A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is the story of one womanizer’s struggle to cope with being dumped by his girlfriend and rebuild his life. Starring Charlie Sheen, 47, in the lead role, the film also has a fine supporting cast with Bill Murray, 62, and Jason Schwartzman, 32. Working with Murray on the film was a delight for director Raman Coppola. “When he walked on set with the costume, the hat and the gun, I got those kind of goosebumps like, ‘Wow, this is really a dream come true,'” Coppola told Uinterview in an exclusive video interview. “It was such a blast.”

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2012 and will have a theatrical release in the United States on Feb. 8. The last name Coppola is no stranger to the back of the director’s chair. Roman’s father is famed director Francis Ford Coppola, and Roman’s sister, Sofia Coppola, has made a name for herself directing such critically acclaimed fare as The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette.

Roman first directed in 2001 with CQ, which featured his cousin Schwartzman. In recent years, Coppola has been more of a writer, co-writing with Wes Anderson such films as Moonrise Kingdom and The Darjeeling Limited, both of which starred Schwartzman and Murray.

Born in Los Angeles, Calif., Schwartzman is coming off a three-year run as writer/private detective Jonathan Ames on HBO’s Bored to Death. This is his fourth movie working with Murray, going back to his big break in 1998’s Rushmore. Even after all these years, Schwartzman can still be surprised by Murray’s abilities. “He brings just a total wealth of phrases and extra unexpected little things that you can’t really predict,” Schwartzman told Uinterview.

Leave a comment

Read more about:

Q: Roman, why did you decide to cast Charlie Sheen for lead role in the film? - Uinterview User

Roman Coppola: You know I wrote the script prior to really considering him, and then as I was finishing it, I realized I needed someone who was the right age, that had a lot of charisma, a lot of wit and who was a really fine actor. It so happened that I knew Charlie as a kid, during the 'Apocalypse Now' days, we were boys together. I happened to receive a call from a friend who said, 'Hey talk to him! And talk with him and Charlie said, 'We gotta do a movie one of these days,' and I realized that I had something that was maybe just right for him. That's how I came to find him and it was all prior to the public stuff with Charlie. So I was very eager to work with him cause I thought, 'He's just such a good actor and he'd be perfect for this role.' It was a little difficult to wrangle and then there was a lot of the crisis and what not. And after that time passed and Charlie finally committed to doing the role for the movie, he was so committed, so professional, so skillful, that I have to say, of all the... I've worked with a bunch of actors and he was at the very highest level of ability and professionalism. It was a great experience to work with him and he really came through for me.

Q: What was your most memorable experience working with Charlie? - Uinterview User

Jason Schwartzman: I'm a fan of his work and love so many of his movies. It was a real... like... exciting thing for me to get to work with him. I loved him and I'm happy that this movie... obviously no one has forgotten who Charlie Sheen is, but he's had so many other things and his television show. It's important to remember that he's a great film actor too, in that medium. I'm happy we got to be a part of that movie, that I got to be part of his return to the cinema. A favorite memory? They're all pretty incredible. I don't really have a specifically more amazing one than another. He just blew my mind every single second.

Q: What was the funniest moment on set with Bill Murray? - Uinterview User

Coppola: Well, Bill is such a larger than life person and such a comedic genius. Everyone knows that. For me, I guess when he appears in one sequence looking like John Wayne. When he walked on set with the costume, the hat and the gun, I got those kind of goosebumps like, 'Wow, this is really a dream come true.' So that comes to mind when I saw him in that costume. It was such a blast. Schwartzman: For me, there's a moment in the movie where Charlie Sheen and I are having dinner and a limo screeches into the frame and Bill Murray opens the door and says 'GET IN HERE!' We don't know what's happening, we just run to the car and as we're running the table explodes. Someone was trying to knock us off. We get in the car and Bill Murray is handing us guns and bullets and in the script, I forget what the dialogue was, but he improvised the line as he handed me the bullets, 'Who wants popcorn?' and he handed everyone the bullets saying, 'Who wants popcorn?' I don't really know what that means and in fact, all the way home, I was really like really reading in 'What does popcorn mean? Is that a bullet phrase I don't know?' That sort of sums up just the extra layer he brings when he works. He brings just a total wealth of phrases and extra unexpected little things that you can't really predict. Coppola: Yeah it's always a surprise working with him.