The Leonard Goldberg Interview -- CA2: Full Throttle  -- part 2
Leonard Goldberg and heavenly angel, Cameron Diaz on the set of Charlie's Angels film. Goldberg says this about Diaz --  She just lights up the screen and when she smiles, the audience smiles back.  Cameron is a movie star in the best sense of the word.  Photo ©2003 Columbia-Tri Star Pictures. Mike Pingel: What's is the story line for the new film . . . will it pick up where the last film left off?   
Leonard Goldberg: Their personal lives have moved forward a little bit.  Lucy’s character Alex is still seeing Matt LeBlanc, although they are on a time out - which he does not like very much. Cameron’s character Natalie has taken a step forward and she has moved in with Luke Wilson’s character. They have a little beach cottage.     

Their case concerns the theft of the “missing persons” program.   Someone has stolen a list of everyone in the witness protection program including their current addresses, placing them in jeopardy.  The Angels have to get the list back before the bad guys start killing these “protected” people.  
 
M: I hear there is a new Townsend Agency Office.  
L: We do have a new office.  If you recall in the last movie, the office was blown-up.  This gave our production designer the opportunity to build a proper office for Charlie that is quite beautiful and extraordinary. We now have a state of the art office, but some things will never change. The voice of Charlie still comes through the same old speaker box.
  
M: Now Bill Murray is not returning, is that correct? 
L: That’s correct, Bill Murray is not returning. We have another Bosley coming, a relative of Bosley and he is played by Bernie Mac.   
 
M: And how is he going to be introduced to the Angels? 
L: They walk in the office, and they go, “Bosley?!” and he goes, “What’s Happening?!” When the movie begins he has been there for a week or two, so they have already made their introductions.   
 
M: How is the chemistry with the Angels and the new Bosley? 
L: Fantastic! Bernie Mac is just the best possible guy. He is so easy to work with, so funny, and so warm with them. They just loved him.
  
M: How did you lure Demi Moore into the film? That’s the coo of  Hollywood!
L: Demi was a big movie star and someone that I have always admired, but she had not worked in five years since she has been raising her three daughters in Idaho.  I happened to run into her in   New York  at a restaurant and she looked fantastic and I told her that she should go back to work. She gave a small indication that she might be willing to, and when I got back, I called her agent, Kevin Huvane. Demi was a little skittish. When you haven't worked in five years, you’re a little nervous about coming back. We put Drew Barrymore on the case, who is the best persuader we have.  We had a couple of meetings and Drew was very persuasive with Demi.  It was really a perfect situation because Demi didn’t have to carry this movie. She comes into the film in a very movie star entrance and Demi's role is a lot of fun.   
 
M: Her character is going to be a “classic” Angel from the 80s?
L: She was an Angel, but has since fallen into evil ways and is now a dark angel.

M: And talking about “classic” Angels . . . . Jaclyn Smith is coming back!
L: Yes, we were able to get Jackie to come back and do a very interesting scene in the movie.  I think the audience will be surprised by it and really like it.  
  
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle M: Do you have any exciting scoops from behind-the-scenes that fans would want to know? 
L: Well, a funny thing happened on Halloween. Drew is a big enthusiast of Halloween, so she decided, that we all come in costume that day. Little did we know that Sony was bringing some of the international exhibitors.  So they walked onto the set and they must have thought they were on Mars. McG was dressed up like this big rabbit.  I was the most mature, dressed up in a white suit as Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island.  A lot of the outfits were really wild.  I can imagine these Sony people just stood there with their mouths open.
 
M: How is it producing with your daughter, Amanda Goldberg?
L: It’s fabulous! First of all, I get to see her every day which is terrific. Also, I’m no longer in my thirties, so she connects me to this new world. She said to me when we started the first film, "It’s really simple Dad. It either rocks or it doesn’t." I said, "It Rocks? Being good?" She said, "Yes" I said, "How will I know?" She said, "I’ll tell you."

I’ll always remember on the first one when were talking about where Cameron and Luke Wilson would go on a date, and they came up with the idea of Soul Train. I said, "Wait a minute, he’s taking Cameron to Soul Train?" Amanda went, "That Rocks." I went, "OK!"
 
M: Well, it did rock!
L:It wound up to be the best scene in the movie.
 
M: In the film, are you planning any homage to the TV series, like the way you did in the first film with “Angels in Chains”? 
L: There are a couple of little pieces that may remind those of the TV series. Watch carefully.   

M: What about the “Wall of Angels?” Will that be in seen in this film? 
L: Actually, in both movies we wanted to have a “wall” of the previous Angels. We never shot it in the first movie, although we had it. We built a wall of Angels, because in our mind The Townsend Detective Agency has not stopped. Charlie’s been in business all these years, we just haven't been watching them. We shot this wall in the movie, but I don’t know if it will make it the final cut.     

 
M: Are there plans for a third film? 
L: I think the studio will wait and see how well this one does. If this one does substantially better than the first one, which was already a hit, I'm sure they would be interested in doing a third movie. Then of course, you have to talk to the three Angels; Cameron, Drew, and Lucy and see if they’re interested in doing another one. 
 
M: What other upcoming projects are you working on other than Charlie’s Angels?
L: I’m producing Wonder Woman with Joel Silver for Warner Brothers. We are developing a script for  Fantasy Island at Sony. Mandy Films has a thriller at Paramount called Crisscross that Ron Bass wrote.  Ron and I had great success with Sleeping with the EnemyParamount and Sherry Lansing seemed very enthusiastic about moving forward and we had Halle Berry to play one of the parts.  
 
Soon to be a famous scene from Charlie's Angels Full Throttle -- The Angels get all soaped up!!! M: Who’s playing Wonder Woman?
L: Well, we won’t know that until we get a script. We haven’t even talked about casting.   
 
M: Any projects in your successful career you are most proud of? 
L:  That’s hard to say because they’re all your children, but I guess there are three that mean the most to me; the series “Family,” the movie “War Games,” and the TV movie “Brian’s Song.” 

M: Let me mention the Angels names and your thoughts on each. . . 
  
M: Drew Barrymore . . . 
L:  Irrepressible, Darling, Passionate. And although she doesn't believe it, very sexy. 
  
M:  Lucy Liu . . . 
L: Fashionable, good actress, funny. 
  
M:  Cameron Diaz . . . 
L:  She just lights up the screen and when she smiles, the audience smiles back.  Cameron is a movie star in the best sense of the word.

 

 

 

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Charlie's Angels 2:Full Throttle Images ©2003 Columbia-Tri Star Pictures. 
 Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle images used with permission from Columbia-TRI Star Pictures.