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00:10Welcome to the 79th Cannes Film Festival and the Caring Women in Motion Talks.
00:15My name is Angelique Jackson, I'm a senior entertainment writer at Variety.
00:19And we are so thrilled to have our guest today, Jordana Brewster.
00:23Of course you are known, best known rather, for playing Mia in the Fast and Furious franchise.
00:28We are now 25 years in, which is kind of remarkable, looking at you.
00:36But we celebrated the film here at Cannes just a couple of days ago.
00:42What was it like to walk that carpet? How did it compare to what you even imagined that moment would
00:48be?
00:48There was something so, this sounds, it's such a contradiction because you're in Cannes.
00:54It's like the largest red carpet of my life.
00:57And yet I felt so comfortable because I had Meadow there, Vin, and Michelle. Michelle and I were dancing.
01:05Like I think there was just something so joyful and celebratory about it.
01:09So it just felt so good.
01:11And I think you also, once you're in this career for long enough, you know that you need to relish
01:16the peaks.
01:18Because your whole career is like peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys.
01:22I've heard you kind of describe the Fast and Furious experience in general, kind of like a roller coaster.
01:27Because there's now been 11 films, including the spin-off. There's still one more to come.
01:33How has it been kind of being on that ride? Because I'm sure 25 years ago you couldn't imagine that
01:39you would still be on it.
01:41No. And also I don't think many realize that there are giant gaps between the films.
01:47So I was so thrilled when, after Too Fast, Too Furious, where I was just like, aww.
01:52I'm not in it. And then Tokyo Drift came out.
01:55And actually Tokyo Drift was interesting because I had just worked with Justin Lin on Annapolis.
02:00And so I was so excited he was joining.
02:03But then for Four, when I got the call, like, I think it was 10 years after the first one,
02:08I was so excited to rejoin it.
02:11Because there's nothing like it.
02:13There's really nothing like it in terms of global outreach, in terms of our fans and how loyal they are.
02:18And they're really fun.
02:20Well, let's go back to One for a moment because you just sat through it in the theater.
02:24When was the last time you'd seen it before then?
02:26I had, sometimes I like to revisit all of them because the chronology is so interesting.
02:33I'm like, wait, what happened when?
02:36But it had been a couple of years.
02:40And I was like, my jaw dropped.
02:44And I said to Vin yesterday, I was like, I don't think I ever fully appreciated the depth of his
02:51character and how much.
02:53Because he's a very, he takes a lot of time with the scripts.
02:56And he takes a lot, and the integrity of the characters really, really matter to him.
03:00And I was like, dude, now I get it.
03:02It really, it does pay off.
03:05Yeah.
03:05When you think back to Mia, you know, when I was watching her on screen, I was struck by, you
03:11know, she always seemed very poised and cool and put together.
03:15But there are so many layers to that character.
03:18We get a chance to see her be funny and sort of insecure that, oh gosh, this boy that I
03:22like is coming over and I'm just wearing this rowdy t-shirt now.
03:26Yeah.
03:26There's so much that you got to play with just from the very beginning.
03:30What do you remember about reading that first script?
03:33I remember reading it and the first thing I thought was, okay, actually I was told, you're like, oh, you're
03:41this patrician girl from like the Upper East Side.
03:44Like we're going to have to like roughing you up a little bit.
03:46And so, and we did that through the way I spoke and just watching different movies and different actresses and
03:53just trying to get more grounded and in my body.
03:57And so I worked really hard on that.
04:00And I just remember like we all added little details.
04:03Like that wasn't scripted, the piece about like, oh my gosh, he's coming or sort of the unsaid between brother
04:10and sister where he's like, get in the helicopter and that.
04:14But like there was so much nuance that I don't remember or nuance that we lost over the years because
04:20they just got bigger and bigger and bigger.
04:22Sure.
04:23Well, because at the time when you signed on to that film, you were, you were a student at Yale.
04:28Yeah.
04:28You were, this was what, maybe your third film?
04:31Yes.
04:32It was Faculty, Invisible Circus and then Fast and Furious.
04:36So what do you remember about auditioning for that role?
04:40I remember it was still in person.
04:43I don't think, or maybe there was a camcorder in the room, but it was for Scott Stuber, Rob Cohen.
04:50And, and back then auditioning was so exciting because it was like you'd audition two or three times then like
04:55get landing the role is huge.
04:58And I just, I remember talking to Rob and his thoughts on it and what he thought we needed to
05:05work on.
05:05And it was a very collaborative experience.
05:08And you show up on set and it's all of you kind of in this infancy stage of your careers,
05:13Vin Diesel, the late Paul Walker, and Michelle Rodriguez.
05:17And to have, you know, these four young actors kind of just starting out.
05:23What was the energy early on?
05:25I was scared.
05:26I was super scared because Michelle has so much bravado and she was talking about that yesterday.
05:33She's, she's like, I can't believe the way I was walking in the movie.
05:36Like why was I walking with like, like so much, like not pomposity, but like bravado.
05:42And I remember being a little bit jealous of Michelle and the fact that she really spoke her mind and
05:50I didn't yet do that.
05:52And so I was a little bit more of a wallflower observing everybody.
05:54And then, you know, Paul was this beautiful, like right off of the skulls, like he just, he was stunning
06:03and, but like very, his energy was very grounding.
06:06So that was always a really nice presence to have.
06:09Well, when you look at that idea of, you know, you've known and gotten a chance to grow with others
06:15for a couple of decades.
06:17What has it been like to watch each other evolve?
