- 4 months ago
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00:00Okay, Eternity. This movie was incredible. I have to tell you, it was the topic of discussion for the rest of the night after my friends and I saw it. It was so amazing. And, you know, there's been so many movies made about the afterlife, but the concept of choosing your own eternity was such a fun ride. I have to know, what was the scariest part of telling the story about choosing between your first and last love?
00:23I mean, I think, well, the scariest part, I think, was just having to confront kind of what love is to me. I think for me and Pat, my co-writer, I think we, you know, we spent so much of our time discussing, well, what is important to us in a relationship and reflecting on past relationships and kind of confronting our current relationships in an ultimately very positive way.
00:49But I think that was kind of possibly quite frightening. But it was lovely as well to kind of explore love in its many different forms. And I think that's what the film does. I think, you know, with her relationship with Luke, her first husband and her second husband, Larry, I think it's not about right or wrong. They both reflect very different things. And I think her at very different points in her life. And I think that's what makes it special.
01:13Yeah, after the movie, I was like, I knew I shouldn't have worn eye makeup to this. I knew I should have had a bucket of tissues. And I love that you said Pat would call you and he would be like, my wife said, this would never happen. This would never be said. And then that helped you guys work out another avenue to go with the characters, which I found really interesting.
01:31Yeah, I mean, I think I think our own our own lived relationships and experiences so informed this. It could mean it could not not do that. I think even for my cast, I think, you know, Lizzie always says the reason the moment she fell in love with Larry was when he choked on a pretzel because she could so easily imagine her husband doing that.
01:49So it really brought a lot home to us about kind of our own experiences and what's truthful to us in those relationships. So, yeah, we we definitely had to listen to her partners quite a lot.
02:01Yes. What were some major roadblocks you faced during writing? Was there that one scene or moment that kept you up at night?
02:07I mean, I mean, I think I think I think it wrote quite easily, I think.
02:14But I think that scene where Lizzie first arrives in the afterlife and meets everyone for the first time, but meets kind of Larry again and then Luke again after 67 years.
02:27I think that was such a pivotal moment because it is the hook of the film.
02:31The whole thing rests on that and feeling and less in the writing, but more in the direction and in the production, just making sure every relationship was felt in that moment.
02:41But I think it's all credit to to this incredible, wonderful cast that you feel every one of those moments.
02:47I mean, I love how you can just see in Lizzie's eyes, you can almost see 60 years fade away when she sees Luke coming out of the out of the junction for the first time.
02:56And and you can feel the annoyance and all that kind of built up relationship of an old couple with Larry.
03:01And it's all in the in in those those those dynamics.
03:05And so that that really was beautiful.
03:07But that's a scene that I really feared from for the kind of several months leading up to production, just making sure we got it right.
03:15Was it a one take wonder or were there a few moments where you went back and you spoke to the actors about how you wanted to see it come alive?
03:22I think because I was so anxious about it and we all worked on it so much, it actually happened so easily.
03:29Like we had hundreds of extras.
03:31We had this big set that like a couple of months ago only existed in my head and, you know, all our actors on set.
03:37But I think because I was so worried about it, it actually happened really quickly.
03:41I mean, there was a lot of coverage, but we didn't actually have to reshoot much.
03:45It kind of the actors knew their roles so well.
03:48We had such a clear shot list.
03:49So it's one of those things, one of those scenes, sometimes the most complicated scenes to shoot end up being the simplest.
03:57And then sometimes it's the most easy scene that ends up taking lots of time because they're the ones you prepare and prepare and prepare for.
04:04So actually, no, it was it was a real dreamy day and we gave it a lot of time to get it right as well.
04:09So it was quite easy.
04:11I love that all that anticipation.
04:13And then it just blew by and it worked out.
04:16Exactly, exactly.
04:16And then like an extreme close up of a cup can take an hour.
04:19So, you know, that's that's shooting.
04:21Yeah, that's so funny.
04:22And I like that you said the script was kind of like a blueprint.
04:25But then when you met with the cast, you'd go back and rewrite some things based on your interactions.
04:31Can you share a perfect example of that happening?
04:34Yeah, I mean, I've mentioned before how my favorite scene is a squatting scene that that just came from a conversation with Miles talking about how he loved how Larry wants to make Joan happy.
04:45And he's always trying to do that.
04:46And like that, you know, for this old couple in young bodies, squatting felt so romantic.
