'The Godfather’ Made Sofia Coppola Protective of Actors

and breathe cinema. Sofia Coppola should know. His youngest child and only daughter, appeared on screen before she could talk, playing an infant in his nineteen seventy two masterpiece The Godfather as Hollywood Royalty. Coppola's success may have been predestined, but her path to greatness was far from paved in gold.

Before turning twenty, she endured the sudden death of her oldest brother, followed by a vicious media storm from critics regard her performance in The Godfather Part three, and then things changed. Now an Academy Award winning filmmaker in her own right, it's safe to say Sofia Coppola has found her stride. Her movies are extraordinary, arresting, and elegant these days,

the critics agree. At forty six, she's taken home more rewards than some get in a lifetime, including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and a Golden Lion Award for Best Picture for My personal favorite Somewhere. This March, she made history again as the second female filmmaker to win Best Director at can. Finishing her most recent film, The Beguiled, has sent Coppola into a familiar space wondering what's next.

I wait until I finished a film, and then there's always kind of a panic I'm ever going to do anything ever again? And then somehow something you know, sparked some interest, but then you never know if that's really what you're going to focus on. So yeah, usually after I finished a project, I sort of think about what I'm interested in and then and trying to be open to different things. And then finally something keep snagging at you that wants attention. And did that work with this

last film? Was that the case with The Lastime? Yeah? This one was my my friend and Ross, who was my production designer. She we were working on a commercials after a film, and I didn't know what I was doing, and she just said in passing, like you have to see this Don Siegel film. The beguiled. I think you need to remake it. And I was like, what, I would never remake a movie. And I knew that people

I never saw the film. I didn't know about the film, but people that really know, like Cinophiles, you know, love that movie. It's it's a classic in that genre. And I watched it and it was so not what I expected. It takes a turn, and I just it just stayed in my mind. It was so weird and just to my mind. And then I kept thinking about how I would do it this way, and I it's it's it's you know, a story about the household of women, but told from a real kind of macho guys point of view.

I thought it would be interesting kind of to tell the same story, kind of flip it intil a different version. So I found the book, which is out of print, and it's told by the story of all the different characters. But who wrote the book, Thomas Culligan? When did that come out? How long ago? It looked like a kind of pulp fiction of the sixties, not it's not quite classic literature, and you know, very like genre. And then

I try to forget about the film. But had I always hear people say that, and then I forget about the film. Yeah, yeah, because you have things in the back of your mind. I tried. I didn't watch it again for you know, a few years, but it still stays in the back of your mind, kind of like a dream. I don't know if it's a memory, how much is my imagination or what I remember from the other film. But but yeah, I feel like it's always different how you end up starting a project. Now, for

the uh, the film you shot? What was the location? We shot in New Orleans, New Orleans. Yeah, we shot in town one for the in two years and then we shot at a plantation which one Madewood Plantation in Napoleonville shot down that one Hampton and you know, we were at the what's that famous hotel than the better one. I don't know, there's something it will come to me.

But we shot at a place called not Away Plantation which was out there and you'd have to uh, there was a bit of a drive and when then we we created a set of buy you Home in City Park in the middle of town park one day. Yeah, it's pretty amazing that that's in the middle of the city. We shot like our wood scenes in City Park there. You know, you've made how many films now is at eight or nine or um? I think it was my six six And when you make one, when you're there,

it's an exhausting process. And you have little kids. So there's your life with your children mirror your childhood because I read where you weren't parked in northern California going to school and dad was in the Philippines for a year. You went with your father and you guys were all together. Correct. Yeah, we always went on location, which which I thought was fun because it was exciting to go to set. And yeah,

my education is a little patchy. Yeah, yeah, I can't multiply, but but yeah, but it was always exciting to live in all these places. And we lived, you know, in Oklahoma, and you know, but I would go to the local schools everywhere. So it was a fun adventure. But you're the same with your kids. They come with you. When they were smaller, I brought them everywhere. But now the older ones in fourth grade, it's harder to leave school for them. So this it was a short shoot is

six weeks. So they just came and visited over Thanksgiving and um, they stayed in New York with my husband whom he's a musician, and he was now he's on tour, so somehow it worked out that he could be here. But they will come and visit, but they will come to set. And they're older now little seven, seven and ten, but they like being on set and and it's funny because I remember, Yeah, it was always fun to hang

out on on set. Craft service is probably the most exciting. Well, I was wanting to do any of them where they like you like, do you see yourself? Whether they get the bug and like you turn around, there's your You have a boy and a girl. I have two girls. And one of the girls got like an eyepiece and they're looking through the lens and find the little one was into looking through the lens and and her school they did a little project and she was a cinematographer.

