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Christine Ebersole chats with THR at the 'Is This Thing On?' carpet during the New York Film Festival and talks about her on screen dynamic with Will Arnett in the film. Plus, she talks about working with Bradley Cooper as a director.
Transcript
00:00So you play Will's mom in this movie.
00:03So how did you guys go about developing your on-screen dynamic?
00:07We just jumped right in.
00:10I met him for the first time.
00:13And because of the atmosphere that we were in,
00:18that Bradley really created, this family kind of atmosphere,
00:23everything just felt so natural.
00:25You know, there was nothing forced.
00:27There was nothing, you know, fake about it.
00:34Can you tell me more about what it was like working with Bradley
00:38as a director on this film?
00:41And, you know, he takes on such interesting projects,
00:44and they're all very different, the ones that he directs.
00:47So what makes him such a unique director?
00:51Well, he has vision.
00:54He has passion.
00:55He has great generosity of spirit.
00:58And he allows the players to bring to the table what he commands of the space
01:08so that anything is possible
01:11and that you feel that anything can be possible.
01:14And from working on this film,
01:18is there anything you learned about stand-up comedy that surprised you?
01:23No.
01:27It's a wonderful, it's a very, very unique art form.
01:30And it's something that I really admire.
01:34And you see, the thing is that what Bradley makes you see
01:39is how Alex Novak, Will Arnett's character,
01:47navigates that terrain.
01:51Because it's not easy.
01:53It's a very difficult art form, I think.
01:59And it's so cool to see that this film was shot in so many iconic New York places,
02:06like Comedy Cellar, for example.
02:09So how did filming in New York City locations influence your performance at all?
02:15Well, I didn't really experience that.
02:17But mine was more like in Queens, out of town.
02:21But seeing the film made me so thrilled.
02:28Well, I was thrilled before,
02:29but it was just a double thrill to see all of these New York iconic places.
02:34Because I first started out in New York in 1973 when I was 20 years old,
02:38so do the math.
02:41So I have a real strong identification with New York City
02:46and beginning my career and all of that, you know.
02:49It was very, very exciting to be here.
02:51It must feel kind of full circle in a way, then,
02:54to be premiering it here at the New York Film Festival.
02:56My gosh, I mean, who would have thought, really,
02:59when I was a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
03:02that I would end up here one day.
03:04So I'm thrilled.
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