06:20And how do you feel like you've evolved in that time?
06:24I mean, I think it's such, I think twenties and thirties are, are wasted on women because as soon as
06:32I turned 40, it was like, it was like my, I don't want to say something crass, but, but I
06:40just, I dropped into myself and I realized, wait, what do I actually want to do?
06:46Um, what's important to me as far as my career and then asking for what you want.
06:52I think a lot, I, I, I sort of straddled the, the maxim FHM, like you need to look this
06:58way and like pose and, and, and your exterior matters more than your interior.
07:02And, and just taking that at face value and not challenging it for years.
07:08And then all of a sudden there was this massive shift where that's no longer, and I was like, wait,
07:12the rules are changing.
07:12How do I adapt?
07:13What does this mean?
07:14Um, but I think having more agency and being very, um, thoughtful and, and deliberate about what you say yes
07:25to and what you say no to.
07:27Absolutely.
07:27I mean, how did you find that in yourself?
07:30You know, when you, you said you, you, you kind of get to the point where you're like, I, I
07:35don't have to do things the way other people want me to do them.
07:38Yeah.
07:38But what did that look like when you, when you make those first like yeses or nos or, or decide
07:44to ask for something different?
07:46When there, when it comes up easily, I know it's right.
07:49Like for example, there was an email, cause I'm, I love, I love, I'm a pleaser.
07:53Sure.
07:54And so I often say yes.
07:55If my agent manager, anyone asks me something, I'm like, yes, I'll do that movie in Thailand for an event.
08:01So, but now I'm, if it's an immediate no, I just say, guys, that's, this isn't the right thing.
08:12Or the last time I, they wanted me to audition.
08:15Auditioning is very difficult now because you've got to light yourself, put yourself on tape.
08:21And then if you're a perfectionist, you go through like 30 different takes and then, and then they're like, mm,
08:26the lighting.
08:26And you're, I'm like, guys, I'm done.
08:28I'm not, I'm not doing this again.
08:29So it does, I feel like when you're a working actor, 80% of it is when you're not on
08:35set, but you're still working.
08:37Um, but saying no and choosing to, like I chose to put all my energy into the Bishop audition.
08:47Sure.
08:47Which meant watching little Marvin's shows, which meant researching Kat and what I thought she would be like.
08:55And then I went in the room and killed it because that's what I focused on.
08:59But it required being like, guys, I'm not reading for the other thing this week because I want to be
09:04laser focused.
09:05And so you just, whether that pisses people off, you just have to be able to trust yourself.
09:10Absolutely.
09:11I mean, tell me a little bit about Bishop.
09:13Um, because yes, you're going to be joining this new prime video series, playing a detective.
09:17Mm-hmm.
09:18What was it about the, the project, the role, the scripts?
09:21I mean, how much did you get to know before you did that audition?
09:24I read, I mean, something happened during that process that I've never, ever, ever experienced.
09:31Um, I had two scripts and the casting director, Felicia Fasano, got on the phone with me.
09:39And she was like, this is what it's going to be like in the room.
09:42This is what we're looking for.
09:43Sure.
09:44The, the, the show is like succession meets Sopranos meets billions.
09:50Like it's so, it's so good.
09:53Um, but having that insight going into the room really helped me.
09:58Um, and you don't, I was like, Felicia, she's like, I do this all the time.
10:02And I'm like, where have you been?
10:03It's like, I never get that.
10:05It's like getting a crib nose.
10:07Yeah.
10:07Well, what, what was it about that conversation that gave you, was it more confidence?
10:13Was it more clarity?
10:14It was clarity.
10:15Cause she said, here's what some people have been doing and that's not the direction.
10:21That's not what we're looking for.
10:23Cause I think a lot of the time when you're playing the female actresses assume, oh, I'm
10:29the romantic lead and therefore I need to play up the chemistry.
10:31And, and they're like, that is not what we want.
10:33We want, they, they are friends who happen to fill in the blank.
10:40Sure.
10:40It's not, but that's not, we need to work on her strength and her, um, agency and her,
10:48she gave me the best description was, um, Kat and Bishop's brains are just like constantly
10:53going and they're kind of too fast for everyone else.
10:57And I was like, oh, I love that.
10:58And that's something I can play with.
11:00Well, that's really interesting that you note that because yes, there's always kind of that
11:05expectation.
11:06I think as a woman going into one of these roles that, okay, well, a big part of it is,
11:10is
11:10how I'm going to be perceived by whatever man I'm related to in this scene.
11:16But that's something that's always kind of been unique about the Fast and Furious movies,
11:19for example, is that the women in these films are not just the girlfriend.
11:23They're not just the wife.
11:24You're not just the sister.
11:25No one's window dressing.
11:27Yeah.
11:28Either.
11:28How, how has that experience and, and kind of experiencing that over those 20 years kind
11:33of empowered you to go into other roles and know that, no, no, no, I'm not just the enemy.
11:40Yeah.
11:40I think that's always in the writing.
11:42So, cause I, I was on shows after Fast where I did feel like, or maybe like sometimes the
11:48pilot, the character's really fleshed out and then gradually she just gets whittled and
11:53whittled and whittled and then you're like, I'm so bored.
11:56Like it's because it is, if you're a smart, creative person, it's extremely difficult to
12:02just, it's just like coloring with, with three crayons instead of the whole box.
12:08Um, and it's also, I think very hard to be good when you're given very little.
12:14Um, so I'm very grateful that, that the female characters in Fast are strong and layered and,
12:23and yeah, we get to do a lot.
