We had so much fun on "Down with Love"
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 8:01PM Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi concludes his guest-blogging day with our favourite of his pictures. You should follow him on Instagram for more fun set photos & costume sketches....
by Daniel Orlandi
The Doris Day / Rock Hudson sex comedy romps were among the first movies I saw as a kid. I was so enamored of the look. So when I read the script to Down with Love (2003), I had to do it. I owe a lot to Producer Paddy Cullen for helping me get the job. She slipped me that script early and got me in to meet the director and producers first.
There was one problem, though...
I had already signed on to design the costumes for The Alamo. I was torn at what to do, due to scheduling conflicts. A friend said "say yes to both!” (It all worked out since The Alamo was then delayed due to a change in directors, so once a week while filming Down With Love, I was checking on samples of Mexican uniforms being manufactured for The Alamo.) I was so excited about the opportunity that even before the first meeting, I sketched almost the whole film. Surprisingly very little of it changed through the filming.
The next step was meeting Renée Zelwegger's manager who was super excited by the designs. When Renee came in to discuss the film and see the designs, she said “Lets go for it! ”
We had a very small budget so the producers were skeptical that we could get it done. Except for a sweater or two and some shoes, we had to make all of the principal costumes. I wanted the film to have that completely authentic artificial look of those original 1960s comedies. As a favor to me my good friend who had sewn so many costumes for Bob Mackie made Renee’s gowns out of her home workroom.
It was so much fun to work closely with production designer Andrew Laws matching colors: the red of Catchers office wall matches Peters vest; for Renee’s pink suit, the same plaid was embroidered on the fabric seamlessly all around, plus it's the exact color of her sofa. Special thanks to Cinematographer Jeff Crowenworth for dealing with lots of white, herringbone plaids, and bright colors all of which make lighting and shooting difficult. We met again recently and he brought this challenge up, but also told me that it's his daughters favorite of all the films he's done!
The whole film was shot on Hollywood sound stages and the Universal backlot. The actors all had dressing rooms instead of trailers. Every morning the actors would get ready and meet in the hallway seeing each other all dressed up in their finery. We had a small studio with a large window where we displayed the costumes. Other productions would walk by daily to see what was new! The prop department even made leaning boards to make it really seem like a 60s production.
Renée, me, and director Peyton Reed posing on our leaning boards.
(For those that don't know, leaning boards are tilted padded boards so actresses don't have to sit in their costumes and get them wrinkled while resting.)
Shooting the famous montage sequence of Barbara and Vicki getting stood up was really fun. I came up with the idea of the Houndstooth and yellow reverse costumes and Peyton loved it. After shooting it, though, an executive at Fox flipped out. She hated yellow especially on blondes and I had to design two new costumes to reshoot the scene. Thankfully the original scene stayed in the picture and was mentioned in many of the reviews as a highlight; the review in the New Yorker was especially satisfying!
The cast meshed so wonderfully. We had so much fun on set, David Hyde Pierce playing piano in his room with charming Ewan McGregor singing. The girls dancing in the hall. Ewan even drove to the studio each day in a 1960s sports car. The day Renée did her famous monologue was particularly amazing. At the very first run-through she did it perfectly — all seven pages — without missing a beat; the whole crew erupted in applause. This was also Sarah Paulson’s first major film role. So many big names auditioned for her part but none could get the rhythm of that 60s patter. Sarah came in and nailed it!
Next time you’re watching the film, look carefully at the beatnik party. You can see a young Zachary Quinto (whose lines were cut) as a beatnik poet!
One final note on a film that so many people seem to love now. We hired a recent graduate of my alma mater as a production assistant for this shoot. The veteran wardrobe supervisor told her one day:
Remember this! You will probably never have as much fun on any other film as we are having right now.”
She was right!
A huge thank you to Daniel Orlandi, a designer whose work we always look forward to, for these fun peeks into his inspirations, career, and filmography. If you enjoyed these please let him know in the comments, and if you're a Down with Love fan, please share the post on social media. - Editor
Reader Comments (22)
The costumes in this film were fabulous and fun
I lurv this movie. So great to get some inside scoop and to find out the joy we feel on the screen was there on set.
Fantastic blog day, Daniel. You need to write a book!!!
The world can feel so dark of late. Mr. Olandi, your bright and joyful series of remembrance has been a gift. I found happiness listening to you celebrate the enthusiasm you find in your work.
The Houndstooth and yellow reverse costumes scene is what I think when I think about the movie. ♥ I've trying to watch the movie for months, maybe this is a sign... I'll watch it in the next couple of days.
Loved this film, from the acting to the story and especially ALL THOSE GORGEOUS COSTUMES! Thanks for doing this series and making this day just a bit brighter for me.
Oh, that scene with the matching outfits! I died! Should have been nominated.
Daniel - i'm literally shockd about that story of the executive wanting those costumes cut. Shocked. Its the most memorable visual in a movie chalk full of crazy good visuals. it's like cutting Somewhere Over a Rainbow out of the Wizard of Oz as they threatened to do ;)
AMAZING GUEST EDITOR! THESE WERE ALL FASCINATING AND DELIGHTFUL ARTICLES. BRAVA!
Oh I love this movie and I've always been perplexed at the general response of people who just don't get it. I think it's a masterpiece as much as Far From Heaven which came out around the same time. I mean just because it's a "light" comedy...
I saw this at a screening at 20th Century Fox and there was palpable excitement over all those crazy costume changes (and the set design).
And speaking of Fox, I feel this never got the luxe Blu Ray treatment it deserved. I hope that changes in the near future. (I'm not even sure if it was released on Widescreen.)
Talk about an "over and over!"
Thanks for your posts Daniel! This one was particularly delightful.
Looking forward to your future film work!
The costumes in this are PHENOMENAL! I would have given you the Oscar in a heartbeat.
Daniel, thank you for such a fun and insightful set of blog posts. I've enjoyed reading them and I've learnt a lot.
Why this s*itty movie always pop-up once a year? I'm a pure gay on Kinsey scale but this movie is too much
Love the movie, love the costumes. Great reading
The costumes are lush, an highlight in such a fun movie. No doubt, it deserved the oscar that year.
Extremely rewatchable, plus, the movie has the career best performances from Renee and Ewan, They have never been better in my eyes.
Deserved the Oscar! Can't believe the yellow and houndstooth coat/dress combo was nearly axed. It's the defining image of the movie, I think!
Daniel, thank you for all of your wonderful posts yesterday. I was thrilled to read each one of them. You gave a real gift to the site and all of us readers.
Your work on Down With Love is exemplary...truly inspired, lending the film so much credibility, artfulness, and beauty.
Hope you come back and share more stories. Thank you!
Loved these blogs. Thanks, Daniel!
Thanks for posting this reminder of a truly lovely movie. Haven't seen it since release. Now i have a "virtual" movie date to see it this Saturday w/ family and friends. I'll drop some of these anecdotes into the conversation.
That GIF of Renee is fabulous. I'm getting Madonna.
She would've been great in the Golden Age musicals—a real knack for movement. A lot of great actresses don't have it.
I'm surprise Renee din score a GG nom w her funny n sexy Doris Day updated version!
I guess GG alr nom her for Cold Mountain, n din c the need to nom her far betta performance tt yr! 😁
I LOVE this movie! The costumes, the dialogue, the sets - just wonderful! Thank you for writing about it, too.