Barry Sonnenfeld broke into the film industry as a director of photography. One of the first films he shot was Blood Simple. It was a bloody, haunting drama about infidelity and murder. It was the first feature film from Joel and Ethan Coen, The Coen Brothers.

Barry Sonnenfeld’s new book Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time.

Hachette Books

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Hachette Books

Sonnenfeld was fresh out of film school at NYU when he shot that film. And according to Barry, he got the gig because he made fast friends with Coens and owned a camera.

His work on the movie led him to serve as cinematographer on films like Raising Arizona and Miller’s Crossing, Throw Momma from the Train, and When Harry Met Sally.

And he eventually got into directing. He directed and shot films like Men In Black, Get Shorty, The Addams Family (1991) and many more.

Barry recounts his film career in a new memoir called, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood.

He joins us to talk about the book and reflects on his many years in Hollywood. He also shares how he befriended the Coen Brothers and got the chance to work with them on their first feature film.