Michaela Coel & Jessica Gunning on Why They Said "Yes" to 'The Christophers'

2 minutes ago

Stars Michaela Coel and Jessica Gunning, as well as writer Ed Solomon, stop by THR's TIFF suite at the 1 Hotel in Toronto to talk about working on their film 'The Christophers.' Coel and Gunning opened up about how they choose what projects they say "yes" to and why they found the script for 'The Christophers' compelling. Plus, Coel and Solomon revealed their writing must-haves.

Transcript

00:00It has to kind of punch me in the stomach.

00:02I have to finish it and go,

00:03you know, I see what they're trying to do.

00:06And I imagine the union of a character like mine and Ian on screen

00:14and how unusual that is.

00:17And I was very game.

00:19Stephen and I both knew that we were doing something very stupid,

00:22which is write a script with two very specific people in mind,

00:26almost so that it can only be them.

00:30Stephen and I were sitting together talking about art and broken artists.

00:38And we were talking about artists who have quit.

00:41And we conjured up this idea about two sort of broken people

00:47who have quit their art for very different reasons,

00:50of very different generations who come together

00:52under quite auspicious circumstances

00:55and end up having an effect on each other's life

00:59that is quite unexpected.

01:02We had been talking about relationships that I had had with certain,

01:07actually they were comedians and writers who had given up their craft.

01:11Some of them were mentors of mine.

01:14And I watched them as they abandoned the thing they loved most.

01:19And Stephen was then also talking about,

01:21yeah, I've always wanted to do a movie about a kind of Patricia Heisman's,

01:26the heist thing in the art world.

01:28And I said, well, my mom's a painter.

01:29And, oh, my God, I think I know exactly what this is about.

01:33And I sort of transferred all those emotions into the art world.

01:37And then, I mean, it was a 45-minute drinks at a pub.

01:42And then suddenly I walked away and I said to my wife,

01:47I think I'm writing a movie.

01:49We didn't say, do you want to write this?

01:51We just were talking.

01:51And then we had this whole idea.

01:54Mikaela and Jessica, how do you guys pick what you say yes to?

01:58My agents do a really good job of not bringing anything to me.

02:07So it's very rare if they say,

02:10we know you're writing, but this is of interest

02:13because normally I am constantly in a process of delivering scripts.

02:19So if it's, like, really something that I'm going to find important,

02:26they'll say, we're just going to send you this.

02:28And so this is one of, like, three things that I've ever been sent.

02:33No, they're really good.

02:34They know me really well.

02:36So they mentioned first there's talk of a film with you,

02:42Ed Solomon's writing it, Soderbergh's directing it with Ian McKellen.

02:45And I was just like, okay.

02:47I don't know a lot of people who I know.

02:49These people are like, I'm sorry.

02:51And then I said, let's wait for the scripts.

02:55And then the script came.

02:56And as soon as I finished it, I was like, yeah.

03:01It has to kind of punch me in the stomach.

03:03I have to finish it and go, ah!

03:05You know, I see what they're trying to do.

03:07And I imagine the union of a character like mine and Ian on screen and how unusual that is.

03:17And I was very game.

03:19And, yeah, it was after all the Baby Reindeer stuff and we were just kind of working out what to do next.

03:24I didn't really want to make it into a big choice or anything.

03:27I just was like, let's just think about what comes through that feels like right.

03:31And this was just a lovely thing to be part of, yeah.

03:34And kind of can't really say no to me, Kayla, Ian, Stephen.

03:38And you're like, okay, yeah, this is, yeah.

03:40What a treat.

03:42Stephen and I both knew that we were doing something very stupid, which is write a script with two very specific people in mind.

03:49Almost so that it can only be them and do it on spec.

03:53The only things that really changed from what was originally in the script to what happened when it got on its feet and started shooting,

04:01we had a kind of, I wouldn't even call it a B story, a sort of C story subplot that was like a framing device that was a little bit more comedic.

