美国国家公共电台 NPR A Director's Struggle With Anorexia In 'To The Bone'

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Marti Noxon made her name as a TV writer, director and producer, working on shows like "Buffy The Vampire¹ Slayer²," "Glee," also, "Mad Men."

Now she's making her debut³ as a film director with "To The Bone." It is a movie about her own struggles with anorexia⁴. The movie stars Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves, and it's available on Netflix this weekend.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco went to visit Noxon at her home in Studio City, Calif.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE⁵: We're in Marti Noxon's kitchen, with its faint but delicious scent⁶ from this morning's waffles. Actually, pie is her specialty⁷.

MARTI NOXON: I'm pretty proud of my pie crust. I think I've finally learned how to manhandle it just enough.

DEL BARCO: This is how much she loves to bake. A few years ago, she helped open a flour mill in Pasadena. And recently, she applied⁸ to be a contestant⁹ on a TV baking contest.

NOXON: And I actually made it to, like, the second round of interviews, yeah. And when I said to the guy - I said, I did co-create a show about the evils of reality television. He goes, I know. We loved it. So I almost - but then I think the jig¹⁰ was up.

DEL BARCO: This baking afficionado was once anorexic, beginning at age 14. In high school, she was cast as Jennifer Jason Leigh's body double for a TV movie about the disorder¹¹. At the time, Noxon weighed less than 70 pounds.

NOXON: And believe me, the sick part of me is still prideful about it. Like, yeah, I was having heart palpitations every single day. Like, there's that violence towards yourself that lives in you, and it really wants to take you to death.

DEL BARCO: Noxon says she was in and out of hospitals for her eating disorder before finding a doctor that helped her recover.

The new movie she wrote and directed is about her experiences.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TO THE BONE")

KEANU REEVES: (As Dr. Beckham) You're not thin. You scare people. And I'm guessing you like that. But the way that you're going, one day, you won't wake up. And I'm not going to treat you if you aren't interested in living.

LILY COLLINS: (As Ellen) Good speech.

REEVES: (As Dr. Beckham) If I'm going to help you, you have to agree to a few things.

NOXON: It was me. That was my story. I'm lucky to be alive. It's a blessing¹² to tell my story, you know. But, yeah, no, I got to a place where everybody was really afraid I was going to die.

DEL BARCO: Noxon says it's taken her years to look at her own addictions¹³. But at 53, she hopes her movie helps audiences understand the disorder.

NOXON: There's a brain chemistry - the floatiness and the disassociation and all the things that came with starving, I became addicted¹⁴ to. And later, when I had trouble with alcohol, it was similar because the ritual of it, even the remorse¹⁵ and the planning not to do it and the - you know, my life became just gripped with obsession¹⁶.

DEL BARCO: As a director, Noxon was also not afraid to show disturbing images, her main character's protruding¹⁷ spine¹⁸ and rib¹⁹ cage and other people's shocked reactions to her gaunt frame.

NOXON: I didn't want it to feel in any way sensual or romantic. The responsibility we had was to show enough that people understood it was deadly and grave.

DEL BARCO: As a child, Noxon says she divided her time between her bipolar mother in Santa Monica and her filmmaker father in the Valley. Nicolas Noxon worked for National Geographic²⁰, producing mostly documentaries about animals.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "TIGERS OF THE SNOW")

RICHARD KILEY: (As narrator) It is the biggest cat on Earth, the Siberian tiger.

DEL BARCO: In college at UC Santa Cruz, Noxon ditched acting²¹ and began to write. For many years afterwards, she worked as an assistant to a number of Hollywood agents and writers. She pitched a lot of ideas for movies and even sold a screenplay. But her big break came in 1997, when she was hired to write for the hit TV show "Buffy The Vampire Slayer."

(SOUNDBITE OF NERF HERDER'S "'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' THEME")

NOXON: It had such an emotional heart to it. It was the moment that Buffy bared her neck to Angel and was basically daring him to bite her. And I was like, OK, this is a heroine I have never seen before. She's a girl making bad decisions. And I was like, I want that kind of hero. I need that kind of hero.

DEL BARCO: Noxon worked closely with the show's creator, Joss Whedon, who says he's impressed by her openness.

JOSS WHEDON: Most of us are busy hiding from our damage while we're trying to create. And Marti is not - not afraid of Marti. You know, she obviously is enormously charming, very shocking. I mean, she would just tell you the most intimate things.

DEL BARCO: Whedon says Noxon's bravado²² came out in her scripts.

