Royal (unintelligible).”

Guillermo Paz: Yes and while we’re talking family, who’s the better parent -- Drea de Matteo or Henry Winkler?

Paulo Costanzo: A better parent, let’s see. They’re both horrible parents. If they were married, I’d be royally fucked up. Look it I said royal because of Royal Pains and then I said fuck.

They’re both horrible. I’ve been blessed with having two very wonderful people in real life play utterly horrible parents.

I have to say this. I’m just going to throw this in there because I actually was going to tell Andrew Lenchewski -- the creator of the show -- this, but I figure it’s better if I show you guys.

So I brought my episode to my grandma’s house. My grandma’s name is (Mitsy). (Mitsy) is the most honest human being you’ll ever meet in your life. And I showed her the music video at the beginning -- which is like the very sexy kind of, you know, the thing where Patti is singing. And then I finished it and I wrote down our exchange and I’m going to read you the exchange.

I finished it and I said, “So, Grandma, did you like it?” And she said, “No.” And I said, “Well you didn’t like it? Why didn’t you like it?” She’s like, “Well it’s not that special. You see much better things on the TV, don’t you?” And I was like, “Anything else?” She’s like, “It’s just wasn’t good. I’ve heard better singers too. I just didn’t like it.” And then I said, “Anything else?” She goes, “The words I don’t understand. I didn’t know what they were saying.” And I laughed really hard.

I laughed really hard and she had no idea why I was laughing. She’s like, “What are you laughing at?” It was beautiful.

Guillermo Paz: Yes so I bet she would be a great addition for the show.

Paulo Costanzo: She would be a great - she’d have no idea what was going on. She would just be the best actor because she wouldn’t be acting at all.

Guillermo Paz: Yes great. And finally what’s the dream show for you to guest star -- sort of your bucket list?

Paulo Costanzo: Oh boy the television show, the dream television show?

Guillermo Paz: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: Oh God, I don’t know. That’s a really good question. I’m going to think about that. You want to ask another question because I’m shirking out on that one?

Guillermo Paz: Yes and who would you like to bring to the show as a guest too?

Paulo Costanzo: Who would I like to bring to the show as a guest? I would really love -- and he would never do it in a million years -- but I’d like Jerry Seinfeld to come on the show to play some family member of some kind. I think that would be - I just want to play his son so badly at some point. Maybe that’s for the future. I’ll write a special thing for that.

Guillermo Paz: Yes that would be cool.

Paulo Costanzo: (Unintelligible), (Guillermo).

Guillermo Paz: Okay I’ll leave you thinking the other one and thank you for your time.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you for your time.

Operator: The next question comes from (Reg Seeton), The DeadBolt.com.

Reg Seeton: Hey, Paulo, how you doing?

Paulo Costanzo: Hello. You’re not on my list. I can’t see your name in print.

Reg Seeton: No I joined late. I was running late.

Well let me ask you this, how is directing different than what you thought it would be as compared to being on the other side of the camera?

Paulo Costanzo: To be honest, so I’ve talked a lot about how much anxiety was involved. Once I was there, like once all the pieces were set and I had blocked the scene and, you know, I knew what the cameras were doing and I just would sit in my chair and look at the monitor, this incredible calm came over me -- which is why I feel that this is kind of something I want to pursue now.

This beautiful calm, this amazing feeling of calm in the midst of this storm I was like this feels so utterly comfortable and right. I didn’t expect that. I think I was just too anxious about the whole thing that I didn’t foresee an eye of the storm like moment where things just perfectly still.

Reg Seeton: Well how hard was it to separate yourself from your actor side to get the best out of others or did you have to do that?

Paulo Costanzo: If anything, I feel like my own performance suffered a couple times because I was so - my attention was so much on the other person. Again I’m learning, you know. But once you’re in the scene, like once, as I said, like once all the stuff is in place and, you know, I really I was able just to leap out of the director suit and just be in the moment.

And then when you say cut, then you can kind of think about what happened in the scene. Well okay well yes that should be different or whatever. But again it was a part that I actually ended up enjoying and finding not at in the end though taxing not too difficult.

Reg Seeton: Well just one last question. Growing up what director did you admire that inspired you to do it?

Paulo Costanzo: Danny Boyle Trainspotting, Reservoir Dogs Quentin Tarantino, I liked Billy Wilder a lot. I was into Spielberg. I still think Spielberg’s earlier works -- maybe it’s because there’s a nostalgia attached to them -- like the Indiana Jones movies and Schindler’s List -- those movies, you know, they were just so good I just was so overwhelmed with how good they were. I still feel that they’re great films.

But yes I’m leaving someone out but I can’t remember who.

Reg Seeton: And no one from Canada?

Paulo Costanzo: No no one from Canada. No it was mostly American directors that I looked up to.

