Q&A with Thea Sharrock and Anjana Vasan

What drew you to the role of Gladys?
Anjana Vasan: My agent sent me the script and said Thea Sharrock wants to meet you, have a read, and Olivia Colman’s attached and before she could finish saying Olivia Colman I went, yes!

Q&A with Ted Braun

What was your original artistic challenge when you were approached with this project? A profile of one person is quite different than your previous work.

Ted Braun: The previous films I’ve done, feature documentaries I’ve done (Betting on Zero, which looked at allegations of global economic criminality, and Darfur Now, which looked at allegations of massive, systemic violent crimes in Sudan) were, in different ways, ensemble stories about people trying to expose wrongdoing.

Q&A with Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig

One of the most priceless moments in the film is when Lady Bird escapes from the car. What was it like putting that scene together?
Greta Gerwig: That scene was such a monster on the page because there are so many emotions.

Q&A with Reinaldo Marcus Green

Can you talk about the research that you did, and about the consultants that you brought in to make sure you got it right? I was so impressed with how authentic this story was.
Reinaldo Marcus Green: So, I’ll start with the consultants. We had a gentleman by the name of Neville Garrick, who we represent in the film. He had done the album art work, and he also did the lighting for all of the shows.

Q&A with Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, and Kurt Russell

The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of The Hateful Eight.  Where did the idea for this film come from? Quentin Tarantino: It started because while I didn’t really want to write a sequel to Django, I did like the idea of maybe a series of paperback books like […]

Q&A with Pat Healy

In Compliance, you were the sadist, the controller. There are very similar themes here but in this case you’re on the other side.
It’s kind of interesting. In Great World of Sound, I almost play a version of the Ann Dowd character from Compliance.

Q&A with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant

The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of Florence Foster Jenkins.  The opening scene is really beautiful, and frames the story so well. Can you discuss how that was conceived? Meryl Streep: Well, it’s interesting that you mention that scene, because the script that we both received […]

Q&A with Laura Dern, Adam Driver, and Noah Baumbach

Can you talk about conceiving this story, and you’re writing process?
Noah Baumbach: It was inherent in the title that we are asking, “Does anyone really know what the story of a marriage is, and if that story has an end of sorts, does it mean it wasn’t a marriage?”

Q&A with James Mangold and Jenno Topping

Can you talk about what it was like to craft these characters?
James Mangold: I’m a big believer in hanging out. I am not a big believer in rehearsing.

Q&A with Gus Van Sant, Kim Gordon, and Jonah Hill

What are the origins of the script?
Gus Van Sant: I live in Portland, Oregon. I had moved there, I think, in 1982. I had made a couple of films, and John Callahan was a visible, local character.

Q&A with Finola Dwyer, Saoirse Ronan, and John Crowley

What in your own life has helped you connect with the story?
John Crowley: I moved to London when I was 27 to direct a play at the National Theatre. Having been back and forth from London since I was about ten, I knew London better than I knew Dublin.

Q&A with Emerald Fennell and Carey Mulligan

How did the idea for script originate?
Emerald Fennell: I had a few friends over for dinner and something uncomfortable had happened to one of the girls at the table on the tube on her way over.