04:10And as soon as we started filming and we realized, oh my God, the heart of the movie is these four characters,

04:19Jess and James and Michaela and Ian, and that's the story, we pulled out the other stuff

04:27because what was happening in the space with them was everything we wanted the movie to be.

04:35And it didn't need any of that extra stuff.

04:37Does being part of another project get in your head while your head is supposed to be thinking about these other scripts?

04:44Or you're able to like...

04:45Yeah, I think the issue is that I forget that the other thing exists.

04:49And then it's like, what was I doing again?

04:51I was writing a show.

04:54I do write.

04:56And I get, I'm fully immersed.

04:59I love acting and like not having written it.

05:06And when it's like a great script, that's the best thing ever.

05:12No, I don't struggle to not think about the hell of being a writer.

05:18What do you need just like to get for a day of writing?

05:20I need, I have a specific keyboard.

05:26It's an ergonomic keyboard.

05:28So it stops the restrain that happens when you write for 40 hours with no sleep and not even breaking to piss.

05:35It's this and it just kind of keeps my, keeps my wrists in really good order.

05:40I need the monitor because obviously this job fucks your eyes.

05:46So like I need a big screen.

05:49And then I need at least one person that is incredibly smart to give me notes.

05:55I actually really need notes.

05:57I need to know where I am not being anywhere near as clear as I think I'm being.

06:04Because I often think that this is very easy to understand and then I realize it's not.

06:09And I need that feedback.

06:11And that's it.

06:11Yeah.

06:12I only write with other people.

06:13So it's like dependent on all of that, I guess.

06:16But yeah, yeah.

06:17I think especially when you're writing something as massive as, let's say, a television show,

06:21it's really important for me to have a few touch points where I, upon which I guess I could echolocate.

06:28Meaning you get so lost in this 360 degree void of this idea and whatever it could be

06:36because it obviously could be anything that, as Michaela said, having something to bounce

06:42off of or someone to bounce off of often helps me a lot.

06:45But in terms of writing something like The Christophers and in terms of what I need to start

06:51my writing day, I can do it anywhere, but it has to be in a place where I feel emotionally

06:58connected somehow to what I'm writing.

07:00I don't need an intellectual idea.

07:03I need an emotional feeling.

07:06And when I have that feeling, I can write in that day.

07:11With this film, especially compared to maybe like some of Soderbergh's last few films,

07:15like what does the success trajectory of this movie look like?

07:17For me, the success trajectory, and the person who financed it will kill me for saying this,

07:25the success trajectory has completed itself.

07:28I had one of the greatest creative experiences of my life.

07:33And anything that happens from here is just gravy.

07:38I would say, you know, from a business standpoint, the success trajectory would be people respond

07:47to the film.

07:48We all did it knowing, all of us did it, knowing that we were doing it at a big risk,

07:55on spec in various ways, not working for big salaries or anything,

08:01knowing that we're doing this because we love this process in this movie,

08:06and we believe in Steven and in each other.

08:10So from a business standpoint, I guess the success trajectory would be other people feel the same way.

08:16When you booked your first job, what was your first splurge?

08:22Like the gift, what did you get yourself as a congratulations?

08:25I paid off my student debt, the student loan.

08:30Yeah, that's massive.

08:31Yeah, I think I did that too.

08:32May, lit, and it's like, oh, that's a mess off my shoulders.

08:35Yeah.

08:37Yeah.

08:37So true.

08:38I actually, funnily enough, paid for my last year of college with it.

08:43Look at how serious people...

08:44It's boring.

08:45Oh, no, the gift.

08:46Debt was gone.

08:47That was fun that you got.

08:49Okay, this is going to date me though.

08:51That's okay.

08:51I bought, finally, an electric typewriter.

08:56Oh, wow.

08:57Oh my goodness.

08:58Yeah.

08:59No, but that is chic.

09:00Now I'm like, that's what I want to buy.

09:02I want to get an electric typewriter.

09:05Yeah, I'm like, that's chic as hell.

Michaela Coel & Jessica Gunning on Why They Said "Yes" to 'The Christophers' | TIFF 2025

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