Reg Seeton: Great. Thanks very much.

Paulo Costanzo: Wait, wait, wait one, Denny Villeneuve. Denny Villeneuve, he’s a French-Canadian filmmaker. He directed - oh I’m so glad I thought of this. He directed a film called August 32nd on Earth -- which is a small independent movie which I still feel is really beautiful and understated and has almost like a Garden State feel to it the way it was shot -- and tat had a big influence on me as well.

Reg Seeton: Cool. Thanks very much, Paulo.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Operator: The next question comes from (Monique Jones), TVEquals.com.

Monique Jones: Hi how are you today?

Paulo Costanzo: I’m very well. How are you?

Monique Jones: I’ve heard you talk about how you would like to either play or write an episode where you Jerry Seinfeld’s son and things like that. What other episodes if you had the opportunity to write and direct them what other episodes would you like to direct?

Paulo Costanzo: What other episodes of my show would I like to direct like if they came down the pipe?

Monique Jones: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: Oh boy that’s a tough one. You know what, that’s a tough one to answer because I have no idea what direction the show is going, so I’d have to imagine this whole, you know, this whole kind of plot line in the future that I can’t. So that’s a tough question to answer, but if you’d like to retract that question and replace it with another, I’d be happy to answer it for you.

Monique Jones: Well let’s see. You also talked about some of your favorite directors.

Paulo Costanzo: I have more. I just remembered more. Do you want me to tell you what they are?

Monique Jones: Oh okay.

Paulo Costanzo: Woody Allen obviously had a huge effect on me. Paul Thomas Anderson, I think I was just out of high school when Boogie Nights came out. That was a big deal for me. Peter Weir, I loved the Mosquito Coast was big in my life. Roman Polanski Frantic. I was a big Harrison Ford fan in the ‘80s amongst many others.

Monique Jones: And outside of Royal Pains, if you could direct I guess like another television show or a movie, what genre would you like to direct?

Paulo Costanzo: I’m trying to figure that out right now because I’m writing a feature and I’m - I don’t know. I kind of want to do a modern day Hitchcock film. I also want to do just a pure, you know, black, dark comedy. Those are two very different things. I actually have been thinking of perhaps marrying the two, but we’ll see how that goes.

Monique Jones: Okay. Thanks for speaking with me.

Paulo Costanzo: No thank you for speaking to me.

Operator: You have a follow-up question?

Paulo Costanzo: And silence. Yes.

Operator: You have a follow-up question from (Jamie Ruby), SciFi Vision.

Paulo Costanzo: Beautiful.

Jamie Ruby: Hi again. So you said obviously you don’t know what’s going to happen to Evan. But if you could write his future, what’s something that you’d really like to see happen to him?

Paulo Costanzo: Honestly, the reason I don’t even want to go there is because if I start doing that, if I even let my mind go to what I want him to be, then I may be setting myself up for disappointment, so I kind of don’t allow it. But you’re on a Sci-Fi Web site?

Jamie Ruby: Well yes not just all Sci-Fi but yes.

Paulo Costanzo: How do you feel about Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Jamie Ruby: I never really watched a lot of Star Trek growing up to be honest.

Paulo Costanzo: You should be ashamed of yourself. That’s a great series. That’s actually one of my favorite series of all time -- Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jamie Ruby: That’s awesome. What’s your favorite show on television now?

Paulo Costanzo: Right now I’m - oh well I almost feel it’s cliché to say it but Girls without any question. And by the way, that is the show that I want to be on really badly and I’m going to make that happen in the next two years hopefully.

Jamie Ruby: Awesome. I actually just saw that during the marathon they had. That was really good. I enjoyed it.

Paulo Costanzo: It’s the best. The sensibility is so - yes it’s so me. I feel so much like that is exactly my style.

Jamie Ruby: Yes I can definitely see that. All right well thank you.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Operator: You have a follow-up question from (Tobey Jeffery-Greer), VoiceofTV.com.

Paulo Costanzo: Okay.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Hi.

Paulo Costanzo: Hi.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Hi again. I was just wondering if there were any other USA shows that you’d be interested in directing.

Paulo Costanzo: Yes I would be. At this point I would be happy to direct any of them. Suits shoots in Toronto and that’s my hometown, so that would be pretty cool.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Okay.

Paulo Costanzo: That would be pretty cool.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: That’s all I had.

Paulo Costanzo: And Burn Notice has things that blow up. That would be fun too.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes Burn Notice is my favorite. It’s got things that blow up and hot (unintelligible) so (unintelligible).

Paulo Costanzo: It’s got shit blowing up and Bruce Campbell, so (unintelligible) my...

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes Bruce Campbell, hot cars and shit blowing up. I’ve got two 17-year-old boys.

Paulo Costanzo: Oh nice. Have the seen Army of Darkness?

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Yes.