12:26So.
12:26Well, I know you like to do a lot in terms of the action in particular.
12:31Yeah.
12:31What is your favorite of the action scenes that you've filmed for that series?
12:35It's a tie between me with, with Brian and the first one where he's going to jump on and
12:43save Matt Scholes and, um, and then also the one in Puerto Rico where we jump off a building.
12:49That was really fun.
12:51Yeah.
12:52Yeah.
12:52I mean, it's pretty incredible to watch.
12:55I want to talk about that first scene, uh, first because we just saw that at the premiere.
12:59Um, but you guys were really driving at that time.
13:03I know.
13:04What did it take to pull something like that off?
13:06It, well, Paul, I could always rely on him because he knew his stuff.
13:11He loved driving.
13:12He was obsessed with cars and so he knew how to make things look really cool.
13:18Um, and it, I mean, it w it was more fun to shoot it all practically because you don't
13:23have to fake the adrenaline.
13:24You don't have to fake the, oh my gosh, what's going to happen?
13:27You know, it's very, there's something very inorganic about being in front of a green screen,
13:32having to like, okay, the mountain's this way.
13:34And like, it's, it's just, it's, it's kind of like cheating.
13:38Cause you're actually doing it.
13:39You're actually scared.
13:40And there's a level of precision that's required depending on where the, it's also really fun
13:45with the crew.
13:46Cause they're also like hanging off of stuff with the cameras and the stakes are higher.
13:51Now when you're, you know, like you said, jumping through, jumping across these buildings
13:55in Puerto Rico, basically part doing parkour.
13:58Did you know you could do parkour before you joined?
14:00I did not know I could do parkour.
14:02Um, and Justin didn't, didn't tell us, uh, what we were doing that day.
14:08He sort of snuck.
14:09I saw a, a harness in my trailer and I was like, guys, this is for someone else.
14:13Like, and they're like, no, no, no, it's for you.
14:14You're jumping today.
14:17And, and it, it was so fun though.
14:19Cause the adrenaline rush and the sense of accomplishment you have after is just so cool.
14:24What does that do for you as an actor?
14:26Um, I know you mentioned obviously, yes, it is more realistic.
14:29You are, are in it with the crew more, but as a performer, you know, getting to like fully embody,
14:36you know, Mia and, and add the layer to her that we didn't realize that, you know, she's this athletic.
14:42What is that?
14:42How does that?
14:44Um, yeah.
14:44It's, it, it, it puts you in your body, which I think is so cool.
14:48Cause I think a lot of the time, the most difficult thing for me as an actor is luckily I
14:53started on soaps.
14:54So I had like, I was really trained and getting used to having cameras there and, and hitting your mark
15:01and, but you're so in your head sometimes.
15:04And when you have a sequence to memorize that's a stunt sequence or you have a partner and you're sparring,
15:10it just, you get out of your head and in your body.
15:13And I think sometimes that can be the best thing for an actor.
15:15I want to go back to your training for a moment because you said on soaps, but also Yale as
15:21well.
15:22What was it that you picked up while you were kind of going through that, that retriculation process, if you
15:28will?
15:28What did I pick up?
15:30I think, ah, confidence.
15:34I think I was an 18 year old who had a lot of experience under my belt as far as,
15:40as work and traveling.
15:42But I, I, I, I'm a nerd.
15:44I really like books and I love reading and I love debates and I loved seminars where we're all around
15:51a table arguing with each other.
15:53And, and I realized recently that I'm the happiest when I'm juggling.
15:59Sure.
16:00So, and it's not just motherhood and, and, and acting.
16:03It's gotta be like an intellectual endeavor and also acting.
16:08So whether it's writing classes, acting classes, um, and also auditioning, it's like actors need something else to chew on
16:15or we go insane.
16:16Like I think young actors today need to have something else or you just feel like you're, there's all this
16:22like,
16:23creative stuff that's bottled up and you need to be able to let it out.
16:28Well, I mean, I, I really, I guess because in, in 2001 I wasn't thinking about it at the time.
16:33But the idea that you went back to Yale and finished your degree, you know, you were talking about people
16:41having expectations of what you do next and how you pose and do these things.
16:44That decision to do that, you know, after a movie like Fast and Furious, which was a, a pretty significant
16:50hit from the beginning.
16:52It wasn't like, oh, people found this movie 20 years later.
16:55What went into that, making that decision to, to finish?
16:58There was something that felt very safe about being on campus and, and, I mean, I, I knew about all,
17:07like, it was the era of like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tara Reid and, and all these, these movies and,
17:12and people's star just like rising.
17:14And I knew I wanted longevity, so I wasn't in a race.
17:20And, I don't know, there was, I, I just, I liked being amongst, you know, um, young people and, and
17:27I was also sort of eclipsed by, once Fast and Furious came out, I, I was more recognizable, but also
17:33Barbara Bush was there.
17:34And she was always like, she, like, she, like, security, security was always following her, so I was like, oh,
17:39thank God, like, everyone's paying attention to her.
17:41Yeah, you're very anonymous.
17:42Yeah, I'm like, nobody cares about me and my backpack and my Starbucks.
17:46But that's beautiful that you were thinking about longevity from the beginning.
17:50You know, what gave you, even just the, the confidence, the wherewithal to know that, you know, a lot of
17:56people would get very caught up in the, like, okay, I, I'm hot right now.
18:00Mm-hmm.
18:00I've got to strike while that iron is hot.
18:03But you had the patience.
18:05Where did you get that from?
