subject: The Opium Eater Director And Star, David Bertelsen, Gets High Off His Film And Flowers [print this page] Question: How did you find the book, "Poppies: Odyssey of an Opium Eater?"
Bertelsen: My mom discovered it in a used book store. It was an out-of-print book and the author, Eric Detzer, resided and worked in the same area in which I grew up, Mount Vernon, WA.
Question: How did you go about adapting the book "Poppies: Odyssey of an Opium Eater" into a screenplay?
Bertelsen: We preferred to focus in on key visual elements of the autobiography that would jump off of the screen. I think that visually, "The Opium Eater" has some pretty shocking events that are just very difficult to believe. This is most definitely not a "Feel-Good" movie. We go very deep into the extraordinary life of a drug addict hooked on eating dried opium poppy pods. This film is really extraordinary.
Question: Who are some of your influences in acting and directing? And was it difficult to do both?
Bertelsen: That's a tough one...but I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood and Darren Aronofsky. "Requiem for a Dream" was extraordinary and what can you say about the simplicity of the way Clint tells a story. I was a bit reluctant to both direct and act. I must have had 10 people tell me I was nuts, including my father and acting coach. I have a background in photography so I felt confident in being able frame each shot and layout a story visually. As far as acting, I just tried to keep it as straightforward as I possibly could. I really just try and use the camera as a tool for story-telling purposes. "The Opium Eater" gave me an great chance to do that.
Question: Where did you come up with the money to make the film?
Bertelsen: I looked under every rock...my family, savings, and credit cards. It was pretty hard on my family. We had our first born and I was flying to Seattle constantly for pre-production and production. Also, we shot the film in over six locations including San Francisco and Big Bear, CA.
Question: What was it like meeting up with Eric Detzer and playing his character in "The Opium Eater?"
Bertelsen: It was extraordinary. It took me a long time just to track him down. We planned to meet in Downtown Seattle at a pub. He was a very engaging person. He was wondering why anybody would think his life was captivating enough to base a film on. It took a while to assure him that his life would make an unbelievable story.
Question: What does Eric Detzer do now?
Bertelsen: He's retired and lives in Seattle, WA. Eric still volunteers his time and does case work for homeless drug addicts living with AIDS. One interesting point is that he doesn't consume opium poppies now but he has been on methadone maintenance for 13 years.
Question: Do opium poppies really grow in the Seattle area?
Bertelsen: Yes, they do...That is the astounding part of the story. I did some investigating and visited some old contacts that are still farming in the Mount Vernon, WA area. They can recall Eric Detzer actually sprinting into their front yard and taking their poppy plants. One of my old neighbors actually guided me over to this huge bunch of opium poppies that were growing well in their garden. I ended up utilizing these local plants for props in the film.
Question: Were the poppy pods you were eating in the film real?
Bertelsen: Definitely...We would begin filming and I would pop a poppy pod in my mouth. It tasted nasty!...very bitter and crunchy. We would halt shooting and I'd spit out the chewed up poppy pod. After doing this over and over, I could genuinely experience the effects of the opium. "Pain is temporary, film lasts forever""I heard that somewhere and I think it was really accurate in the making of "The Opium Eater."