So um, the photography is extraordinary. And then film is a beautiful film. You're a film the big guild. And who's the cinematographer. His name's Felippe Lassore. He's a French cinematographer. And yeah, I loved working with him. He's a real artist. I think the last film he did was the Grand Master with One car Y and he has a lot of commercials in between. But he's been great and you

hadn't worked with him before. No, we shot a few commercials and I knew about him from another cinematographer friend, but it's the first time we did to film together. Do you find for a director that as you grow and as you change, you need to have your staff change with you need to change partners in certain I can't think of any more important than that cinematographer relationship. Yeah, a lot of my crew we've worked together on a lot of projects and it's great to work together and

have that shorthand and they really know me. But with a cinematographer, No, I think it's nice to have his ongoing relationships. I had a cinematographer, Harris VDS that I did a few films with, who the one I did in New Orleans He did no way. Harris was a cinematograment I loved Roco with Harris, so when I met him, I felt like, Oh, he's my guy, and he really

helped me so much. And then he passed away. UM, so sorry to lose him as a friend and as a collaborator, but he introduced me to Philip so Um, and I really trusted him because because he was an artist and and Philip really is about being, you know, his priority is to make a beautiful being an artist. You acted in a film, in one of your dad's films, and how did that experience. Did that have any impact

on the way you deal with actors? And beyond that, how do you deal with actors when you You've got some pretty famous movie stars in this movie, and how what does that experience like for you? Yeah, I mean I think, um, having acted in a movie, it was not my thing at all. Wasn't comfortable doing it, but I was kind of an age We're like, oh, I'll try anything. But now I feel like when I must said, I know, I think I'm I know how vulnerable an

actor could be. Or I feel protective because I feel like they have to try to make it as comfortable as I can, because I feel like it's you have to be comfortable to reveal yourself. And I don't know, I try to make the atmosphere as much in the feeling of the way you want the scene to be and the tone of the room. Yeah, yeah, the whole the whole, I think, the whole feeling on set and where you are. I was fun it easier to shoot on location than in a stage because you sort of

get the atmosphere of the real place. And I'm very collaborative. I'm open to like I never like to plan out how the scene is going to look before the actors block it, because you don't know what the actors are going to do and work ins from them. Yeah, yeah, definitely.

I could never storyboard before doing the scene because I really it really starts from me when I see the actors block the scene and you get ideas of, um, you know what feels right, but working with them, it's just from my experience, it is kind of an either war. You know, there's people who walk in and in the sense that someone has to decide what's going to happen. A director will walk in and be very hands on

in terms of what you do. I have an idea before, and the difference is how they sell it and how they convey it. Some people will walk in and be very precious about it and very polite about it and deferential. Go well, I thought maybe, And there's other people were like, okay, you walk over here and you do this, there's always like a puppetry, which wouldn't makes sense. It's uh, it's

it's it's kind of exciting when someone is that clear. Yeah, I always have to work really fast because it's low budget. We don't have a lot of time to mess around. So I felt we had to get in there and block it. And then you see right away you can tell what works. Did you have to luxuriate the most in the schedule, Wi, I don't think I ever had, I know, yeah, never. Now, when you cast, did someone

have a different title? It was always where? Yeah, but that was probably we meandered the most in that because there's not a lot of plots. Thank you. We were being really indulgent. But when you cast, I mean that was dorif uh and uh, you've got Nicole and Colin Farrell. I mean you have these people in these films and Kirsten Dunst. I would assume that an independent film this cast consciousness has become suffocating. Yeah, yeah, I know it's

still like that. No, it's definitely like if you want this, then you get this, And what is the words going to do? Is there a vein of investors and financiers who are in the Sofia couple of business, and you go back to them to that well again and again. I do have a few distributors that I always go to and and um, and luckily they've supported what I've done.

