‘Black Bear’: Sarah Gadon & Christopher Abbott Talk Working With Aubrey Plaza, Balancing Tension, Filmmaking & More [Interview]

Premiering back at Sundance 2020, “Black Bear” might not have made waves equal in size to some (hello “Minari” and “Palm Springs”), but it certainly caused a stir among critics. Ours called the dark meta-dramedy about filmmaking, “madly hysterical and intoxicating.” While Aubrey Plaza leads the narrative in director Lawrence Michael Levine’s film about a would-be filmmaker looking for inspiration and scouting a scenic lakeside home for locations, Sarah Gadon and Christopher Abbott play the couple and homeowners who entertain her at their lake house in the Adirondack Mountains.

‘Black Bear’ With Aubrey Plaza & Christopher Abbott Is Splintered, Madly Hysterical & Intoxicating [Sundance Review]

“Black Bear” is not only a deconstruction of the indie filmmaking process, but also a provocative look at manipulation for creative ends. Plaza’s character is a filmmaker, but she has a tumultuous past, and in a way, she works out her demons on the unsuspecting couple. Abbott and Gadon immediately spark the energy of the film. Their couple is antagonistic and emotionally brittle, setting them at odds with Plaza’s more self-assured character. 

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That “Black Bear” tension is mined for awkward laughs, uncomfortable moments, and darkly twisted drama. We spoke with Gadon and Abbott about building that friction on set, building camaraderie between themselves and Plaza, and how the film finally allowed Abbott to find his comedic side. 

READMORE: ‘Black Bear’ Trailer: Fiction & Reality Blur In This Comedic Thriller Starring Aubrey Plaza

I loved how the film introduces your characters, with an immediately combative and intense dialogue between the two of you. How was it establishing that rhythm with one another?

Sarah Gadon: I knew Chris a little bit before we shot this movie, which was really helpful because I just felt like I had a free pass to really go there with him; I don’t have to do anything like open up or tell him my secrets, so he would trust me, all that kind of bullshit you sometimes have to do with other actors. I also knew Aubrey a little bit before filming, and the fact that we all had that with each other made everything feel a little bit more comfortable. We also all have respect for each other as actors and our bodies of work. It was just effortless to go there.

Christopher Abbott: Now that phrase “free pass” definitely makes me sound like the slut of indie films [laughs].

There was immediate electricity in the dynamic between you two and Aubrey Plaza. Were you able to build that powder keg environment, or did you have to switch it on from the get-go, given the typical constraints of indie films?

Abbott: Definitely more of the latter. But think that all three of us were pretty game. In our time off, when we weren’t shooting, we stayed at the same hotel, we’d carpool back and forth to work together, so there was a lot of time spent working closely, and there were a lot of nights that we worked the entire time. So we established enough camaraderie to let those scenes play out naturally between the three of us and have it work.

I spoke with Aubrey earlier, and she mentioned that at first, the director wanted all of you to stay in different places, but that idea was quickly put to rest, and it seems like it helped.

Gadon: Yeah, absolutely, we stayed about an hour from set, and as Chris said, we shot a lot of nights, so he would usually drive us to and from work, and we would get together like an hour or two before we’d have to leave, maybe run the day if anything big was coming up. That all felt pretty unique, because sometimes when you’re shooting a movie, you feel disconnected from your colleagues, and you’re constantly trying to find ways to bond and form a connection. It was just already there and built into how we were living and working.

What was it about the script and your characters that initially appealed to you?

Abbott: It was extremely well written, especially in the first half; there’s a lot of subtext happening and many microaggressive tactics being used. In a lot of movies, you get to say a lot of unvarnished things you wouldn’t say in real life, and there is a lot of that in this movie as well. Then the obvious draw of the duality of the project and getting to do two different parts. 

Gadon: The writing that was a huge pull was just so strong, and it was nice as an actor to sit down and read something and think that it might be a challenge, a challenge to endure these long and intense scenes technically. It was a challenge to play this character that made me feel a little bit gross to play, and the challenge to play the film in two parts and change the dynamic in the second half. 

Sarah, your character, defies expectations and doesn’t put up with bullshit. Was there an exciting thrill in playing a character like that, one who isn’t so easily recognizable as many of the archetypes that we’ve become used to?

Gadon:  Yes, and part of what I loved about the story was how Chris and I in the first half start really high intensity-wise, and then it just goes even further and becomes so inappropriate and over the top, and that was what I really liked about the character. Finding a lane to do that in a way that wouldn’t totally alienate an audience and get them to feel still like they’ve been there, was a really rewarding test.

How was it working with Lawrence Michael Levine on the film? Do you find some level of difference in working with a director who has acted before in the daily back and forths? 

Abbott: The fact that Larry wrote and directed it made it special, but the fact that he wasn’t precious about it was something I appreciated. He did a great job of switching hats when it came to being a writer than being the director and interpreting his own material with the actors, so it was easy in that respect.

Gadon: Yeah, because he’s an actor, he didn’t put an expectation on each scene, which can sometimes happen with directors because they see the scene in their heads and want it to be a certain way and have an idea of how things should go and don’t let things go organically. He was more game for doing it more spontaneously, and I’m sure it’s because he acts.

You’ve both worked in such eclectic and out-there projects in the past few years. Even this, for Chris, “Possessor” and “Black Bear” coming out within weeks of each other and totally different. Do you find at this point that any underlying threads draw you to certain types of projects?

Abbott: Not really. There’s not a theme or particular desire I have that pulls me to certain works; it honestly comes down to the script, the director, and the people you’re working with. Every actor has a different checklist of what they go through, maybe the priority gets switched around, but it’s always the same for most actors. It also comes down to energy and mood. Sometimes I’m lucky to have done a project when I did it because if I had done X and Y and Z projects before that movie came up, it might not have been the right thing to do, so it’s an amalgamation of a lot of things. But yeah, I don’t like having a plan other than working with the right people. The only plan I have is not to repeat myself as much as I can.

Gadon: I’m always chasing a challenge, whether a character or a script itself, or working with somebody I really admire. I need something that will push me and keep me stimulated; that’s what I try and look for. Also, just being driven just because I came from more of an indie film background and loving the more auteur kind of filmmaking and working with a director who has really got a vision and steering the ship. 

Abbott: I also feel like if you have a certain style of movie you work in, things start clicking into place. Like this is technically the first time me and Sarah have worked together, but we’ve known each other through people we’ve worked with, like both of us having made films with Brandon Cronenberg. You keep finding your people. 

“Black Bear” is a relentless film from the start that doesn’t shy away from the darker moments. Yet there’s still moments of humor, albeit dark humor, but does having that bit of levity and ability to play with tone in a film add to the excitement of taking the project on?

Gadon: Yeah, there was definitely some levity in the comedy of it, and I think you’re able to find those moments of dark relief in it because the film doesn’t take itself super seriously, which I think is what works to make the whole of the movie. I also think that Chris and Aubrey are hilarious; she is mostly known for her comedic side so getting to see her go hard on the drama is a fun hook. And likewise, Chris is hilarious and very much so in the movie, so it’s nice that audiences get to see that side of him.

Abbott: Yeah, finally.

Gadon: They finally get to enjoy you! You get to enjoy Chris the way he should be enjoyed!

“Black Bear” is available now in select theaters and VOD.