‘I Knew I Was the Right Guy’

Damien Chazelle neck injury It has been widely considered a masterpiece of modern art, largely due to JK Simmons“Performing as dictatorial music teacher Fletcher. Fletcher is the conductor of the jazz band at the Schaffer Institute in New York City. When Andrew Nyman (Miles Teller) wins a spot in the band, he becomes obsessed with proving himself to his demanding and abusive teacher. Simmons' performance is electric and terrifying at the same time, The actor won his first Oscar..

JK Simmons sat down with GQ To reflect on his most iconic roles throughout his career. And while we're talking about Chazelle, neck injurySimmons revealed, disturbingly, that when he first read the script, he knew it was the right role for him because he saw himself in every single one of Fletcher's dialogue. He explained:

“It was one of the most brilliant pieces of writing. It was one of those things that I read and… I mean, I don’t know if I was literally shaking, but I could see myself 100 percent in every sentence, every shot of the movie. I understood who this guy was, what he wanted, what he needed, and I knew I was the guy.”

In order to photograph Fletcher, JK Simmons had to learn how to lead a jazz band.Director and writer Damien Chazelle did not pressure him to learn. In fact, Chazelle said he could hire a stand-in to do all the driving to calm Simmons down and focus on Fletcher's psyche. However, J.K. Simmons declined, revealing to the director that he already had experience with music. Simmons said:

“I look at him and I'm like, 'Man, I'm a classically trained musician. I wanted to be Leonard Bernstein. I'm a conductor. So I'm not just going to be an actor waving his arms. I'm going to learn these notes.'”

JK Simmons recommends you watch the short film Whiplash.

Before Damien Chazelle directed Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in neck injuryHe had never directed a big-budget studio film. So how did Chazelle get his dream job directing a film full of A-list actors that he wrote himself? Well, he made a great short film. Before Simmons played Fletcher on the big screen in neck injuryHe had already auditioned for a character in a short film of the same name directed by Chazelle. The 18-minute short revolves around one intense scene from the feature film, in which Fletcher grabs Nayman and asks him if he is “rushing or hesitating.”

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During the interview, Simmons talked about his time on the short film and praised Chazelle for making an engaging short film “with no money.” The actor then admitted that he was worried that Damien Chazelle had bitten off more than he could chew in the director’s chair, but said the director’s confidence carried him through the production. Simmons said:

“People should see this short film. It’s really cool, and it wasn’t made for money. There was a very clear path to this character through what Damien had on the paper. When we were making the short film, I was worried that this young man might get involved in things that didn’t fit his abilities as a director. I mean, Damien could make a movie in Hollywood. It’s his dream project with professional actors. The confidence he had by the time we got on set with Miles and I was amazing.”