18:06I think at 15, I was, I was like 15 going on 30.
18:11And then I was 22 going on, like, 35.
18:15And then now I've finally caught up to my age and sort of settled in.
18:21And I, I, I, somewhere I knew that that's what was going to happen.
18:26So I don't think I felt ready in my early 20s to, to take that on.
18:31When did you kind of feel ready?
18:33I know, I know we've finally fully stepped into our power, but at what point did you start to kind
18:38of build that confidence and feel more, you know, ready to, to, to inhabit the career?
18:43I think confidence is earned and requires taking risks.
18:48And at 40, the pandemic hit.
18:52I got a divorce.
18:53I took a huge leap and other stuff happened that just completely shifted my outlook.
19:03And I think it was at 40.
19:05Yeah.
19:06What was one of those things that you kind of made the decision for at that point?
19:11Whether that be career wise, how you wanted to navigate doing other things?
19:19This is, so this is embarrassing.
19:22But I think when you're in LA and you're faced with billboards at every corner and you're constantly going to,
19:29instead of reading the New York Times or LA Times, you're on a deadline.
19:32Sure.
19:33And you're like, okay, like what's out there?
19:35And, and, or like I'd go on IMDB and check my ranking and freak out.
19:38I mean, it's so embarrassing because it's so ego driven and it's so narcissistic.
19:42So part of, of, of having a more healthy mentality was getting out of LA and moved to Santa Barbara.
19:49It's much more like neighborhood-y and, and, and relaxed and people do all kinds of different things.
19:57And so I think that gave me perspective and it also made me appreciate when I get on a set
20:03again or when I'm at a festival, like it's a novelty instead of being this grind, which it shouldn't be.
20:09It's true.
20:10It is very easy to kind of just get focused on the product and what are you're doing next.
20:15And that's what everyone's asking you when you go out to dinner or party or any of those things.
20:19But in your case, for the most part, you are kind of always doing something and, and there is always
20:24something next.
20:26Obviously there will be another Fast and Furious movie.
20:29When you look at, you know, that trajectory from 25 years ago to now, what is it that you're most
20:35proud of about those films?
20:36I'm, I mean, yesterday for, it's always fun to hang out with my cast mates and I love it, but
20:44there was this ease and lightness where we were all making fun of each other.
20:51And, and the, I just realized like the woman who does publicity has done publicity for the last 25 years.
21:00And there's just this shared history, which can't be replaced.
21:05And so I'm really proud of that.
21:08I'm really, I'm so proud of Meadow.
21:11Like she's this exquisite woman who is so self-assured and has so much grace.
21:17And, and I'm really, really proud of how she's carrying on Paul's legacy as well.
21:23And let's talk about Meadow for a moment.
21:26That idea of, yes, she's carrying on Paul's legacy, both just as a person, but also with the Paul Walker
21:31Foundation.
21:32You've been obviously a big supporter and, and getting the word out.
21:35There's, there's a chance that, you know, someone can win the super right now.
21:39Yeah.
21:40What is it like to, to see her grow up and, and to be a part of, of that kind
21:47of really bringing that family beyond the screen?
21:50Mm-hmm.
21:50I, I feel like she's, she spearheads the Paul Walker Foundation and she's very into marine biology as Paul was.
21:59And so, again, I'm just really proud.
22:03And, and I love doing like, we'll do local beach cleanups.
22:06We'll, cause, cause what was so unique about Paul was he didn't do stuff to then take credit.
22:14He would do things that were very small, like, oh, there's a couple and I'm going to buy their engagement
22:17ring.
22:18And, and the random acts of kindness and the small acts of kindness sprinkled around is, is something I, I
22:26try to perpetuate as well.
22:28And I know Meadow does.
22:29Absolutely.
22:30I wanted to ask you, I wanted to ask you a little bit more, not about, you know, the movie
22:39that's coming or the fact that, that, that there are so many.
22:43But I did want to ask you about the broadening of the family.
22:47Um, there are so many incredible in particular female characters that have come into and out of the Fast franchise.
22:55What do you think it is about this franchise that has attracted so many of them?
23:00You talk about Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren and, and Gal Gadot and Natalie, of course.
23:06Oh, I love Natalie.
23:07Natalie's so awesome.
23:08What has it been like also just to be able to be around so many women on screen?
23:13It's, I think again, because I straddled like the nineties and then early two thousands.
23:17I think women were, were sort of put up against each other and we were seen as, as like competition.
23:26And being in a Fast franchise, it's like all of us have a very unique lane.
23:31All of us are there to do our thing.
23:32And it's not about one upping each other.
23:35It's like we all, it's like a rising tide raises all ships.
23:38So that's been a really cool experience.
23:41I've always, I have to continue to ask.
23:44And we've always been wanting that, that all female.
23:47I know.
23:47Fast movie, fast, fast TV show.
23:50Now that Vin has announced that you guys are going to develop into a television for Peacock.
23:54What do we have to do to make this happen?
23:56I don't know.
23:57If you let me know.
23:59Cause I also think we could do a female spinoff for not that big a budget.
24:03Sure.
24:03It could be down and dirty and fun.
24:06And I mean, I, I think it would be great.
24:08What would you like to do?
24:10And honestly, as we head to the final one, what would you like to see for Mia?
24:15In the final one?
24:16Sure.
24:16In the final one, I'd like to hark back to the first one where there's, there's a level
24:23of, I think Mia gradually became more and more passive and that, that was for many different
24:29reasons, but I'd like her to drive her story rather than react to everything that's going
24:35on around her.