04:51So I remember writing that as a response to that conversation.
04:54And Lizzie really hit on this notion that I love that Joan has never really made a decision for herself.
05:05It's always been about, you know, one of her husbands or her family or her parents.
05:09And and and she said it so eloquently that I just wrote it into the script.
05:13So there's a moment in in in the pearly gates when she's really drunk and on the ground with her friend Karen, where she just verbalizes that.
05:21She says I've never made a decision. And that just came directly from Lizzie's amazing insight into Joan.
05:27And there's loads of little moments like that that kind of pepper the film just and even just little breaths and touches that we added in as a response to the to these these incredible actors.
05:37And I think if you have if you're gifted with such a brilliant cast and you need to use them to their fullest, you know, squeeze every penny from them.
05:44So, yeah, they made it so much more, I think, impactful and moving than it would have been without them.
05:51The casting was impeccable during auditions.
05:54Was there a particular chemistry reader moment that sealed the deal for you with any of the leads?
05:59I mean, it's it's funny because obviously when you you have a dream cast like this, you just you make the approach and you just hope then firstly they like it and that you get on.
06:07But we managed to get together myself and Lizzie and Callum and then myself, Lizzie and Miles in kind of groups of three in L.A. in pre-production.
06:19And that was lovely because I could feel the chemistry with her and Callum and feel the chemistry with her and Miles.
06:25And then I got to meet up with Devine and stuff beforehand than John.
06:28But it wasn't until we actually got to production that we got all of them together.
06:32And so we were very clear the very first week of production, we shot all the memory tunnel stuff, all the kind of to build up those past relationships and essentially use them as an extension of the rehearsal where these guys got to fill in the gaps of their lives together and get to know each other even more.
06:48And that's actually when Miles and Callum first met each other, which was incredible.
06:53And that's, I think, again, when I had a sense of ease because they got on so well and they had such great banter and it felt like the final relationship in this whole triangle was completed.
07:03Because I love that kind of buddy comedy relationship between them that develops throughout the film and that really quickly formed.
07:10But it wasn't until we got to production that we knew that would happen.
07:12So until you get there, you're kind of just praying it works out.
07:15Right. Right. At the end, I was like, you know what, I kind of want this bromance to just go pick eternity together and just have some fun.
07:22I know. You know what, the sequel, I think that would be a lot of fun.
07:25I think, but I kind of love, and I think it was Callum who really hit upon it that, you know, ultimately they have a lot in common.
07:32And what they really have in common is that they both love this woman.
07:34And I think that's really sweet that they end up bonding over that.
07:37Right. I know that was, that was one of my favorite parts.
07:39Can you share an absolute favorite memory of directing Callum, Miles, Elizabeth, maybe it was like a trio scene or something like that?
07:46What comes to mind?
07:48Oh God. I mean, we had, anytime we had all of them together, it was a blast.
07:52But I think the day we were in the bedroom with them, with John and Dave Vine, we did the really brilliant coin tossing scene and the really lovely letter passing scene, which is also really heartbreaking.
08:04We did them all in one day, which was a really intense day, but it was just so much fun.
08:09They were so funny.
08:11They were really kind of, they allowed for some brilliant ad-libbing moments.
08:17And you could just feel how much they were enjoying it.
08:20And they were kind of devolved into teenagers together, the five of them.
08:24Like literally, I felt like a teacher just kind of corralling them into position.
08:28And it was just a joy.
08:29It was like, we, like behind the cameras, we were all kind of really excited.
08:33I kept running into the producer's tent going, this is amazing.
08:36Because yeah, they just, they just got on so well.
08:39And you can feel, I think when you watch the film, you can feel how much they're enjoying themselves.
08:44And they were so funny.
08:46They were like, so funny together.
08:48So I think that was my favorite day, just in that, that hotel bedroom.
08:52It's so funny.
08:53I interviewed John M. Chu for Wicked and he's like, it felt like a kindergarten class.
08:56So now I'm convinced when your, your film feels like a playground, it's like the most fun to be on.
09:01And that is probably the meter of just fun.
09:04It just seems like it was light and everyone gets along so well.
09:07It sounds so incredible.
09:09Yeah.
09:09I think that's really important when you're making a film.
09:11And I think he's John, I don't know, John M. Chu is right.
09:14I think, I think you feel, even if it's heavier subject matter, I think you can feel when the actors are letting go and enjoying themselves.
