Director Chloé Zhao and stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal share their emotions watching their film 'Hamnet' at THR's TIFF lounge at the 1 Hotel Toronto. The cast delves into the strong connections they felt for this movie and how they conveyed these emotions creatively in their film. While also being able to break into dance breaks to balance the serious tone of making the film!
00:00How has it been talking to people now that they've seen the movie?
00:03Is everyone emotional about the movie?
00:07I feel like generally, yes.
00:08People are quite emotional about it.
00:10Yeah.
00:11When was the first time you guys watched it?
00:13Three months ago, eight months pregnant.
00:16And how did you react?
00:19What did you think of yourself?
00:20I was pretty chill about the whole thing.
00:21I was like, yeah, it's good.
00:25No, I was a complete mess.
00:27I was like slobbering.
00:28And it's very embarrassing when you slobber watching your own like film.
00:33But it was many things being pregnant.
00:36And also, I guess, getting flooded with like all the memories of what it felt like to make this film all together.
00:43And, you know, you're only one part of a bigger thing.
00:47And to see everybody's incredible like heart that culminated in making this film was, yeah, it was emotional.
00:56I wasn't pregnant when I watched it.
00:58But you are now.
01:00I am now.
01:01Here's an exclusive.
01:02You're here today to announce.
01:04Yeah, yeah.
01:05Congratulations.
01:05I'm so happy.
01:08He's calling it Hennepin.
01:09It's Hennepin.
01:10Hennepin.
01:10Hennepin.
01:10You haven't been here for like three years.
01:18But when we were here three years ago, you were here for Aftersack.
01:21I was, yeah.
01:22So I do feel like it's another one where it's just like a tearjerker, emotional.
01:27But how did you find watching Hamnet, especially versus being in other sad stuff?
01:34Yeah, it was that to me.
01:36I did kind of find my initial response to bawling my eyes out after watching it was one of embarrassment.
01:42Like watching a film, but it's exactly what Jesse said.
01:44It's like the culmination of many moving parts.
01:47But actually the thing that I remember distinctly was when you messaged us on New Year's Day.
01:52Oh.
01:52When you just kind of locked the film.
01:55You're in that space when you finish a film where you're like, God, I hope the filmmaker and our friend likes the film.
02:01And like get a crazy voice note from Chloe on New Year's Day.
02:05Being like a lot.
02:06And it was such a gorgeous thing for a director to send you.
02:09Because you're constantly in that limbo place where you're like, I was so proud of the process of making it.
02:15But then when you feel like your director seems to be happy.
02:19Yeah, what did you say?
02:20Just it's good.
02:21You guys are awesome.
02:23Just an emoji.
02:25Thumbs up emoji.
02:26A penguin emoji.
02:26Yeah.
02:26No, I started editing the last, it was a tough winter because no sun and editing the second half of this film.
02:36Through the holidays on my own.
02:38And then started the final scene.
02:41And then on New Year's Day, I finished the last few shots.
02:46Yeah.
02:47And the catharsis that the character felt is exactly what I needed.
02:52And it was about four months into some heartache.
02:56And I felt the catharsis in that little room in Soho.
02:59Yeah.
03:00So I picked up the phone and left sobbed.
03:03And left a really emotional message to the two of them.
03:07I read a cover story where you were talking about dreams during rehearsal and that being a really big part of the initial, I guess, would it be initial conversations or just when you were kind of talking about what to make?
03:20But can you tell me a little bit about why that, is that new to your process or why was that right for this?
03:29I learned that dreams are the language of the psyche, right?
03:35And it speaks in symbols.
03:37And you get to see different perspectives of different characters within yourself.
03:43And how incredible is that to look at within a scene?
03:46You know, so we have been dreaming together.
03:52This film really came out of our dreams.
03:54I confidently say that.
03:56Yeah.
03:56Do you wake up in the middle of the night and write them down or do you remember them easily?
04:00I do have a notebook, but I find I, like, voice memo them.
04:06It's so annoying when you forget a dream.
04:08Yeah.
04:08That you think, like, especially one, like, in the middle of the night, you're like, oh, this is a goodie.
04:13I've got to remember this.
04:14And then, sure enough, you're like.
04:16It never happens that way.
04:17But they also, I kind of, I, like, let them be.
04:21You've got to let them be.
04:22You can't hold them too tightly.
04:24And even they were, you know, how we worked with them while we were filming, you've got to, you know, lightly.
04:32You've got to hold them lightly and they show up if they want to show up.
04:34But I definitely use them as a way to process Agnes' subconscious in filming and also to kind of give us inspiration to scenes or they're mercurial in the best way.
04:49And they just are like little offerings if you want them.
04:51I think I was kind of scared of the process initially, if I'm being honest, because I was like, I had no control over it.
04:59I think I'm, like, a little bit of a control freak.
05:01But then there is something, like, as Jesse was saying, there's not really a rationale to them.
05:07So you get to, like, you feel very creative when you're working with them because you get to transpose what's important to you from the dream and what's not.
05:14And oftentimes if you have something that's reoccurring in your dreams or I feel like during the process, like, certain dreams synced up between me and you, which was a weird thing that happened.
05:25But it was like...
05:26They did?
05:27Yeah.
05:27Yeah.
05:27How, like, you would, the next day, you'd be like, I dreamt about...
05:31A cow.
05:31A cow.
05:32We had a dream.
05:33Not the same, like, the cows look different, but I think it was, like, pretty...
05:36But there's...
05:37One was like a Holstein and one was like...
05:39Yeah, exactly.
05:40It's a bit like fairy tales.
05:41There's archetypes sometimes within dreams that can...
05:44That...
05:45I mean, each of them might mean something completely different to you, but, like, in fables and fairy tales, sometimes things that appear...