But this film, the story was owned by Universal from the previous film, so um, I asked him if they would take it out of their library and let me reinterpret it, and so I was really beholden to them, and Focus as part of Universal came on board, and I was happy that they let me do it. But um, I think it's kind of odd project. So you know, they was, you know, a small production. It's odd in your mind, it's odd. Why why is it odd? Oh? I don't know. I mean, I guessing I want to

redo this on Seagull Movie. Just the premise is pretty I don't know on paper. Yeah. Yeah, and then that genre, I mean, I think it's entertaining, and now when I see it, I don't think it's but I think the idea of pitching it was was sort of out there. I think it's a conservative time right now for it wasn't. Yeah, there's no Cathy Bates hobbling moment. Forever. It just wakes up and it's bad news. Yeah for me, there's a more gore than I've ever done with a little bit

of blood. But yeah, no, it's pretty discreet. So your father was very kind and very gracious. I did this documentary film about ken. Remember that we had fun. We had fun. We did this movie Seduced An Abandon, and we shot your dad. And I'm wondering for you as your child was film watching film going both ordinary and extraordinary, like did you watch the movies at all? The girls your age did and go see movies and or were you heavily influenced by your dad or both? Yeah, I

think I remember the first movie. I don't know if it was Greece or bugsy Malone, but so I did see some movies that were part of kid culture. But my dad was a screening room and he was always there's always movies being shown and we were always around, and you know, so I remember they're watching Kurasawa or you know, some movie that kids would normally watch, but they were just around. So I feel like we were exposed two interesting films. But then I would also go

to the local movie. Yeah, I remember Purple Rain was my really seeing that in the theater when I was twelve, like blew my mind. So I had a mix. What was the first moment that when you were watching the Kurasawa that that stable the film you sat there and said, wait a second, there is cinema. Yeah, I don't, but I feel we were. He was always watching all these movies and I don't think it really registered. And then

somewhere has to have had lateness like that. Yeah. I don't remember the time, you know, but remember him like being on the I think on the porch watching you Jimbo. Our dog was called Yo Jimbo after that movie. But um, and and then like really weird, um there was this

movie like hitler Manamore. There was there was some really weird German art film that was like it was creepy and I remember seeing this a little kid, But there was there was always he was watching cinema while we were Um, so we were doing yeah exactly, so we were kind of half watching it. And was there ever a film that I'm not assuming your father was in openess or was there ever a film that you turned

your father onto? Was there like a whole continent of films your father wouldn't get near and you probably said, oh, you gotta watch this, and he watched. He was like, hey, that's not you know, it's really funny. Like years ago, did you ever se this R Kelly hip hopera called Trapped in the Closet? You know what that is? It's so far out it's him doing this kind of Yeah, trapped in the Closet R Kelly, it's really out there.

And we had the video and we were watching it and my dad started watching it with us, and he's like, this is really creative, but it's really this like it's like a long hip hop video, but it's so everything's really acted out and it's really out there. So it's funny to see him get get into this. Yeah. I feel like he would have never seen that, but he watched it and he really appreciate it. And I remember when I was a kid, we um for the screen

when we could pick movies we wanted to see. And I had read about Prick Up Your Ears with and so my favorite Yeah, And I was like, I don't know, teenager, and I didn't really know what it was about, but I had read about it and some of London it was cool. So he got the movie, and then everyone was like, Sophia, what is this movie? But he I ended up knowing about Gary Oldman and appreciated him for when he was casting Um Dracula. So Oldman is my

favorite actor. Oh he's great, He's amazing. He can do anything. If you ever wanted to write something, did you write Lost in Translation for Murray? I? Did? You did? I did? It helps me a lot to picture an actor when I'm when I'm writing, and I was picturing Bill and and so then I was determined that it had to be. Had you met him before? No, I had never met him. I'd never met him, and I spent like a year trying to track him down, and anyone I met as like,

do you know Bill Murray? And yeah? So but I had I really had him in mind. I wasn't going to make it unless he was doing it. So and then what happened? How did you? Well? Mitch Glazer helped me. He had showed it to him and I knew he worked together. Yeah, he's a writer, and so I and I was. I showed him something early drafts as a writer, and then I said, you know, I want to get