24:35That'd be my biggest wish.
24:37So agency.
24:37Yeah.
24:38What does that look like in, in the sense of, you know, you talk about agency, you talk
24:42about, I think we've, we've said grit.
24:44Yeah.
24:44The grit that she had in the first one.
24:47What, what exactly?
24:49What?
24:49I mean, it needs to be in the writing.
24:51So I think in five, she's, she's pregnant.
24:56Um, she's helping them figure out what's next.
24:59She's jumping off of buildings.
25:02She's, uh, leading the guys as their, is that the one where they're pulling a safe through
25:06the streets of Rio?
25:07I think it is.
25:08Indeed.
25:09It is.
25:09So I'm navigating all of that.
25:11So it's, it's literally being a part of the action and not just being, not just standing
25:17by.
25:18Yeah.
25:18I actually remember watching five and that realization that you're like, I'm sorry, you're
25:22parkouring while pregnant.
25:24But it is pretty amazing because it does kind of lead to just the power of women and the
25:32power of the idea that she can still do everything while preparing to add to the family.
25:39I mean, that's, that's sort of, I think you've described Mia as the, the moral compass of
25:44the films.
25:45What is it about that?
25:46That is also very empowering.
25:48I think there's something about, it's so funny because yesterday when Michelle and I
25:52were, were talking, she's like, she kind of started saying I was square and she's like,
25:58Mia's the good girl.
25:59And I was like, like, how dare you?
26:01Cause I kind of think we've swapped roles now where she's the more mellow one and I'm
26:06the one getting tattoos and, and coming into my own.
26:10Um, but I think it's less about her being the goody goody and more about her just being
26:16solid.
26:17Sure.
26:18Um, so it's calling people on their stuff basically is what Mia does.
26:25What is it like to have that relationship with Michelle in particular where you, like
26:30you said, you've seen each other grow over this time and you've both on camera and off
26:37camera to, to kind of have that person that knows you way back when, how does that, I don't
26:43want to say confidence again, but truly how, how does that having someone have that deep
26:49knowing of you just, just add like that extra layer?
26:54It's amazing.
26:55Cause we all have each other's back.
26:57Like during the pandemic, Michelle came over and I remember sitting outside.
27:01Cause of course we had to like socially distance and like just talking about, okay, well, what
27:04does this mean?
27:05Like, where are you going to stay?
27:07Like we, we wanted to make sure we were all okay.
27:10So whether it's that, whether it's, you know, checking in with her before she arrives here,
27:16whether it's like, we're just very protective and thoughtful, um, of each other.
27:21And it's also like, Hey, how are they writing for Leti and Mia this time?
27:24Like, let's, let's say something.
27:27I think that's very, very important to protect our characters.
27:30Absolutely.
27:31Because that is what is unique as, as you were just saying back in the day, it was really
27:35more about having two characters pitted against each other, but those two characters on screen
27:40and in particular have always been sisters.
27:42They've always had each other's backs.
27:45You know, they've always perpetuated that type of energy.
27:49Yeah.
27:49Um, so yeah, what is it when you, when I'm sure when audiences and fans come up to talk to
27:54you about Mia or about Mia and Leti, what is it that they say about those characters?
27:59Well, my, my favorite is like, I named my daughter Mia.
28:03Um, I just, I love that I was part of someone's childhood and part of growing up and hopefully
28:09Mia was a good example.
28:10I think she is.
28:11I think she's a pretty solid, solid character.
28:13She's a great example.
28:14She's also a great example of how to be a wheel man.
28:16You know, she's totally, totally.
28:18She just gets us all into, you know, our high speed, uh, our high speed mode.
28:23Yes.
28:24But she keeps it like under wraps.
28:25That's why I loved the, the scene in Cha Cha Cha where I'm with Paul and then all of a
28:28sudden
28:29I'm like, you know, pulling wheelies in a, in a car.
28:32Like I don't flaunt it, but it's there.
28:34Yeah.
28:36Because if it, well, I mean, if you got it flaunt it, but you also can keep it under wraps.
28:40Yes.
28:41I mean, that is, that is something that is very unique about this character too, is the idea.
28:46And I think I spoke to this a little bit earlier is the layers to her.
28:50What is there a side of her you haven't gotten to explore yet that you would like to?
28:54Yeah.
28:55I'd like, I mean, I don't know what the spinoffs look like, but I'd love to see, there's something
29:00so hard about parenting boys and she's got, oh no, she's got a boy and a girl.
29:05Boy and a girl, but that's okay.
29:06I would like to see the way she handles that because I think especially with all this gentle
29:11parenting and, and very, I just would like to watch Mia like lose her stuff on her boys
29:17and just be like a really like sort of hardcore strict mom dealing with teenagers.
29:24I think that'd be really fun.
29:26It really is bringing it all full circle.
29:28You get to that.
29:29It is.
29:29I do love the idea though.
29:31I think I may have read somewhere that you technically like named the daughter.
29:38Yes.
29:39Because with the bracelets that you were wearing in the, in the last film.
29:43I did.
29:44I don't remember her name though.
29:45I think it's Olivia.
29:46Oh yeah.
29:47I love the name Olivia.
29:48I really, I never had girls.
29:50So I, yeah, I did.
29:52The reason why I ask about, you know, it's such a little detail like that is because when
29:56you talk about agency and when you talk about, you know, coming into your own, building a
30:01character, you know, this is an opportunity for you all to kind of flesh out the world
30:05in whatever way that you want.
