Interview: Joe Roth on celebrity and success from Charlie Sheen to the Sounders

Sounders majority owner Joe Roth celebrates following Wednesday night’s match between the Sounders and European champion Chelsea at Century Link Field (Sounders FC image)

As the producer of some of the biggest blockbuster movies
and majority owner of Seattle’s beloved Sounders, Joe Roth
spends a lot of time in the best seat in the house. And
he offered some unique perspectives on fame, fortune and
success when he stopped by the Ron & Don Show before
Wednesday’s big Sounders game against English powerhouse
Chelsea.

“The idea is to put the best people that you can both in
front and behind the camera, in this case on the field and
off,” Roth said.

Easier said than done. Sometimes, Roth says the biggest
challenge is dealing with the issues that come with such
complex people. He points to his work with Charlie Sheen,
who stars in the new Roth-produced TV series Anger
Management.

“He’s a great guy, he’s a guy who has had substance abuse
problems and when he has substance abuse problems he goes
off the reservation. But in terms of work, he shows up on
time, does his job, and brings people in. He’s a terrific
guy,” Roth said.

Although his focus is on making movies, Roth remains
extremely hands on when it comes to the Sounders. He tells
Ron and Don he talks with GM Adrian Hanauer twice a day,
and watches every game on his iPad from wherever he is in
the world, always with an eye on what can be better.

“Unfortunately for the coach and the general manager I’m
watching them at 3 in the morning London time so by 5 in
the morning they can expect an email,” Roth laughs, adding
at least he doesn’t call to wake them up even if he’s seen
something he’s not happy with.

Even when the team doesn’t live up to expectations on the
field, he couldn’t be happier with the support off the
field from the fans who regularly pack CenturyLink Field.
The team continues to draw double the attendance of any
other Major League Soccer team in America, rivaling some
of the biggest teams in the world. Over 50,000 packed the
place for Wednesday night’s game.

“It’s easy for me to say it because I’m the owner but it
turns out to be true. There can’t be better fans in any
sport anywhere in the country.”

So what’s the secret to the Sounders success? “The
critical thing about it is what we did, which is nothing,”
Roth laughs.

But he’s also serious. He says the key was tapping into
the fan community and letting them help drive everything
from the naming of the team to the signature marches and
chants to create a culture and experience unique to
American sports.

“It was really important for us to kind of obey that and
not kind of put in some silly histrionics. People just
feel like it’s their team and they’re right.”

While Roth has plenty of high praise for the social
networking and community building that have sprung up
around the Sounders, the producer detests how similar
forces have turned on celebrities. Whether it’s dealing
with Sheen’s drug problems or piranha paparazzi, he says
that’s the biggest drawback to working in his world.

“It’s new and it’s repulsive. I really think that the
whole society has gone mad. I think the Internet has made
an access and Twitter has made an access that nobody has
any privacy any more.”

Roth shared his recent experiences shooting a movie in
England with Angelina Jolie, where they erected 12-foot
high barriers to keep the paparazzi away. It hasn’t
worked.

“We’ll have security every 100 yards, you’ll need seven
passes
to get in. There’s no house within viewing distance and
an hour later you’ll see the shots all over the world on
the Internet because somebody’s paid $10,000 to rent
someone’s house and brought a camera with a million
millimeter lens.”

>>>Listen to Ron and Don’s complete
conversation with Sounders owner Joe Roth