fighting Brian J. White

Description: Though the movie Fighting is a bigger production than A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, it is still a story rooted in Montiel's world. Saints was autobiographical in nature and focused on the years Montiel spent growing up in Astoria, Queens. Like Shawn, Montiel sold what he could on the streets of Manhattan in order to make a buck. "When I... ( +expand to view full text )

Description: Though the movie Fighting is a bigger production than A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, it is still a story rooted in Montiel's world. Saints was autobiographical in nature and focused on the years Montiel spent growing up in Astoria, Queens. Like Shawn, Montiel sold what he could on the streets of Manhattan in order to make a buck. "When I was a kid," Montiel explains, "I sold peanuts on 42nd and 8th, and I sold fresh-squeezed orange juice on 45th and Broadway. I was always in the streets, doing things like that. Sometimes I didn't sell enough to make the subway token home, so I'd sneak on the train. It could get pretty bad, but it was also a lot of fun, and I've tried to bring a bit of that late-night New York City excitement into the film. You put a little of yourself into everything, and in this case, when Shawn is on the streets waiting for something good to happen-a lot of that was me."