'The Holdovers' Exclusive Interview: Paul Giamatti

Moviefone speaks with Paul Giamatti about 'The Holdovers.' "It very much reminded me of a teacher I had. So, that always was there in the back of my head."

Currently in theaters now is the critically acclaimed ‘The Holdovers,’ which is the eighth feature film from two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker Alexander Payne (‘The Descendants’) and reunites him with ‘Sideways’ actor Paul Giamatti.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Giamatti about his work on ‘The Holdovers,’ reuniting with Alexander Payne, if his filmmaking process has changed since ‘Sideways,’ Giamatti’s inspiration for the role, working with first time actor Dominic Sessa, and the surrogate family their characters create.

Paul Giamatti stars in 'The Holdovers.'

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

Moviefone: We recently had the chance to speak to Alexander Payne and he mentioned that during the writing process he sent you rough drafts of the screenplay to get your input. Is that correct, and what kind of input did you give?

Paul Giamatti: He did send me some rough drafts along the way, and my only input was, "Keep going. This is awesome. Just let me know. Just keep sending me this." He's always a step ahead of you of coming up with great stuff.

Paul Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release.

MF: What was your initial take on this character, and did you draw inspiration from any teachers you had growing up?

PG: Well, it very much reminded me of a teacher I had. So, that inspiration, he was right there, there was a guy that I had in mind who was a cranky, difficult, curmudgeonly, sarcastic guy who maybe had drunk a little too much. But I remembered thinking he was a good teacher, and he was a really dedicated teacher. So, I didn't want to ever forget the fact that this guy really cared about teaching and that underneath the bitterness and all the self-deception was an actual desire to teach people, to teach kids. So, that always was there in the back of my head.

Related Article: Director Alexander Payne and Editor Kevin Tent Talk 'The Holdovers'

Director Alexander Payne and actor Dan Aid on the set of their film 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release.

MF: What was it like reuniting with Alexander Payne on this film, and has his process as a filmmaker changed at all since ‘Sideways’?

PG: It's interesting, it was different. It was a different movie, and so there was even more precision on this one, that was really kind of cool. He had a definite sense of the pace of it. I picked that up very early on and I was like, "Okay, this has got a kind of different pace from ‘Sideways.’" So that was just different. I don't know if it was better or anything like that. But in terms of me and him working together, it was easier. I mean, we'd become friends in the interim, so now I was just actually there with a friend of mine who I was getting to hang out with, and I happened to be making a movie. Which is what he makes it feel like anyway for everybody, but it really was even deeper for me in that regard.

Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release.

MF: What is like working opposite a first-time actor and what was your experience like working with Dominic Sessa?

PG: It's super exciting, because he's feeling everything fresh for the first time, and he's a smart guy. He's watchful and he's picking up on everything, and it was great to just watch him. It mimicked in some ways the thing going on in the movie, that this guy is gaining the pleasure of watching this kid in the world and starting to really appreciate the kid. He was great. He's such a good guy. He was a good guy to just hang out with. It was like, I like being with this guy. So, it made it such a pleasure.

Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully, Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham and Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release.

(L to R) Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully, Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham and Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Seacia Pavao / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

MF: Finally, can you talk about the surrogate family that Paul, Angus and Mary form together through the course of the movie because they have nowhere else to go?

PG: They have nobody else there, so it's like they're thrown together, but they all need something. They all need to move beyond where they're stuck a little bit and somehow each one of them begins to gain empathy for each other and move themselves forward, even for that little space of time. It's going to break apart, they're never going to see each other again, but it's like they find that moment of empathy to help themselves slightly move on to the next place, which is great.

The Holdovers

"Discomfort and joy."

R2 hr 13 minNov 10th, 2023

Showtimes & Tickets

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What is the plot of ‘The Holdovers’?

Set in the early 1970s, the film follows Paul Hunham (Giamatti), a disliked teacher at Barton Academy, who's responsible for supervising students who are unable to return home for the Christmas holidays. During this process, Hunham is forced to deal with one particularly rebellious but troubled student, Angus (Sessa), who is grieving the loss of his father.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Holdovers’?

Paul Giamatti ('Sideways') as Paul Hunham
Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully
Da'Vine Joy Randolph ('Dolemite Is My Name') as Mary Lamb
Carrie Preston ('They/Them') as Miss Lydia Crane
Gillian Vigman ('The Hangover') as Judy Clotfelter
Tate Donovan ('Good Night, and Good Luck') as Stanley Clotfelter

(L to R) Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of FOCUS FEATURES / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.