Bill first. What do you think, and I think he was impressed that I saw this kind of side a Bill or He thought it was worthwhile and finally asked Bill to to meet me. But it was a long process. But thanks too much, I got. When you met him, I'll never forget. He was wearing a Sear Sucker suit and I think they were like El continor that restaurant. Mitch called me, said you know, I'm here with Bill. He says, come over, and I've been trying to meet him me after a year. And I went over and yes,

and I remember he was in sure Sucker. He was very, very gentlemanly, and we were walking out after and I turned to Bill and there's a moment in sixteen Candles where she's with the guy that she likes and she sees her dad and she's like, Moles, that's the one. And I had that moment with him, like, oh my god, to Mitch about Bill. But I was thrilled for him to even, you know, look at it, because it was so hard to track him down, and it was a tough to convince him to do the movie. I mean,

he's not the easiest person to corral. He's just not comme at all. And like he didn't have an agent or anything. And I was just trying an eight hundred number and leave a message. Yes, I was leaving messages on that eight hundred number and um for luck a year and and then finally the NT he looked at it and he said, yah, yeah, yeah, I might be inclined to do it, but he never would say for sure. And so we went to Japan, just like hoping he would show up, and luckily he did desire wracking, but

didn't have a backup. Coming up, Sophia Coppola reveals her father's advice for getting actors to do their best. In her early days, Coppola struggled to find funding for her movies. I talked with Jimmy Toback, with whom I co produced Seduced and Abandoned, about just that. I found myself with two million dollars cash, which I won in Vegas. By the way, less the I R S be listening, my net figure with Vegas is about minus fifty millions, so please don't tell me I made money that way, as

anyone in Vegas will vouch. But in any event, I had that two million. This is one and I thought, christ I'm not going to hang around here anymore, pounding on doors, chasing money. I'll just bribe Bagelman and get the movie done. To hear more about Jimmy Toback's story, go to Here's the Thing dot org. This is Alec Baldwin, and you're listening to Here's the Thing. Sophia Coppola's Academy Award in two thousand three made her the second ever

third generation Oscar winner, alongside Angelica Houston. But while the soft spoken New Yorker caught the filmmaking bug early, her mother didn't. After making a few documentaries, Eleanor Coppola released her first feature of film last year, a movie titled Paris Can Wait, in which I Appear for Sophia. Her mother's new passion is a happy, albeit unexpected turn of events.

I was surprised. I mean, she was too kind of art projects and she made her documentary, but I never thought she would make this kind of film, you know, kind of a narrative, because she's because she's more avant garde with her art projects. So yeah, I was. I was really surprised. Yeah, it's funny. Does she want to make another one? I think now she's making the short phone and she's like, I've got the bug. So yeah, it's fun. It's fun to see that, you know, in

her early eighties, she's younger than all of us. She's very entertaged, she's in she just wanted Tokyo yesterday to her movie is coming out there. But but yeah, I know, it's it's fun to see. It's a total surprise. What I loved about her was that, and I don't not have just saying this because it's your mom. What I loved about her to be on the set with the director who doesn't transmit their attension. Pachino had a line once he said, we were shooting The Godfather's Funeral out

in Queens of Brooklyn, wherever it was. That's perfect, and he said, I remember Francis was sitting on a slab and he was crying. And I said, Francis, we just had a great day and everything is fantastic. And I said, why you're crying. He said, they won't give me one more set up. I remember I've heard that start. And he said that's when I knew we were onto something.

That Francis scared that much. And I thought to myself, wow, you know it was like I remember him telling me, and I don't know, I can't remember if it was a quote from like von Brando or our original that whenever I get the urge to act, I sit down and wait for it to pass. Is that a famous one? But I mean when you're when you're on a set, let's assume ideally that of the time people are doing basically what you want them to do. That's you know,

casting is a big part of directing. But when they're not, what do you do? What's your technique? What do you do? That's such a good question because I'm always worried about that. I remember asking my dad, like, what do you do in that situation? And what do you say? He told me that he has them talk about their morning and forget the lines and just be themselves and then and then try it again to hope we try to kind of forget, get them to forget the scene and just