30:07What is it like to be able to have that experience of, you know, being able to call, you know,
30:11the, the filmmakers or being able to call Vin and make suggestions for what you want?
30:16I think it's, well, she's yours, right?
30:18Like she's my, Mia's mine, um, Kat's mine for, for Bishop.
30:23So even now I'm doing the, like Miley Cyrus, when she went to the Gucci show, I think her
30:30Christian Dior show.
30:31I think it was Gucci.
30:32She, her haircut and her style.
30:34I'm like, that's Kat.
30:35And so then I send that to the head of the, you know, the hair department and then we're
30:39going to give me like some sort of faux mullet.
30:41And I just like, you need to, you need to use all the tools in your bag to, to create
30:46something.
30:47So it's, it's, it's really gratifying to be able to be a part of the vision and not to just
30:52be told there's your wardrobe.
30:54Sure.
30:54Like hit your mark.
30:56Well, how did you get to the point where you got comfortable really pushing for your
31:01vision?
31:02Because as an actor from the beginning, of course, you know, you make suggestions, you
31:05make character choices, but you go from, you know, being a young actor, perhaps being
31:10a little, not as vocal to now being where you are now.
31:14Yeah.
31:15I think initially you feel like, oh my gosh, if I speak up, I'm going to get in trouble
31:18or truthfully, sometimes there's no there there.
31:22Like sometimes you're, you're the girlfriend and you're like, I don't know, not with fast,
31:26but like with other stuff, you're just like, I'm helping drive the plot or I'm helping the
31:31male characters.
31:32So I think the input and the getting excited and the creative spark comes from good writing
31:37and multi-layered characters.
31:40And then you just, that, that's what, and I think those characters come later on in life.
31:46Sure.
31:46They really do.
31:48Well, they do, but it is almost, it's interesting because I imagine in the 90s and 2000s, when
31:56you were thinking about your career, did you always know that those characters were going
32:00to come later on in life?
32:01Or I think it was something my agent told me because I think I was always somewhere in
32:06the middle.
32:07I wasn't, I wasn't the like airhead pretty girl.
32:11I wasn't the, you know, comedic relief.
32:16I, and, and so I, I had trouble sometimes navigating that.
32:22And I don't know, there's something about me where I'm an old soul.
32:25So I think they were just like, just wait till your forties or late thirties.
32:28And I was patient and, and did.
32:31Was it easy to be patient?
32:33It's no, I think the hardest time in my life was my twenties when I didn't have Yale.
32:40Cause I really liked juggling.
32:43Yeah.
32:43Like I just think, I think school keeps you sane when you're in an insane industry, you
32:49need something else to chew on or you go insane.
32:52Um, so my twenties when I just felt like I was free falling waiting for auditions and
32:58I didn't believe that I could create my own stuff.
33:01Then I didn't have the, the confidence to do that.
33:04So, so that was, that was a big challenge.
33:07And then when did that turn?
33:10It turned honestly at, at 40, I started like, I interview authors for UCSB.
33:17Sure.
33:17I interview, um, authors at, at this local bookstore, Godmothers.
33:21I love like diving in and, and taking notes and then, or optioning books and then adapting
33:29them and then pitching them.
33:30It's such a different muscle, but it's a muscle.
33:32I'm so, um, dying to work out because it's been there all along.
33:37So, so I love this new iteration of my career.
33:41Cause as I'm on the Bishop set, I'm also going to be working on, you know, the pitch for a
33:45dead friend project or the script I'm working on or, um, trying to find the right director.
33:50And, and, and that's so fun.
33:52And I'm kind of bummed I didn't get to it earlier cause it's, it's the best.
33:55Well, you kind of have to build to it.
33:57Like you said, there actually is a lot of wisdom in not quite knowing what you're doing
34:03and having to kind of figure it out until you do, until you have like kind of peeled
34:08away all of those other things that aren't really, you know, serving you as well.
34:12Totally.
34:13To narrow in on the thing you love.
34:14Totally.
34:15You mentioned a script.
34:16Yeah.
34:16So you're writing now as well.
34:17I'm writing.
34:18Yeah.
34:18What is that experience like?
34:20Well, I was an English major at school.
34:22I love reading.
34:23I love, but then all of a sudden I, I, I became obsessed with like Rachel Cusk and,
34:28and Heidi Julevitz and Miranda July.
34:31And it's all about women having children, the changes we go through.
34:38And I was like, I, I haven't, I mean, this year was pretty incredible with, with Night Bitch.
34:44Sure.
34:44And with If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
34:46I love that movie so much.
34:48Um, but exploring that darkness that comes, that comes in.
34:54And, and I find it very difficult to, to write in script form because it's super limiting.
34:59Like I love just free flowing essays and articles and, um, but it's been really fun to train myself
35:06to, um, to learn the form.
35:09Sure.
35:10Yeah.
35:10What did that look like?
35:11Were you just, you in front of a final draft?
35:13No, it looks like, I love these notebooks.
35:16They're, this is so nerdy, black, black wing notebooks.
35:19Have you felt black wing notebooks?
35:21No, I haven't.
35:22They're like these, they're these gorgeous notebooks.
35:25And I have, I'm a bit ADD.
35:26So I've got like 12 different notebooks all over the place.
35:29And then I'll just write, write, write.
35:31And then I'll grab the notebooks and then transfer them onto like Microsoft or something.
35:37And then I got final draft and then I had to learn final draft.
35:41Um, but final drafts like the last step for me.
35:45Sure.
35:45Sure.
35:45So you have it, you have a screenplay now, you're, you're starting to kind of go into that process.
