Shooting Scenes With the Owls
They are real. The way we did the owls. ... Some places they are protected and some places they are endangered. Here they are protected, so we couldn’t get them to be in the movie. As we got closer to production, I thought this would be a problem. We talked about digital owls and doing puppets. I talked to Jimmy (Buffett) and Carl (Hiaasen, who are very well-dialed in down here. Carl’s sister knew of a habitat rehab place ... and we got three owls named Carl, Jimmy and Wil. And the trainer, Sue Humphries, she worked with the owls. We built a platform with holes, the owls would sit underneath and then they would hear a noise and come out, look around and be rewarded with a cricket, and go back in. We shot plates of the owls and plates of the set, and then we put them together to create a real environment. The owls are all real except the baby chicks, which are digital.

More Owls? Or Less Owls?
We did wrestle with how many owls, you see before the ending, so when they come out there’s some suspense, some surprise. When we did the first previews, we got comments that there were too many owls. We took some out. Then we got comments saying, “Where’s the owls?” The movie’s called Hoot, so we put them back.

Changing the Book’s Ending
The studio had wrestled with many endings. For me, from the day I read the book, with burying Mullet Fingers in front of the bulldozer, the ending didn’t seem cinematic. They were going to dig him up or arrest him. The bulldozer would go around him. For the film, it should be more of a compelling ending, with all three kids joining in the same confrontation with (corporate weasel) Muckle. We had been shooting at the Shrimp Shack, and I was driving back with Carl, and the ending still had not been approved. I asked Carl, “What else do they do to get rid of these owls.” he said, “They take a fire hose and flood them and kill them.” I thought we couldn’t do that as they do that in Caddyshack and it’s really mean. I remembered (David) Letterman sprayed a fire extinguisher at people. I thought, What if we get a fire extinguisher and blasted them?

Shriner’s Goal for Hoot
Having two kids of my own, I’ve seen so many bad kids films. One of the goals was to make it somewhat entertaining for adults, with jokes kids won’t get. And vice versa, like The Simpsons.

Hoot’s Message
It’s OK to be different, to stand up for something you think is an injustice, and not to be afraid. Don’t worry about the consequences and choose between right and wrong. We don’t advocate ... the way the kids break the law, but I don’t see (Mullet Fingers) as breaking the law. He’s just mischievous.

Casting Luke Wilson as Officer Delinko
I’ve always found Luke’s attitude was perfect for the role. I had his style in mind. ... Delinko is a real bumbler. (He’s a small-town cop) who wants to be sharp, but there’s one light always off on the porch.

Filming in Fort Lauderdale
I loved it. I have a little Vespa. I rode it to work every day. Every morning I’d get up at 6 a.m. and rode to where we shot. ... It was a pleasure to shoot here. In L.A., people are a little jaded—CSI is on the block again. I can’t get in my driveway. Here, it’s like, Oh, it’s a movie, can I be in it? I’ve shot all over the place, and to have the luxury of having so many people be enthusiastic, and to come back to my hometown, it’s fun.

Moving Back to Fort Lauderdale
I just sold my house in L.A. and I’m moving back here. I’m renting a house on a lake from my buddy. I’m going to take six months and write my next movie.

How South Florida’s Changed Since Shriner’s Childhood
Just the growth and development. The whole point of the movie is to find this little town we all grew up in without a concrete high-rise. For us who lived in the 1950s, we could jump in a canal and literally swim across to our friend’s house. The water was clean; there was no pollution. There was great fishing and lots of wildlife. Progress is good, but there’s a charm to seeing how things were when you were a kid. We just created Coconut Cove—it’s not a real town. We shot at the Bonnet House (in Fort Lauderdale), a beautiful old Florida plantation. ... The little town, the exterior stuff, is Boca Grande, which is on (Florida’s) west coast. It’s not really developed.

The Importance of Conservation
I grew up when we could swim in our oceans and our canals, and when we could breath in fresh air. Living in L.A., I definitely notice the difference between here and L.A. We have to be proactive trying to find alternate forms of fuel. We’ll run out of oil, our natural resources, sooner or later. We need to use science to really get on the stick to find other ways to get around. I come down here and people talk about the price of gas. Well, I fill up my scooter, it costs me $4, and I ride it for a month.

Hoot is now in theaters. Click here for more information.

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