be themselves again. But god, I don't know. I do all kinds of things. Uh, you know that there's always a panic, But I don't know. I've worked with such great actress that usually it's minimal. Yeah, yeah, not an issue. What about music in your films? Are you your husband as a musician. Are you very music centric in your work? I do. I listen. I listen to music and I'm writing and it's a big part of kind of finding

the world or the atmosphere. And this. His band Phoenix did the score for the film, which is it's more minimal. It's not like their their music that they do as a band. Um. So yeah, I just enjoyed that part. That's what I love about film making it so visual, but then you get to also incorporate music. And where'd you cut the film? Here in New York? You kind of here in New York at Harbor Downtown. No going up to the family farm. No, No, my editor is

based here. Sarah Black and um York. I think Sarah would have loved I know we used to we used to mix out there. But I have kids in school in New York. I'm in New York or now. But yeah, what do you want you here? Yeah? Yeah, I grew up in northern California, opening but no more Paris. We have a plast in Paris with my husband's French so we spent time there, but our kids are at school here. Yeah, just fun to be there. But then I got home. Second, did you really know? I love being in Paris, But

then it's nice too to be here and get to visit. Now, before you took the direction that you took, you were a girl most likely to what when you were young? But you was it understood you would do this? No, not at all. Um. Yeah, I definitely had a flaky period in my twenties. I'm very grateful that there were no no social media. Then there's no There are a lot of photos around at that time, but no. I went to art school. I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to be a painter. I had so many interests.

It was really hard for me to figure out, um, what I was supposed to do. I never occurred to me to be a filmmaker. Yeah, it was really confused because I had so many you know, I love music and I loved photography and all the stuff I couldn't I couldn't kind of land on one thing. And then um, I made a short film which I enjoyed while I was in art school and so made me think, oh, I something. I was surprised that I kind of knew

how to do it. I didn't realize that I was learning I spent a lot of time on my dad's sets with all of his team, my whole life. And then I read the book The Virgin Suicides and I heard they were making a film event. I felt very protective and I felt like, oh, I hope they don't mess up this book I love. I hope they do it this way. And I heard a guy was doing it, and to me, it was so much a girl's story.

And um, so I started writing a working on the script, which I didn't have the rights too, and then um just kind of as an experiment to learn how to adapt a book into a screenplay. And then I finished it and I was very attached to it and I felt like I had to try to let I made it in nine. This was the late nineties. Um, I was like twenty eight. Yeah, and I just I love this book and I felt protective of it. So how

did that happen? The mechanics of how you end up getting your hands on that and you get to direct that project. So I met this couple, the Handleys, that had the rights to it, and I said, we please read my script and consider it, and they had someone else. Somehow that fell apart and the script was the calling card. They read the script and loved it. Yeah, they've read the script and I had a real clear idea of how to make it. Interview wanted to paint, and you

wanted to and you thought about photography and more visual things. Well, how did the writing part begin for you? About stories as a kid, And my dad always talked a lot about screenwriting. That was that was where he started, and so he was always talking about, you know, act structure and writing. So I guess it was something that I was, you know, he was talking about and I was learning about. But um, I don't know. I I wrote this my first script and somehow figuring out how to do it. Yeah.

How many days was that shoot for your first movie? Regardless of your d n A for your first movie, and people kind of limit you in a certain way where the tight schedule, it was very, very very low budget. Um, I've never shot more than like thirty days. You know, it's always like twenty something days. You know. Actually, actually Marie and Toinette was a longer schedule, and I prefer a short schedule. I think it's so intensive. I'd just like to like get in there and get it done,

and it's exhausting At a longer shoot. I feel like it's hard to do a long shoot and um and I let that schedule of having a problem solved quickly and you know, have to just figure it out and not you know, it's more intuitive or something to just you have some directors who I've worked with that moment when they're on the set directing the film, which is

I mean, obviously is the pre production. There's the shooting and in the editing, and the preponderance of directors will say to me that the editing things is their favorite face because they're locked down and they're really making the movie. Yeah. I like being in the editing room. You do because it isn't the same amount of same time pressure and you can kind of play around. But being on set is exciting and fun because you have all your collaborators

and you're making something. You don't have to answer this question. But so you ever where you show your father cuts off your film and he has some advice for you and you're like, no, you know, as your own point of view, and you like, I want to do this. Yeah,

And early on, you know, I wasn't as confident. He's the great master of films, So I would definitely take his opinion, but I always end up doing what I want in the end, because you know, you have to so and this one I waited till I was finished close to the end to show him. But you don't want to have too many opinions. So he's nice, he's he's always encouraging in support, but he definitely has ideas.