05:54I don't even think we...
05:55We did do one session together when we had this one dream about a cow.
05:59Yeah.
06:00Or, no, we started...
06:00I didn't know that you dreamt about a cow.
06:02And then when we were doing the drop-in with Cam, I was like, that is mental because I dreamt about a cow that week.
06:07And then we just started mooing around the set, like...
06:11Yeah, that's what it is.
06:12Let everybody moo.
06:14Milking.
06:15Otters.
06:18Chloe, do you feel like after...
06:20Sorry.
06:21Like, looking...
06:22We're not mental, I promise you.
06:24Going Nomadland, working in the MCU, and then this movie, like, did you take any tips?
06:30Like, what did you pull from a production as big as, like, a Marvel production to then something like this?
06:36Because that's a lot more interior, but still a very, like, vast and intricate movie.
06:44Well, Eternals prepared me for world-building.
06:46Mm-hmm.
06:46And the conviction of that, and how to collaborate with department heads to help you build a certain part of the world they're in charge of.
06:56I definitely learned a lot through that process to prepare for it, because this is such a world-building.
07:01It's not just about what looks good and what's interesting.
07:06It's about what's the origin.
07:08Like, what is the root of every decision?
07:13What papers?
07:14You know, a cut on the leather.
07:17Everything has stories behind it, and everything has to come from the same mother.
07:21It's an ecosystem, and I've learned from Eternals how to, earlier on, gathering around the mother.
07:32So then, when everyone goes off, the ecosystem feels very coherent.
07:37Mm-hmm.
07:38Yeah.
07:38That is the most beautiful way to describe what I would, like, unintelligently call it an Easter egg.
07:45So I'm going to start using them.
07:46I love Easter eggs.
07:47Same.
07:48I love, I used to go on YouTube and watch the Easter eggs of, you know.
07:53Easter eggs.
07:54Jessie doesn't know.
07:55I know what an Easter egg is.
07:57Not a real Easter egg.
07:59I was talking about chocolate Easter eggs.
08:00Yeah, so was I.
08:01They're just too cool to know what Easter egg is.
08:03No, it's in an Easter egg.
08:04What is an Easter egg?
08:06It's like a little, like, hidden target in a film.
08:09Yeah.
08:09Oh.
08:10Yeah.
08:10We did a Harry Potter picture.
08:12Yeah, you had some of those.
08:13We had some eggs.
08:13What did you guys do for fun on this set?
08:18Like, did it feel, like, especially with, like, the heavy material, what did you guys do at the end of the day?
08:24We danced a lot.
08:26Yeah.
08:26They were great.
08:27I love them.
08:28They're going to come out.
08:29Are they?
08:29They will.
08:30Especially the final one.
08:32Oh, yeah.
08:32That was gorgeous.
08:33Oh, my God.
08:34Yeah.
08:34We do something called dance takes.
08:37So once a week, we would spend a lot of time to our 80s.
08:42We would set up the scene, and then we will, the scene will start, and then music will play.
08:51And it will turn into a big dance take where Katz and crew get together and dance.
08:54And the last one had 300 extra.
08:56Oh, we spent, like, three, four hours to set up the shot.
08:58Yeah, yeah.
08:59Yeah.
08:59And then he's, like, all five, I think 500 in total, including crew, at the Globe Theater.
09:05Incredible.
09:06What was the song?
09:07We found love in the whole place, place.
09:11Rihanna.
09:12Yeah.
09:14Period appropriate.
09:15That's a easter egg.
09:15You were dancing.
09:17That is an easter egg.
09:18No one was expecting Rihanna to show up in Hamlet, but here.
09:21Rihanna can show up anywhere.
09:22Anywhere, exactly.
09:23Okay, super quick, before we're out of time, one question we're asking everyone, which one do I'm going to do?
09:27I want to ask you guys, is there a movie or a book, since this is an adaptation, that you guys have pretended to have watched or read?
09:34Pretended?
09:35Pretended.
09:36So many.
09:36What does that mean?
09:37Like, in conversation, or, like, you've always been, like, oh, yeah, I've totally seen Citizen Kane.
09:42I was just about to say that.
09:43I watched it recently because I'd spent so much time saying that I'd seen Citizen Kane.
09:47And now you have.
09:48That's weird that you said that.
09:49Okay.
09:49That's, like, an example of the subconscious alignment synchronicity.
09:54Citizen Kane for me.
09:56I have so many.
09:57I'm so embarrassed.
09:58I don't even know where to start.
10:00Like, I don't think I've seen Star Wars.
10:04Any of them?
10:05No.
10:06I'm going to tell you, Elle Fanning has not seen, she said that yesterday, so you're in trouble.
10:10This is a space space.
10:12You should.
10:12I'm shocked.
10:13I know, I know.
10:14You should see Citizen Kane.
10:15I have.
10:15Well, whatever.
10:16This is the dynamic.
10:19Yeah.
10:21I didn't give you judgment.
10:23No, as a friend.
10:24She hasn't even seen Harry Potter.
10:26I have seen Harry Potter.
10:28Whoa, why is everybody getting off of me?
10:31It's early.
10:32It's early.
10:33You have time to see it.
10:34You can watch Star Wars on the plane, huh?
10:35Yeah, exactly.
10:36I'll give you the order.
10:37I'm saving you for a child.
10:40Probably, like, I'm never ready.
10:43I'll just see.
10:45I feel like most people.
10:46I haven't read The Odyssey.
10:47Have you read The Odyssey?
10:48Just, like, some of those epics.
10:50I like to say, oh, yeah.
10:51You haven't read The Odyssey?
10:52It permeates enough that, like, you can get it.
10:55I think I've looked good.
10:55Yeah.
10:55I like having them on my shelf, all the epics.
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