09:22And I think that's when they truly can give themselves over to the work.
09:24You never want to, I think sometimes you can feel the actor's reticence if they're not in a comfortable place.
09:29And you want to make sure they're as comfortable as possible.
09:31And thankfully, you know, these guys were, were amazing.
09:35And they helped set a tone on set with our, with my crew as well.
09:38That, that made, made sure everyone felt like they shared in this vision.
09:42That was lovely.
09:43Now, when cameras went down, what did cast bonding look like?
09:47Were there dinners, David?
09:48Trailer hangouts?
09:49What was that like?
09:50Yeah, there was.
09:51I mean, there was some dinners, which was really nice, which was great to get to know them.
09:55Um, but it's, it's funny.
09:57Like we did a, uh, we had a, like a tight shoot.
10:00We had, we had 30 days, which is very, very tight for this scale of film.
10:06And that was incredible.
10:07But like, so usually when cameras are down, I was just wrecking the next location and writing shot lists.
10:12And I'd be ringing the actors like with ideas and notes and thoughts and coming in the next day with new lines.
10:17But we were, I never felt like we had much downtime.
10:21We had a great time, but I felt like we were constantly just moving.
10:26I think it's, we had the nimbleness of an indie film with us because we just, like really, we had so much to cover.
10:34I think, like, I think we, we, me and Lizzie would occasionally get together and just be like, I can't believe we did that much in that day.
10:40That's crazy.
10:41Like, it's just, it was kind of unrelenting, but in a really fun way, I think it had an energy that kind of, kind of swept us along in the making of it.
10:49But yeah, it didn't really, like we, we hung out beforehand and we hung out afterwards, but it didn't leave.
10:55I think I spent so much of the downtime just trying to sleep.
10:59Right.
10:59I'm shocked to hear 30 days for that caliber of film.
11:03That's incredible.
11:04Yeah.
11:05Yeah.
11:05And that's, that's, that's all credit to, again, this cast, but also this crew who were so prepared.
11:11And kind of, we kind of, we had ABC plans going into every day.
11:15We knew exactly what our shots were.
11:17We didn't have, like, we allowed time for the actress to play and be comfortable, but we didn't have time to do, like, ample takes or kind of just, you know, we, we'd never had the luxury of like, let's take five or take 10 and just chat about the scene.
11:32It was always like, you know what you're doing, let's go.
11:35And I like that.
11:36I like that energy on a set.
11:37I think the work is in advance, so you can have that kind of momentum.
11:41Right.
11:41Now, which eternity did you have the most fun conjuring up?
11:45I loved conjuring up them all.
11:47I remember just in, in, kind of in the writing, just going for lovely long dog walks, thinking of like, you know, medieval world, but with modern plumbing or, or whatever it is.
11:56I, I loved, I loved all of them.
11:58Like a lot.
12:00I think I have a lot of pride in the ones that are those revisionist histories, the 1940s Ireland without the famine or Weimar Germany without the Nazis.
12:08Just because I think when you think about those periods, you aren't thinking about the negatives.
12:11Right.
12:12So it's nice to like, you know, you're not thinking of an Austin-esque in England, but the fact that it all smells, you're thinking of it with modern sanitation.
12:19So I think those are really fun to think of, but I love, like, like I would like to go to Studio 54 world.
12:25I think that'd be great.
12:26I know.
12:26There were so many.
12:27I started thinking of my own of everything I never got to experience, like the 80s and all these times.
12:32I was like, wouldn't that be fun to go back and, and check that out?
12:35Yeah.
12:36And also we were just like, I think there's, you know, we wanted to make sure there was, there are big laughs and that's great.
12:41There's also, there's a truth behind all of them.
12:43And I keep reflecting that like queer world without straight people is obviously a big joke, but actually when I was a younger man and I didn't feel very comfortable with queer people or straight people, sorry.
12:53I think I would have chosen queer world.
12:55And so I think there's a truth behind every joke as to why that world would appeal to somebody.
13:01And so, so yeah, so I think there's a reason why people would choose those.
13:05Yeah.
13:06I love that.
13:07No, if people were to walk out of the theater debating one idea, what would you hope that topic is?
13:13Oh, I mean, oh, I don't, I mean, I hope, firstly, I hope they had a good time and laughed and cried, but I, I kind of hope that they, they come out.
13:24Believing, maybe reflecting on their own relationships, which is a nice thing, but also maybe just reflecting on the idea that there's more than one kind of idea of happiness.