35:51What is, what is it like to step into those rooms or have we gotten that far yet?
35:55I have.
35:56Yeah.
35:56I've gotten as far as, as speaking to, I mean, it's, it's set in Brazil and it's somewhat biographical.
36:05So I realized after writing it in English that, uh oh, it's gotta be in Portuguese.
36:10So don't worry the translation base.
36:12That'll come next.
36:13But, but yeah, it's, it's really cool to see.
36:16Cause it's one thing to hear someone say like, oh, you know, I'm such a fan or, oh,
36:20I loved your performance in, but for some reason when someone says, oh, that hit or,
36:25oh, I saw, I remembered so much of, of that period in my life and that really resonated.
36:31And to write something truthful is, and by truthful, I mean like, I think there's the
36:39more specific you get, the more universal.
36:41Of course.
36:42It gets.
36:42And the more people respond to it because, you know, we all have the same themes running
36:47through our lives.
36:48So that's the biggest compliment to me when it resonates with someone.
36:51Of course.
36:51Is there a different sense of, like we said, power and, and also agency in coming in with
36:59the idea you're, you're pitching that to the studios or the producers or the whoever, what
37:04is it like to step into that onto that side of the production process?
37:08It's, it's really, I'm still getting used to, cause you, I, I'm, I'm used to the nose
37:14with acting cause it's like, whatever, they want a different look or whatever they want.
37:17So I, I'm, I'm learning these rules and it's very different, but I would say that pitching
37:24and, and creating, um, uh, a pitch or a document where you're talking about a show is, is, it's
37:32empowering.
37:32And even if it's a no, it's like, Oh, it's okay.
37:34We're going to go to 50 more places.
37:35So I think that's, that's a big thing about this, this career is you have to be able to
37:40just shrug off the nose.
37:42I give it 24 hours.
37:44I'm pissed for 24 hours.
37:45Sure.
37:45And then like the next day I'm like, okay, let's move on.
37:49But it's really unique to just making that pivot from in front of the camera to behind
37:54the camera in this way.
37:55Do you, do you want to, you know, branch that out into directing as well, or?
37:58I have so much respect for Maggie Gyllenhaal and Olivia Wilde.
38:02And I think it's incredible, um, that they've been able to do that.
38:06I love writing.
38:06I do not think I could handle a set because I'm the actress that like I'm out there, but
38:12then I like go hide in my trailer and I need, um, it's just from being an introvert.
38:17So I cannot imagine having to manage everyone.
38:19Sure.
38:20Um, my boys are enough.
38:22Exactly.
38:23And that's sort of the, the interiority that you need sometimes in writing.
38:26Yeah.
38:27So that lends itself very well.
38:29Yeah.
38:29It's like I'm in a room by myself with my dogs and then I put it out there.
38:32And, but, but yeah, I like that interiority.
38:35I, yeah.
38:36Do you have any people that you, you know, show your scripts to?
38:41How many people have you let in on this side?
38:43I'm actually, well, I, I love Frankie Shaw.
38:46Sure.
38:46Frankie Shaw started a show called Smilf and I think she's brilliant.
38:49And again, that voice of, of femininity, femininity and womanhood, not as pure, but like multi-layered.
38:58Like it's, that show gets so dark.
38:59Pamela Adlon's another, another woman I think is genius.
39:03So I asked Frankie, I was mentored by Frankie for a while.
39:07And now I'm working with, um, Molly Rosen who has the Brooklyn Writers Collective.
39:11And sometimes it's a zoom with like 10 women and you hear their stuff.
39:15And sometimes I work with her one-on-one and it's really fun to bounce ideas off of each other.
39:19Well, what is it like to have that, that I, that, you know, that mentorship, yes, by specific women.
39:25But you were just saying when you're in a room, even if it's a zoom room of 10 women, getting
39:31a chance to share all of your different stories, share all the different layers.
39:35You know, how does that even feel different than what you mentioned earlier with the women pitted against each other?
39:40How, how have we grown into that?
39:42I think what's so cool about that is like you get the zoom grid and you see all these people.
39:46And, and then you immediately, just cause we're human, you make judgments about these people, right?
39:51Sure, sure.
39:51And then, or I'm like, sometimes I low key Google them.
39:54And I'm like, oh, that chick, okay.
39:57Um, but, gosh, that revealed too much.
40:00But, but then you hear their pieces and you're like, oh my God, the discrepancy between what I assumed versus
40:07what's actually going on.
40:08And, and, and you steal tricks from them too.
40:11Like the ability to go really deep or the ability to, to sometimes thematically we're on the same page and
40:17sometimes like it's just all over the place, but it's really fun to hear other people's stories and to sometimes
40:24give feedback.
40:24And it also speaks to the opportunity, the, you know, the actual ways in which, or actually I should ask
40:31you this, I shouldn't assume.
40:32Um, how have you seen the opportunity for women's stories changing both in terms of getting us, being able to
40:40write them, direct them, produce them?
40:42Um, but, but even in the, the layers of scripts that you receive.
40:46Mm-hmm.
40:47Um, I mean, I think, I think if there's a script where the woman is, where the woman could be
40:55a guy and it's, there's, there's, there, there's no there, there, that's torture.
41:02It really is.
41:03Like you want, you want characters that are multi-layered.
41:07You want, and, and I mean, I, Catherine Reitman lives in, in Santa Barbara and I love her.
41:12I loved her show, Working Moms.
41:13Sure, sure.
41:13And she's, she's, she's so hilarious.
