Richard Jenkins talks about how he got involved with Eat Pray Love and what life was like on-set

(MakingOf) Talking about how you got involved...what was it that struck a chord and made you get involved?

(Richard Jenkins) Well I had read the book long before the movie came around.  Two years ago I was in LA and Ryan asked to meet me...I had read the script...and I thought he was just feeling me out a little bit.  We went and sat down for breakfast and we were talking and he said 'Do you want to do it?' and I said 'You bet.'  I mean, I loved the guy in the book. (Cuts to Eat Pray Love clip)

(MO) So in preparation I heard that you actually called Richard...

(RJ) I did, I wasn't going to and Ryan said to me 'You should, you should call him.  There's something interesting there going on.  This guy..he's found something that, you know, you should...'  So I did.  I called him up and I said, 'Is this Richard Jenkins?' and he said, 'Uhhh yeeeah' and I said 'Can you talk?' and he said, 'I'm cooking something on the grill for my kids.  Can you call me back in about an hour?'  So I said 'Yeah.'  So you knew Hollywood wasn't big on his list, and I thought 'Oh I like this guy already.'  

(RJ) I called him back, we talked, and I was a little nervous, you know, I'm playing this guy who has such an effect on people, but he took the pressure off, he said 'Don't worry about it man.  You just do what you have to do.'  And it was really amazing.  He was funny, and direct, and you could really see how they became great friends.

(MO) So can you paint a behind the scenes picture for us of life on set and if you could maybe even use one of your favorite scenes to shoot, or favorite scenes in the movie.

(RJ) Well the scene where we talk about the Thumbs Up Cola.  I haven't seen the movie so I don't know what the line is in there where I say 'You never touch anything but yourself.'  That was in a real village and one of the extras had to go because he had to bathe his bull, which was more important than any stupid movie being made.  And then you get the sense of reality.  You're set down in the middle of this world that you just have to...it's not your world, you have to be a part of their world.  And that was really interesting...to be in a village in India where people have their daily lives.  Making a movie is not high on their list of things to do.  So i just, I remember that day as being really...I guess the word is authentic.

(MO) Probably refreshing...

(RJ) It was, it was great.  It wasn't like...you know but still, I have to say...Julia Roberts, in a village in India, there's still fans coming from everywhere to see her, which was amazing.