My Own Private Idaho

“My Own Private Idaho. Gorgeous. Stunning. I’m taking this one.”

“I'm going to say three movies fast: My Own Private Idaho, Gus Van Sant...”

“My Own Private Idaho. Talk about movies that made me want to be an actor this is one of them. I mean you know River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Gus Van Sant, Flea's in this movie they made it look so cool. I remember seeing My Own Private Idaho and it wasn't the typical kind of film that we got down there. I think it was a rental that me and my friends rented. They just made it look so cool I love this movie such an influence on me.”

“I just wanted to give a shout out to My Own Private Idaho. We saw this film projected about a month ago and I had never seen River Phoenix on the big screen. There was just like the scene by the fire when they're on the road and he kind of confesses to Keanu's character that he feels something for him.”

“This is a great movie. Unfortunately, there is a narration by the great Gus Van Sant, the director, and this JT LeRoy, that a disembodied spirit is narrating this film. Now how could somebody who goes in and out of different people's bodies, how did Criterion get them here? This JT LeRoy on... Is this DVD or Blu-ray? It's like Edison inventing the capacity, the equipment to talk to The Dead.”

“Another story. I was in Berlin and a young director came to me. He said, 'My name is Gus Van Sant. My next movie, My Own Private Idaho, I'm preparing now and I would like that you play.' And we start writing letters to each other. I went to Portland to shoot my first film in America. I liked America and River Phoenix was amazing and Keanu Reeves. That was My Own Private Idaho, very important for me. I'm a lucky man.”

“And then My Own Private Idaho. This movie, the Gus Van Sant movie, it’s so honest... This is one of the movies that was coming out when I was trying to become an actor and I was, like, incredibly influenced by River Phoenix. I thought he was just, like, the thing. I remember the scene when they’re sitting around the campfire and he’s trying to tell him that he loves him... It was, like, one of the most heart-moving scenes. And I was like, 'God, how fucking punk rock is River Phoenix?'”

“Gus's My Own Private Idaho. This is a beautiful edition that I treasure in my collection.”