41:17And sometimes I'll just be like, Catherine, like back in, six months ago when things were a little slow, I
41:21was like, let's just go and create something, Catherine.
41:24And, um, I think, I think having a sisterhood and having everyone sort of, I mean, it's, it's almost like
41:32having a little think tank where you just, I think finding your people, finding your girls and, and whether it
41:38happens or not, like even with Angela Robinson who directed Debs, recently we were like, oh, we had a really
41:44cool idea.
41:45And then for, you know, we were going to do this thing and then it fell apart, but just having
41:49that creative juice flowing, I think leads to other things.
41:53Like I'm a very type A person, but I, it took me a long time to realize it's not linear.
41:59Sure.
41:59Like sometimes thinking about, I was thinking about verticals and then I explored it and then I was like, no,
42:04no, no, it's not so much for me.
42:05So, but then it led, and then I was deep into writing and then all of a sudden I get
42:09Bishop.
42:10So it's like, these all build on each other and it's not like we're going to get from point A
42:14to B to C, like you just have to be in it.
42:17It's true.
42:18I mean, this is kind of the most circuitous type of industry and career, but it does, you know, eventually
42:25lead somewhere.
42:27And that idea of, you know, I would love to just ask about that, that girl 25 years ago who,
42:34who put herself on tape to start this franchise.
42:37What is it that you would tell her about the journey that she had ahead?
42:41Oh my gosh.
42:42I would say like, she would never listen because I think she needed her, her like protection back then, her
42:50armor.
42:51But I would say like, chill, like just relax, like and enjoy it a little bit more.
42:56And that's what I tried to do two nights ago.
42:58And I did.
42:59I stayed up till five, but that's what I would say.
43:03Well, it helps a little when the movie goes until like 2.30.
43:06I know it does.
43:07It does.
43:08But then then yesterday was like, well, that's not how you get to Yale.
43:10And I was like, I know, but I could have just been a little more because they were all like
43:14having fun.
43:14And I'd be in my room like going to bed at 10 because I had to wake up at five
43:18and work out.
43:19And so relax is what I'd tell my 20 year old self.
43:23Just like a brother to tease you about being.
43:26I know.
43:27About not going out.
43:28I know.
43:29He's like, you can't come out with the boys.
43:31I would have liked to.
43:32I will ask one question about the boy.
43:34Yeah.
43:35You know, in having Vin Diesel as your brother on screen and in this career, what is something that you've
43:40learned from working alongside him?
43:42He has an incredible ability to manifest.
43:48So he will say one thing years earlier and then you slow.
43:55It's it's it's crazy.
43:57It just comes into fruition.
43:58And I do think he he's very creative, but he's also very strategic and he's incredibly protective of the franchise.
44:08And I think his patience and foresight allow it to exist to this day.
44:18All right.
44:18Well, then what are we manifesting for you?
44:20What is that next?
44:22Do you know what's crazy?
44:23I do love manifestation and so does a little Marvin.
44:27And as I was packing up my stuff to go to Montreal because that's where we're shooting.
44:31I saw like stuff about my boys.
44:34And then I literally was like four to six months working on a really well written television show.
44:40And I was like, bam.
44:42So I got that.
44:43So I hope Kat gets to flourish and I hope her character expands instead of I'm not going to let
44:50her shrink.
44:52What about after Bishop?
44:53What is the next thing?
44:54After Bishop?
44:56Well, hopefully the thing I'm I'm right.
44:58What I would my ideal would be to find a female director who I can sort of be alongside and
45:05I wouldn't be annoying.
45:07I'd want to learn from her, but I'd also like it's so in my head that I need to be
45:11there.
45:12Yeah.
45:12So to find that and to film that and I'd love to collaborate.
45:19You know what else?
45:20I'd love to work with Emerald Fennell in any way possible.
45:23Sure.
45:23She is brilliant.
45:24And I love British humor.
45:26Like that's my jam.
45:28So, yeah.
45:29And I love London, so.
45:30Listen, I'm into that.
45:31Getting really specific.
45:33You want to act for Emerald and we're going to find someone else to direct your film.
45:36I want to act for Emerald, yeah.
45:37Okay.
45:38All right.
45:38I mean, listen, we've now put it out there on variety.com.
45:41Yeah.
45:41So I feel like that's the best way to make the film.
45:44Totally.
45:46Well, and then at some point you have to make time to go back to LA, finish the Fast franchise.
45:51Yes.
45:51What will be the most emotional thing about saying goodbye to Mia?
45:56Oh, man.
45:57I think if it's goodbye, I think it's the nights like we had two days ago.
46:02I think it's the check-ins with each other where there's this, like talking to Donna Langley
46:10at 3 o'clock in the morning.
46:11Sure.
46:12Jamming with Michelle and Vin and having this, like I don't want that to go away.
46:18So that'll be, if it truly ends, it'll be really sad.
46:22But then we've got the roller coaster.
46:24You know, we've got the, which I won't ride.
46:26Whenever you miss the role, you can go on the roller coaster.
46:28I can go on the roller coaster.
46:30I mean, I think there are different iterations.
46:31I think the franchise itself will always exist in some way.
46:36Yeah.
46:36The legacy will always live on as your legacy will always live on.
46:40Thank you so much.
46:42For unpacking the role, for discussing what's next in the future.
46:47Yeah.
46:47And yes, for being a part of Caring Women in Motion.
46:50Thank you so much.
46:51And thank you all so much.
46:53For sitting through.
46:54Enjoy the rest of the program and rest of your festival.
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