Ex-HPT Producer Takes on Banderas

Diane L. Nabatoff ’78, also a graduate of the Harvard Business School ’82, is the producer of the Antonio Banderas vehicle “Take the Lead.” An English concentrator who initially dreamt of singing stardom, Nabatoff founded the female a capella group, The Radcliffe Pitches. She continued to break ground for women at Harvard when she became the first female producer of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The Harvard Crimson: Was it a challenge to obtain the position of Hasty Pudding producer? Did your gender pose problems, or were people pretty cool about giving the position to a woman?

Diane L. Nabatoff: [People were] definitely opposed. After I was made producer, I remember someone calling the office asking to speak with the producer, and I said that I was the producer and they didn’t believe me.

THC: As a film with a lot of dance and music, did “Take the Lead” hold particular meaning for you because of your history with musical theater?

DLN: “Take the Lead” struck a chord for me. I saw a clip on television of a gentleman in a suit [Pierre Dulaine] teaching kids in inner city schools how to ballroom dance. What I loved most about the story is that he paired them up by height. Kids who wouldn’t talk in the cafeteria had to touch each other, hold each other, respect each other. He was teaching them life skills. If a kid is hunched over with his pants hanging down, his self-esteem is affected, it’s different than if he was standing up straight. [Dancing] is a team sport and you’re forced to learn incredible skills. I felt it was a commercial movie, but it had a message. The more programs [like Pierre’s] could expand, the better for everyone.

THC: How did you choose Antonio Banderas for the lead role?

DLN: He was our first and only choice. Antonio is very special. He is European. He is elegant, sophisticated, and charismatic. He has an unbelievable sense of generosity but more importantly he has a sense of fun. You needed to believe that he could walk into an impossible situation and turn these kids around.

THC: How is “Take the Lead” different from other inspirational films in which a coach or teacher helps inner city school kids to dream big and to find confidence and self-respect, films such as “Coach Carter” or even your own production “Knights of the South Bronx”?

DLN: I think it’s totally different because it’s teaching dance. I don’t think you’ve seen that before, because you’re learning life skills through partner dance. And dance is just so visually beautiful. We made it very real, we made sure the real kids’ lives were reflective of kids today, the school system was reflective of the New York public school system.

THC: What has been the highlight of working in the film industry?

DLN: In a funny way, this movie. You’re basically pushing a boulder up the hill every single day till you get into production and then you become a shock absorber; you’re absorbing everyone’s problems everyday and solving them. You have to really love the job you’re doing. With this project, no matter what problems came up, it was so worth it. I just kept thinking ‘look what Pierre did.’

THC: What advice can you give to aspiring producers and directors?

DLN: I would say find projects you really love and fight for them and don’t try to second-guess the marketplace. Work on things that are meaningful to you, because those are the ones that will ultimately get made.

—Staff Writer April B. Wang can be reached at abwang@fas.harvard.edu.