WHEDON: On "Buffy," Marti got some guff for bringing, you know, some reality to the thing. Ton of humor and metaphor²³ and the scary and the sexy and the fun - but at the same time, she got a little close to the bone.

DEL BARCO: Noxon reminisces about working with Whedon on a key scene in which Buffy slays²⁴ her vampire boyfriend, Angel.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER")

SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR: (As Buffy) I love you.

DAVID BOREANAZ: (As Angel) I love you.

NOXON: Both he and I were standing²⁵ behind the monitors and just weeping (laughter). I was aware of how silly it was, but I was also, like, this is the dream. I'm inside the dream factory, you know. My dad had made a documentary called "The Dream Factory" about MGM, and my whole life I just wanted to be inside it. And there I was.

DEL BARCO: By the final seasons of "Buffy," Noxon was executive producer. And during her run, she even had a cameo on one episode, singing about getting a parking ticket.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER")

NOXON: (As Parking Ticket Woman, singing) I'm asking you, please, no. It isn't right. It isn't fair. There was no parking anywhere. I think that hydrant wasn't there. Why can't you let it go? I think I've paid more than my share. I'm just a poor girl. Don't you care? Hey, I'm not wearing underwear.

DEL BARCO: After "Buffy," Noxon wrote for "Grey's Anatomy," "Glee" and "Mad Men." She also executive produced a series, "Unreal," and created "Code Black" and "Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce." Now, she tackles the big screen with "To The Bone."

On Monday night at USC, outside a screening of the film, Noxon met up with the 28-year-old actress who plays her in the movie. She and Lily Collins held up their left wrists together. Both have tattoos²⁶ with the letters L.J.

NOXON: So kooky.

COLLINS: I know.

NOXON: Kooky pookie (ph) (laughter).

DEL BARCO: Noxon's tattoos are the initials of her children, Jed and Laney. Collins' are her own initials, Lily Jane. Collins says the two are best friends with many things in common, including their love of baking and their past eating disorders²⁷.

COLLINS: She's of a different generation than I am. And yet, I felt like we were the same age. And she's just the most giving, open, brutally²⁸ honest, self-deprecating, smart, kick-ass woman that I've had the pleasure of working with and knowing, really. And she's a sassy truth-teller (laughter).

DEL BARCO: Noxon continues to tell stories her way. Besides "To The Bone," she's working on an upcoming HBO drama called "Sharp Objects" and a TV series called "Dietland."

Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF THOSE WHO RIDE WITH GIANTS' "THE SECOND SIGHTING")

1 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

2 slayer   

n. 杀人者，凶手

参考例句：

• The young man was Oedipus, who thus unknowingly became the slayer of his own father. 这位青年就是俄狄浦斯。他在不明真相的情况下杀死了自己的父亲。
• May I depend on you to stand by me and my daughters, then, deer-slayer? 如此说来，我可以指望你照料我和女儿了，杀鹿人？

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 anorexia   

n.厌食症

参考例句：

• Anorexia can creep up on young girls when they least expect it.年轻女子可能在最没有防备的情況下患上厌食症。
• Anorexia is a common eating disorder.厌食是一种常见的饮食紊乱症。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

7 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

9 contestant   

n.竞争者，参加竞赛者

参考例句：

• The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
• The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。

10 jig   

n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳

参考例句：

• I went mad with joy and danced a little jig.我欣喜若狂，跳了几步吉格舞。
• He piped a jig so that we could dance.他用笛子吹奏格舞曲好让我们跳舞。

11 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

12 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

13 addictions   

瘾( addiction的名词复数 )； 吸毒成瘾； 沉溺； 癖好

参考例句：

• He has removed the stigma of drug addictions. 他已经洗去吸毒的污点了。
• Intelligent people are good at using reason to control excessive addictions. 智慧的人善于用理性来控制过度的嗜欲。

14 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

15 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

16 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

17 protruding   

v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸

参考例句：

• He hung his coat on a nail protruding from the wall. 他把上衣挂在凸出墙面的一根钉子上。
• There is a protruding shelf over a fireplace. 壁炉上方有个突出的架子。 来自辞典例句

18 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

19 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

20 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

21 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

22 bravado   

n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能

参考例句：

• Their behaviour was just sheer bravado. 他们的行为完全是虚张声势。
• He flourished the weapon in an attempt at bravado. 他挥舞武器意在虚张声势。

23 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

24 slays   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• No other infection so quickly slays. 再没有别的疾病会造成如此迅速的死亡。
• That clown just slays me. 那小丑真叫我笑死了。

25 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

26 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。