And I remember when I was working on Rantoinette, he was talking a bit more about the characters of the husband, and I said, no, it's not about him. It's about her, you know, because I think about her. So everyone looks at it from their point of view. But and I feel like sometimes when I watched this last movie, there's a very kind of artistic I made everyone the girl walking down the lane with the weeping trees and the mist and the costumes, and there's a real cinematic reach

you have. Now, Oh, I just I just love that. And it's such a beautiful location. And I it's a visual art forms of idea of making every frame the most like a painting. The Godfather is like a painting, and so many of the are so beautiful and and and and it's it's beautiful I we tell people watched the movie with a sound off. I saw the Radio City recently, both of them. Is incredible to see it. But I wonder if that's true with you? Which do

you want to deepen the texture? Do you want to make your films you want to go further in terms of design and beauty in a kind of almost Cubrickian way of the sets and the costumes. Or are you gonna make a movie like two Chicks Are in a Car. Yeah? No, I like the visual part of it, and then how you tell the story visually. I think that's I don't know, that is exciting and interesting to me. This last one of yours was probably the most voluptuous, small in terms

of the photography, the look of it. Yeah, and just being in the South and like it even trying to trying to feel the heat of it made it made you more uncomfortable to see those women doing their little modest field work and the little guarding in those full dresses. Yeah, I wanted to fill them all buttoned up. Do you do you sit there and go, God, why are where are these these poor women? They must be like suffering to death in this thing and sexual attention underneath it.

When you cast someone to play that part, what did you want in an actor who played the lead role that Farrell plays, What were you looking? Yeah, we had to have I wanted a really masculine guy that could, um, you know, handle all these women, but like charm at twelve year old, you know, a woman or forties kind of had to arrange. And I knew that he could be complex enough that he was, you know, he could be mysterious and complicated to them and really be a

contrast to their kind of delicate, pale, feminine world. So he had to be, you know, have mystique and narcissistic. Yes, he's like underneath every scene. It's almost like a new Colin. Farrell obviously is a movie star. Is almost in every scene he's like, go ahead, admit it, you want me exactly want whatever age they were in the house, everyone in the house, just just let's tell me up front you want me, right? Yeah, he and he and he was I like that he's like the thinking woman's sex object.

That he's just like they're you know, like the hunk. But but hopefully there's more going on. And in the book he was Irish immigrants. So when I'm at Colin. I thought that just adds to his exotic charm. Being in your family, would you say that there's been as much down as there's been up as it's been hard as well for you? Oh, definitely. I mean we've gone

we've gone through our Yeah, every family. Um, I mean, well, my dad definitely had ups and downs in his career where he was successful and then could lose everything, and so yes, he's a gambler, but it was always exciting. Yeah. Yeah. And then we had a personal loss with my lost my brother as a teenager. So, um, you know I was of teen Yes, yes, so I think you had. I mean it had a big impact on her family,

so um yeah. So I feel like we've been fortunate some ways, and then you know, you've experienced the worst moments of life. So I can't imagine now having children as a as a parent, because I may know how it affected us as a family, but um, you tell your children is the ultimate despair. Yeah, I know, I can't even picture it. Your mom, on the other hand, I mean your father, who I don't know well and and don't think I could because he's just so whenever

you're around him, be so intimidating. Let's face it. I mean you, he's your father, so it's different. But your mom, though, is such a unique, speaking, very down to earth in that situation with your brother, that she seems like something that she she conquered that. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know it was obviously a huge struggle for them, but she she dealt with it in her personal ways and yeah, yeah, and here's to a lot of people fall apart and she was able to find some way to to go

on with her. Yeah, so she's strong. But she seems petite and quiet, but she's strong. She's incredibly clear. That just might opinion the brief two days I was there, How would you say that for you? Beyond being a mom and your issues with your raising your kids while you're working and doing this very difficult work, how else does that affect your work? You being a woman, I don't know, because you put your personality, so I think women have different qualities. I don't know. People have said