Paulo Costanzo: Oh good. That’s one of my favorite movies of all time. That is such a good movie. It’s so dumb and amazing.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: You and I are going to be best friends.

Paulo Costanzo: We are already best friends. You just don’t know it. Look out your window.

Tobey Jeffery-Greer: Okay thanks.

Paulo Costanzo: Okay.

Operator: Again to...

Paulo Costanzo: Go ahead.

Operator: Again to ask a question please press star 1 on your telephone keypad.

Paulo Costanzo: I can also talk because I have a couple things that no one’s asked me. Should I do that?

Woman: Sure, Paulo, go ahead.

Paulo Costanzo: So one of the things this year our show received a huge gift in the mail and that gift was in the form of a very tall Jewish man named Ben Shenkman. Ben Shenkman is my favorite character on the show, Dr. Jeremiah Sacani. He’s my favorite much more than any other character -- including my own.

I think he’s so awesome and he’s such a talented actor. He was in like, you know, Angels in America, you know, a movie with Al Pacino in it. He was like he originated one of the roles in Proof on Broadway.

He’s like a real - he’s an actor that I admire and he’s not - so when I got the script, I was utterly - I was so happy that I got the script that finally gave him his dues because he gets to be the hero in this episode. So I got to work with him and become closer with him. And his sense of comedy to me is genius.

And the club scene - there’s two scenes -- the scene in a hotel room. The one shot, so I’ll say this, in TV the directors come in and they kind of, you know, one of their jobs is to match the visual style of the show. For instance if someone’s doing Royal Pains, there’s a lot of big wide shots and, you know, beauty shots; whereas if you’re doing American Horror Story, you know, the shots are kind of off balance and off kilter and there’s a lot of weird like horror movie techniques.

So there’s rarely moments for a director’s individuality to shine in TV because frankly it’s almost to their detriment if it does. If something’s conspicuously different, that’s bad.

But there’s a couple of shots in this episode that I am surprised they let in the show that I am very happy and proud of and one of the shots is the shot where in the hotel room Jeremiah - she says, Patti says, “Go get my earrings. They’re on the sink,” and he goes out and he just walks through the frame and disappears and that’s an empty frame of a doorway and then he enters back to the right. And it was one of those moments.

And I spoke to Michael Rauch about it where it kind of walked the line of is this Royal Pains or is this just like a weird artsy shot or this is like a Woody Allen film. And the fact that they let me keep that in there made really happy.

And I think each director that directs TV I’m learning watches the episode and goes, oh my God, that is me, like that specific moment that’s all me. Like all the rest of it is very much Royal Pains and I like fell into the mold for where it needed to be, but that one moment that’s very much my style and that there’s a couple of moments like that that they let me do.

There’s another moment in the club where there’s this giant bouncer. This giant bouncer puts his hand on Ben’s face and like is pushing his face back. I just thought oh this would be funny and they let me do it. And I find the show’s comedy has a very distinct feel to it and that to me felt like oh this could be pushing it a little bit because me as a person I’m much, much more kind of dark and edgy when it comes to my sense of humor. But it felt good to kind of push the borders in that way.

That’s a lot that I just said and now no one’s saying anything. I’m just here by myself still.

Woman: Hey.

Paulo Costanzo: I’m - hey.

Lynn Weiss: (Unintelligible) thing. (Kena), do we have any more questions or are we ready to wrap up?

Operator: You have a follow-up question from (Jamie Ruby), SciFi Vision.

Jamie Ruby: I figured I’d call again. So with the comedy and everything, do you guys often improv or are you very strict with like following the lines?

Paulo Costanzo: There’s a lot of improv. I tend to be the one that usually improvises more than others just because for the most part I’ve been kind of the comic character. But yes there’s a lot of improvisation. There’s a lot of lines that you hear in the show that were not in the script.

And I’m going to say this. I’m just going to throw this in there as well. Joe Collins is the name of the director of photography on the show. He is the hardest working person on the show. He lights for three cameras and without him I never could have done any of it. You know, I leaned on him. He gave me suggestions. He helped me. He was like my big brother and he saved me on different occasions. And I just want to throw a big huge shout out to him because he’s superman. That’s what I call him -- superman, Joe Collins.

Jamie Ruby: All right. Thank you so much.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you.

Operator: And there are no further questions at this time.

Lynn Weiss: Okay. Well thank you everybody for joining us on this call with Paulo and we appreciate your coverage. And if you have any additional questions, you are welcome to reach out to me (Lynn Weis) and I’m at (Lynn.Weis@nbcuni.com).

Paulo, thank you so much for your time.

Paulo Costanzo: Thank you all. Nice to talk to you and have you listen to me while I talk to myself.

Lynn Weiss: By everybody.

Operator: That concludes today’s conference. You may now disconnect your line.

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