It feels almost like if we were to squint off into the horizon, that the story of these women are still going on — beyond the frame.
Totally. They don’t resolve. Exactly. It’s not like the narrative is going to wrap itself up. That’s a truth of life that is not changing.
I think of what David Foster Wallace wrote concerning the next wave of rebel storytellers: that they’ll likely be the ones that “treat old, untrendy, human troubles and emotions in life with reverence and conviction.”
Absolutely. That occurs a lot in literature. It just doesn’t occur in entertainment. That’s always been some of the best aspects of good books. Yeah, I really love being part of the film industry. I don’t love being part of the entertainment industry. This film is entertainment by nature of the mode through which its presented. I mean, for some people it will be entertainment — but not for everyone. And that’s ok. It’s really meditative and authentic. Each of Kelly’s films are also unique to her. Her perspective is really visible in the work and they don’t feel like anyone else’s. It’s rare.
Did you have to adjust your process to the stillness of this world?
Yes. I realize that as I’m getting a little bit older, I’m having less reliance on nerves. [Using nerves] almost makes you feel better in a way because it feels like you’re working really hard, but in truth, it’s distracting, and it’s not what you really need. I used to come at everything like “argh!” — full force. On this especially, I had to really drop all of my — I’ve played a lot of characters that the best way to serve them was to really allow myself to be them and not necessarily change a whole lot.
But recently, there have been a few parts that I’ve played that really need their own particular set of idiosyncrasies, and it would have been a disservice to have brought too much of myself to it. In this case, [the character] Beth is nothing like me. Like, really nothing like me. She’s precious. And there is something really remote about her. I’m so not her and that was interesting. I had to get rid of all my stuff. I had to get rid of all my stuff that’s really identifiable at this point. It sounds kind of weird, but it’s true. The stillness was a really interesting thing. It really says a lot about Kelly. And if I fucked up a line, she’d be like, “Oh, it’s actually this.” She’s very much in love with her lines.
I was actually wondering how much of it actually appears on the page.
All of it. Every fucking word. It’s shocking. The script is beautiful. If I ever started paraphrasing, she really wanted it the way the words were on the page.
She’s painting.
She’s painting, man. She’s very composed. She’d not the kind of filmmaker that goes, “Ok, we’re going to take it off six, we’re going to throw it on a shoulder and find it. Let’s just play around and dance.” Kelly’s like, “No. We’re going to compose a shot and then we are going to shoot a scene.” It’s cool. Especially because with most indie directors nowadays, it really is the Sundance look. It’s like, American independent film: Throw it on someone’s shoulder and find it. She’s not that. She’s really composed, but somehow still makes it not look like that. It still feels so absolutely natural.
“Certain Women” opens in select theaters this Friday.
I don’t think she expressed disdain, per se. I think she’s saying that the main goal shouldn’t necessarily be entertainment, which is counterintuitive. She wants to make films and if they happen to entertain, then that’s good, too. But, the filmmakers focus should be on the story, not necessarily if it appeals to the general audience. I think she trusts that a good film will find its audience.