Donald: Really? They’re very good.
Kiefer: Thanks.
Donald: I would watch them and phone him the next morning.
Kiefer: In fact, when he didn’t call I would get really concerned that this episode was not good. But this film was different for me. And it’s something I’ll hold on to for the rest of my life. The dynamic between this father and his son is not the dynamic between me and my father, but there are moments in it, like when they’re saying goodbye. I’ve had that moment with my father for real. And to have it in that way, to have it on a disc, that’s one thing that I’ll have with me forever.
I didn’t spend as much time with my dad as I wanted to when I was growing up and he didn’t spend as much time with me as he wanted to when I was growing up. I was thinking, ‘Well I didn’t get to go on that fishing trip with my dad and I didn’t get to do this with my dad.’ I wrapped two days after my dad and he was driving away, and I couldn’t help but smile and realize wow, we just spent 8 weeks together, 14 hours a day, 6 days a week. And we made something. That’s a lot better than a (expletive) fishing trip.
Donald: We went fishing!
Kiefer: Well, I know we went fishing.
Donald: I don’t like fishing.
Kiefer: I was using it more as a metaphor than anything else.
Are you wistful that it took so long to do?
Donald: You do what I can. It’s not like we could have done it sooner. If we could have done it sooner we would have. I’m very, very glad we didn’t do it later. It’s quite possible I would not be here.