Diaz, Marsden, Kelly speak about new morality drama, The Box
Mallory Factor
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Focus
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The story revolves around Norma and Arthur Lewis, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, a couple that have fallen on hard times in 1976 Virginia. For the most part, they manage to make do with what they have and continue living an ordinary life until one day a box with a button inside appears on their doorstep. Soon after, Arlington Steward (played by Frank Langella) arrives at their house with a proposition - push the button, which will kill someone they do not know, and receive a million dollars. Like everything on this earth, the situation has its complications, resulting in a movie that is both thrilling and thought provoking.
Based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, Kelly, who is famous for penning and directing the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko, chose to adapt the movie because of the impression the story left on him when he was a child, and because of the questions left unanswered. The way Mr. Kelly sees it, "The short story is a great setup for act one. When I was young and I read the story, it left me with one line that set my mind racing. When [Norma and Arthur] asked who Mr. Steward worked for, he responded 'I assure you that the organization is large and international in scope.' I had so many questions, 'who does he work for, why'd they build this button, why did they give it to these families, what's the agenda at work', such amazing questions, and to be able to explore those answers in act two and act three is exciting."
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