13:32I think it was really important to us that you like, yes, Joan has this big dilemma and this decision and she makes the decision that's right for her.
13:39But, you know, there's no right or wrong answer here.
13:43You know, we have Karen who chooses to go to live her best life in her seventies because that's when she came out and was happiest.
13:50And I think there's no one blueprint for what a happy or loving life looks like.
13:55And I hope that's what they take out of it most of all.
13:58Yeah.
13:59And reflect on their own lives.
14:01That'd be lovely.
14:02But, you know, if they just laugh and cry, I'll be happy too.
14:04Oh, yes.
14:05I know.
14:05I turned and my, my friend, he has tears streaming down his face in the theater.
14:09I was like, oh, it got you.
14:10It got you.
14:11It was so well done.
14:13Was there an audience reaction from any of the cast that really stuck with you after Miles?
14:18Elizabeth, you guys watched the movie.
14:19Did anyone reach out with a reaction that really spoke to you?
14:22Yeah, they, they were like, they did.
14:25I mean, Miles hates watching his own work.
14:29He really does, but he did watch it.
14:30And he was, he, he was like, it's probably one of the best things I've done.
14:33He was so proud of it.
14:34And I think he was so proud of all the work and how they reflected ordinary love.
14:42I think he, he put a lot of, he really put a lot of his self and his grandparents into this,
14:48into this role and kind of what that means to him.
14:50And I think he felt really honored that the film reflected his work and our work.
14:54And I think that was really meaningful to me.
14:57So, yeah, I think that reaction from him was amazing just because,
15:00because I know he doesn't like watching himself necessarily.
15:03He's such a brilliant actor, but I think I understand that reticence.
15:06So that was a big one.
15:07I remember Divine sitting behind me in Toronto watching it, bawling her eyes out.
15:11So just hearing her cry was nice.
15:13Right.
15:14Oh my gosh.
15:14Divine, Divine and John, they cracked, I mean, brilliant.
15:18It was amazing.
15:20They're, they're, they're so brilliant and so funny.
15:23And they're such an incredible duo in the film.
15:25I think they really, they really made it funnier than I expected.
15:28Like I just kept, I just wanted to keep writing for them.
15:31I feel like I still want to write for them, like for those roles.
15:35Yeah.
15:35An honor.
15:36Now, is there any world in which we could get a sequel,
15:39seeing where they ended up in Eternity or following maybe Luke?
15:44Yeah.
15:45I mean, I think, I think, I mean, Luke's going to have a fine time.
15:48He'll be grand.
15:49And I think, I think the, the story of this love triangle is over, you know, she's made
15:54her decision.
15:55We're going to let them be happy, you know, in whatever they do.
15:58But I wouldn't mind revisiting The Junction again.
16:01I love that world.
16:02Maybe in TV form and like kind of revisiting the afterlife coordinators, whether that's
16:09with John or Devine, just, I think it's such a rich world to explore.
16:12And we had so much fun there.
16:14So there might be a story there, but I think let's, let's let the film settle for a while
16:20first.
16:21Right.
16:21And real quick, of course, the tragic death of Rob and Michelle Reiner.
16:25So awful.
16:26As a director yourself, how did his work impact you throughout your life?
16:29I mean, he's, he's like an icon to me, to most films.
16:34I mean, I think even if you're not a filmmaker, he's probably made one of your favorite films
16:40or one of your favorite people's favorite films.
16:42He's just, and I think, you know, obviously when Harry met Sally, he's the greatest romantic
16:47comedy of all time, you know, Spinal Tap.
16:50I mean, but also just the, like Misery, just the, the breath of his work was so extraordinary.
16:55And I think what I, what I really love about his work, maybe misery aside, but there's,
17:03there's a real, not that I don't love it, but there's a real kindness to his work that
17:08I really respond to.
17:09There's a real belief in humanity that I think is at the heart of his work.
17:13And I think it was so clear that was at the heart of that man and, and, and his beautiful
17:18wife.
17:18And yeah, it's a, it's an unspeakable tragedy, you know, but I think his legacy is going to
17:28live for forever in, in, beyond film because he's just one of those greats.
17:34And yeah, and I, I, you know, I, um, I watched when Harry met Sally last night, last night
17:40just as, just because I felt like I had to, and yeah, he's, he's going to be deeply, deeply
17:45missed.
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