Jason Reitman
Biography
Life Story
Jason Reitman was born on October 19, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a producer and director, known for Up in the Air (2009), Thank You for Smoking (2005) and Juno (2007). He was previously married to Michele Lee.
Family
Trivia
Son of director Ivan Reitman and Geneviève Robert. Older brother of Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman.
In the opening-title sequence of Thank You for Smoking (2005), which used the graphic motif of traditional cigarette cartons, Jason's credit is accompanied by the text "Est'd 1977." This is his year of birth.
Graduated from Harvard-Westlake School (North Hollywood, CA) in 1995
Graduate of the University of Southern California, where he was an English major.
One of 105 people invited to join AMPAS in 2008.
Frequents Los Angeles Steakhouse STK, as does Jason Sarayba and Channing Tatum.
Directed 4 actors in Oscar nominated performances: Ellen Page, George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick.
Father of daughter Josephine Reitman with ex-wife Michele Lee.
His ancestry is Czech Jewish (father) and French-Canadian (mother).
His favorite films are Election (1999), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Harold and Maude (1971), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Shampoo (1975), Taxi Driver (1976) and The Conversation (1974).
Personal Quotes
Being the son of a filmmaker, you are aware of a career as a director. You don't think of it as just movies, but as a life. I couldn't help but wonder how my life was going to go ... One film does not make a career.
Do you know how many times I get asked if I want to do Ghostbusters 3? Looking at my career so far, I mean if you just looked at my two films, I would make the most boring Ghostbusters movie. It would just be people talking about ghosts, there wouldn't be any ghost-busting in it.
I don't want to make films that give you the answer. If there is a message to my films - and I hope there isn't - it's to be open-minded.
I always refer to a piece of advice my father gave me the night before I started shooting Thank You for Smoking (2005). He said, 'Always remember: it's not your job to be funny. Your barometer for comedy is nowhere as good as your barometer for truth'.
I like to tell original stories, and the most simplistic argument would be that if you want to tell original stories, tell stories about women.
