Lawrence Bender is a film producer well-known for his long collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, dating back to “Reservoir Dogs” and continuing to “Inglorious Basterds”. But Bender’s work on “An Inconvenient Truth” brought him offers to make more documentaries on a similar theme—“The Inconvenient Truth of Blank,” he joked. His latest effort, “Countdown to Zero”, which Zócalo and KCRW screened at the Arclight Hollywood, takes a look at the history and present-day danger of nuclear weapons. Below, Bender answers our In the Green Room Q&A.
Q. What is the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Sugar.
Q. What is your greatest extravagance?
A. Food.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. With my son, at gymnastics.
Q. What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
A. Skydive.
Q. What is your favorite word?
A. Yes.
Q. What surprises you most about your life today?
A. The joy that I get out of spending time with my son, and the extraordinary people that I get to spend time with through my work.
Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. A garbage man.
Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?
A. Into outer space.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. President of the United States.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. My house.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?
A. Gandhi.
