Duncan Jones, David Bowie's son: at home on the dark side of the 'Moon'
Considering his itinerant childhood, and famously fanciful father, Duncan Jones could be excused for being a bit eccentric. But he isn’t. In fact, Jones, the only child of David Bowie and his first wife, Angela, seems rather normal for someone whose given name was Zowie Bowie. (He changed it to Duncan Jones when he turned 18.)
These days, Ziggy Stardust’s scruffy son is a filmmaker, and a talented one at that. His directorial debut is ‘‘Moon,’’ a cerebral science fiction film starring Sam Rockwell as an astronaut ensconced for three years on the dark side of the moon. If it sounds trippy, it is, but it’s also a smart, sometimes mesmerizing homage to the sci-fi fare Jones enjoyed as a boy shuttling among between Berlin, London, and Switzerland.
During a recent visit to the Globe, Jones talked about his flamboyant father and his own interest in film. Yes, as you might expect, one has a lot to do with the other. When Jones was just 14, he got to pull the strings on some of the puppets that co-starred with his father in Jim Henson’s cult favorite ‘‘Labyrinth.’’ ‘‘Moon,’’ which opens here on Friday, will not be the final futuristic affair from Jones. He’s already written the script for his second film, and it’s heavily influenced by ‘‘Blade Runner,’’ a movie beloved by every self-respecting sci-fi fan.
Q. You were working on a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy when you dropped out to make movies. What happened?
A. That’s right. I spent three years at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, before I realized I was going nuts, and what I wanted was to go back to what I really love, which is filmmaking.
Q. So what was your plan when you dropped out?
A. I just had an epiphany that going to film school and working in film is what I wanted to do. My dad suggested I do a part-time thing on a shoot he was doing with Tony Scott on [the TV series] ‘‘The Hunger.’’ And he was the one who suggested I go to film school, at the London International Film School, which is right in the center of town. Having the opportunity to experiment with other students was really useful and intense.
Q. Where did your interest in film come from?
A. It was something my dad and I did together with a little 8eight-millimeter 8mmcq/globe stylebook millimeter camera. And when my dad was acting, I was on the set a lot of the time doing odd jobs whenever I could.
Q. Aside from ‘‘Labyrinth,’’ what are we talking about?
A. Oh, ‘‘Absolute Beginners,’’ which was a strange British musical that had some absolutely fantastic sets, including one of London’s Soho in the 1950s. Just fantastic.
Q. How old were you then?
A. Maybe pre-teen. I’m 38 now. It was great fun.
Q. At film school, were you judged on your own merits, or were you treated like, well, David Bowie’s son?
A. I think people at school were very good about taking me for who I was. And I really did take my time, the time I needed to find out where I needed to be.
Q. Talk a little about ‘‘Moon.’’ Though it has echoes of ‘‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’’ it’s actually influenced by other sci-fi films, correct?
A. Yes. It’s influenced by a group of films that includes ‘‘Outland,’’ ‘‘Silent Running,’’ and the first half of Ridley Scott’s ‘‘Alien,’’ which is very different from the horror film it ultimately turns into. In tone, those are the films Sam Rockwell and I are really into.
Q. Were you a sci-fi fan as a kid?
A. Dad used to feed me an awful lot of books. I started off on George Orwell’s ‘‘Animal Farm’’ and ‘‘1984’’ and then J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick. I had a very good diet of science fiction literature.
Q. At least judging from this movie, science fiction doesn’t have to mean monsters and aliens.
A. Absolutely. You can have your exploding buses and lasers and the rest of it, and that’s all fine, but what interests me are the people. If you look at Ridley Scott’s ‘‘Blade Runner,’’ for example, he told an interesting human story and the emphasis is on the humans, the people. I’d love the opportunity to make that kind of movie.
Q. You may get a chance. There’s a lot of online chatter about your next film, which is described as a sort of sequel to ‘‘Blade Runner.’’ And it’ll be filmed in Berlin, no less.
A. That’s what I’m hoping. I’m crossing my fingers that people will respond to ‘‘Moon.’’ But I wouldn’t say sequel. More like a love letter to ‘‘Blade Runner.’’ Berlin is a place I know fairly well from the unusual life I had growing up. I lived there when the wall was still up and you heard people getting shot trying to cross over.
Q. Aside from the moon, where was this film shot?
A. (Laughs) The same soundstage in wWest London where Ridley Scott shot ‘‘Alien.’’ We had some good ghosts with us.
Q. I’m guessing your father has seen it?
A. He came out to Sundance when we screened it there. It was all very nerve-wracking racking, but the opportunity to show it in front of a live audience and have him be present was really exciting.
Q. It’s getting good reviews. And it doesn’t seem to matter much to the critics that David Bowie is your dad.
A. I’m glad it’s worked out that way. I love him and he’s very supportive, but it’s great to get to the stage where people don’t think to ask about that. I understand why they do, but I’m fortunate that this is something I can be proud of and people seem to be interested in the film.