I'm like maternal on set or I don't know. I think I just have a different point of view as a as a guy, So I feel like that's an advantage to have a different point of view. I think I got that from my mom. When you said that she keeps it together on set. People think I'm so calm on set, and I think we're good at concealing our our stress because you've got to keep it together for your crew and everything. So yeah, I have a different demeanor. So I'm sure, Um, you have a very

soothing demeanor. And the other person that I worked with once I didn't even work with you, but someone I worked with who had that come into mean is wouldy and when you work with them, but it's it's such a great it achieved such a great effect. That's if you relax people, you're more likely to get to something good. If they're relaxed, then if you're yeah, tormenting that exactly. That's what a couple of directors were from the Torment school. Yeah.

I never understood that, And I know there's a lot of hothead behavior, but you know, I feel like we want to put everyone at ease and so everyone can do their best. So did you ever get frustrated working where you really literally lost it? I never lost it, always keeping together. I've had frustrating moments for sure, But do you go home and lose it? Yeah? Yeah, I go home, Yes, I go home. Is it not not so much? But I've had moments with Yeah, what's the

hardest part of it? I mean, I'm an actor who directed one film, and I found it so difficult because I wanted to map it out and I wanted to lay it all out and have at least have a plan which we could then deviate. Yeah, you have to have a vision in your mind, Like I see it all in my head beforehand, for sure, Like when I'm writing it and I'm picturing the actors exactly how they say it. Then you come on set and you see how they do it, and it's like how you imagine.

But then they add something that you didn't expect. And I think you just have to be really flexible and and opened. Can you experience movies now with links and DVDs and and oscar material and privately? And how or do you go to the movies? I love going to the movie theater. I mean I imagine, Yeah, so I watch a lot of movies at home, but um, but whenever I go to theater. I live near Film Forum and and and just live in New York. Is so exciting to get to see all these revival old films.

It's just such a different experience, especially nowadays with being in contact and having your phone around all the time. It's distracting at home to really get lost in a movie. So I am. I keep telling people I hope they go see it my theater. But I love going to a movie theater. It's such a different experience when you think about your nature, when you think about the time you live in now and you're making films now in our society now, are there films you look back on

historically or even currently. I think I wish I'd made that film. That's a film I would make. That's funny. I've never thought about that old film and that that's a kind of movie I would make. No. I mean, there's movies that I admire and I love, but I've never movies are so personal. It's like your children or something. It's it comes from you. So I can't imagine looking another movie and thinking, not a female character in a film that you think reflects who you are and how

you feel about life and your career and your family. No, I can't. I can't think of one. But of course there's there's so many that I admire, and love and um, but I can't think of one. But where are Where are you in your films? Are you in your films? You feel about life? Where are you in this current film? And all of them? This one I think it's a little bit maybe my devilish side or you know, like, um, I don't know. I was having fun with this. You don't need to you don't need to explicate that in

this film. There's because there's there's al who's eighteen, and Kirsten and then Nicole there there. I feel like I've been each age of that woman in that kind of stage. I'm not like those characters, but I can kind of relate to kind of the girls of different stages. But I don't always find it. I always put things about myself and um um at that moment. But this is the idea that we're always questioning who we are. We're always questioning at least I am the life I have.

I'm always thinking of alternatives, well what about this and what about this? Until you finally realize I'm doing precisely what I was meant to be doing. What you want to feel like you're doing precisely what you were meant to be doing. I do. I do. I feel like I'm doing what I well. I'm excited get to do what I want to be Sorry that you didn't become a painter. No, No, because I can always do I can always have hobbies, you can always I feel like you can do other things. But now I feel like

I'm doing what I enjoyed. Yeah, what are you gonna do next? I don't know. I'm looking forward to summer vacation with my kids and decompressing and getting the movie out there. It's you know, it's that hustle, right, But for Yeah, do you have a lot of you put a lot of pots on the stove of things you might do or or No. No, I haven't had a few ideas when I was starting to think about this, So now I'm going to kind of revisit. But I don't. I have always heard that Woody Allen has a drawer

full of ideas. I don't have that drawer. As luck would have it, she doesn't need one. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to here's the thing