Josh H. Simon ’00 Fields Questions About Job as Studio Exec, Lohan Film

Seeing the new Lindsay Lohan vehicle Herbie: Fully Loaded alone feels slightly dirty, like college kids trolling for dates outside their high-school. No matter Lohan’s impressive endowments as an actress, it’s still just a kid’s movie, right?

Former Harvard Crimson President Josh H. Simon ’00 virulently objects to such blithe dismissals. He is one of two Disney executives in charge of overseeing the lovability of The Love Bug. This was his first project after taking the unusual leap from his post-college post in Disney’s corporate strategy division to the creative side in the Buena Vista Motion Pictures group. The Crimson communicated with Simon via e-mail to chat about Lindsay Lohan’s tabloid life style, his own career path, and what it’s like to digitally reduce Lindsay Lohan’s breasts.

Unfortunately but understandably, as the junior executive of a movie featuring a star in the midst of a tabloid whirl, Simon declined to dignify a few of my questions with a response. Be reassured that I did try to find out how he justified reducing Lohan’s breasts to his pubescent self, why Lohan is called a druggy anorexic in tabloids, and whether or not “I just hung out with Lindsay Lohan” is an effective pick-up line. I also asked about Lohan’s massive...following, and let me tell you, Disney’s massive legal staff can certainly shut someone up quick.

Simon was, however, able to talk about what a studio executive does, Lohan’s impressive acting abilities, and how to shape an original story with a classic character without attempted suicide (seriously, the car tries to jump off a bridge in the originals).

THC: What is [Lindsay] Lohan really like?

JHS: Lindsay is a fantastic actor. No one else could have pulled off the part as well as she did. And considering she was only 18 at the time, it’s impressive how hard she worked. She would spend twelve or more hours on set, and then record her album at night. The tabloids love to create stories about her, most of which I’ve found to be incredibly gross distortions of the truth.

THC: Should college students be interested in this movie or see it? Why?

JHS: Everyone should be interested in this movie. While college students might not think it’s for them, audiences of all ages have responded really well. Our exit polls at theaters have been absolutely stellar for all age groups. The movie is a fun, feel-good time.

THC: What do you do as a studio executive? Go through a typical day overseeing this movie or another. Why aren’t you credited on posters or promotional materials?

JHS: As a studio executive, we oversee and shepherd the process from start to finish. In general, the movie-making process starts with finding and developing ideas. We meet with writers and producers to hear pitches, read scripts that have been written on spec, or come up with ideas of our own and hire writers to work on them. During the development process, we meet frequently with the writers to brainstorm ideas and give notes on drafts. Sometimes we might need to find and bring additional writers onto a project. Once the script gets green light, we’ll find a director and then work with that person, and the producer, to sort out various pre-production issues: ranging from budget, to casting, to the overall look of the movie. During production, we really like to turn the process over to the director. In an ideal scenario, we watch dailies, give notes, and don’t have to spend too much time on set. On the rare occasion there’s a problem, we might get more involved in the day-to-day production. Finally, we work with the director during post-production, giving advice on things like editing and music. Our goal though is to hire a talented director and give him or her the freedom to make their movie without too much studio involvement.

As a policy, Disney doesn’t give credit to studio executives on the movie. There are so many people working for Disney who are instrumental in making a great film that it’s impossible to list everyone. The “Walt Disney Pictures” or “Touchstone Pictures” logo at the start of the movie represents all of us.

THC: How has making a kids’ movie changed since the original Herbie flicks were made?

JHS: The biggest difference is trying to make kids’ movies appeal to wider audiences. In the past, kids’ movies were made exclusively for kids. But I think we’ve increasingly tried to make movies that operate on two levels – they can be fun an entertaining to both kids and adults. It’s one of the most interesting challenges of my job. I think people assume making “kids” movies is easy. But in many ways, I think it can be more difficult than making a PG-13 or R-rated movie. Given the kinds of entertainment kids are exposed to today, it’s an interesting challenge to make a movie that kids will find captivating and fun, and that will also entertain parents and adults. I think the original Herbie movies actually captured both audiences. But most other kids movies made during that time didn’t.

THC: Trace your path from Crimson President to Disney producer.

JHS: I took a right on Plympton, jumped on the Mass Pike, and eventually ended up in front of the Team Disney building in Burbank.

I started working in Disney’s Strategic Planning group after graduation. I spent three years in that group, focusing mainly on the company’s broadcasting and filmed entertainment businesses. I always thought that I wanted to work in feature film production, but didn’t really know how to go about it. While in Strat Planning, I got to know people in the Motion Picture Group, and met Nina Jacobson, the president of the group, who was eventually willing to take a chance on me.

THC: What would be your advice to students interested in going into film on the production side? On the acting side?

JHS: Be willing to take risks. When most people are graduating, they’re seduced by the security, financial reward, and ease of seeking out jobs on Wall Street, or some type of grad school. Moving to LA with nothing but the hopes of landing an acting gig, or finding an entry level production job and hoping to work through the system, is scary. But for anyone passionate about a career in entertainment, it’s worth the risk. And the sooner they can get used the taking such chances, the better, because that’s what the entertainment business is all about.

THC: While attending Harvard did you have any idea you would become a studio exec? Is there anything you regret not having done that might have better prepared you for this?

JHS: I consider myself really lucky because what I do now has always been a dream job of mine. So I always hoped that I would end up working in the movie business one day. The one regret I have is not taking a more diverse slate of classes. I think the more “stuff” you know, the more effectively you can come up with fresh and interesting ideas.

THC: How do you deal with the pressures of remaking what some feel is a classic? Did you see the original series of films before starting? What did you think of the originals?

JHS: I loved the original movies and remember watching them as a young kid. We had a fantastic director who recognized the nostalgic appeal of the originals, but also the need to introduce Herbie to a modern audience. The original movies actually had some dark elements to them–Herbie tried to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in one. But we made the choice early on to go with the ’69 VW bug, instead of a modern one. And I think that helped to keep a connection to the older movies. I also don’t think of this movie as a “remake.” Aside from the car, we conceived an entirely original story.

THC: Do you read the reviews? How do you deal with negative reviews?

JHS: Luckily with this movie, there weren’t very many negative reviews out there from serious critics. I was proud of the finished product long before any reviews came out. But the LA and NY Times both gave positive reviews to the film, which was just icing on the cake.

THC: What are you working on now?

JHS: I’m working on three movies that are in post-production: Annapolis, starring James Franco and Tyrese; Antarctica, starring Paul Walker; and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I’m working on a variety of other projects in pre-production and development.

—Staff writer Scoop A. Wasserstein can be reached at wasserst@fas.harvard.edu.