00:00The first time she pitched the movie to me, she was like,
00:02it's like training day for high school.
00:03I was really nervous about coming because I was like,
00:05just going to be gushing at you about how much I
00:07adored the film.
00:08Did you feel that excitement while you were making it?
00:11Yes.
00:12So much excitement when we were making the movie,
00:15I think that we had so much fun during the making of this movie.
00:20Like a silly amount of fun.
00:20Yeah, it was stupid how much fun we were having.
00:22I feel like I've been waiting for a film like this forever.
00:25Like, you know when you see something, you're kind of like,
00:27God, that's what's been missing.
00:28Yes.
00:28And how long has this been like in your mind?
00:31I read an original version of this script a couple years ago,
00:34now about three years ago.
00:35And it was very different from what the film became.
00:38But the kernel of the idea was there about two women who are
00:42unapologetically brilliant and so in love with each other.
00:46And I thought, yes, I want to watch a movie about female best
00:49friends in high school because that was so essential to me and
00:51indeed still is essential to my life.
00:53I want to celebrate what happens when women are together,
00:57having each other's backs, going through adventures together.
01:00And are smart without trying to assimilate.
01:03You know, it's not one of those teen movies where they go
01:05through a makeover and then they kind of transform and
01:08suddenly they're accepted by their peers.
01:10It's sort of the inverse of that.
01:11They learn to accept their peers.
01:13How does it like kind of measure up to your experiences of
01:15being young and stressed and confused?
01:17Yeah, I think those anxieties and that nervousness and those,
01:22Olivia always talked about the stakes of high school.
01:25I think that it's such a time in your life when you feel like
01:27every decision is so meaningful and it is.
01:31And it's not, she never wanted to make a film that was looking
01:34down on that or belittling that.
01:36She wanted to make a film that was really showcasing that for
01:40all that it is and how impactful that time in your life is and how
01:44every decision feels like life or death.
01:46In real life, there are no bad guys.
01:48It's all about people going through their own individual struggles.
01:52Everyone is complex.
01:53Everyone has this nuanced array of experiences that have made them who they are.
01:57And indeed, people are dealing with stuff all day like we don't even know.
02:01And yet we tend to personalize everything someone does and make
02:05judgments about them and put them into categories.
02:07And that starts in adolescence.
02:09And unfortunately, it continues through adulthood.
02:12And hopefully, we get to a point where we realize, actually, everyone's good.
02:15And we're all just trying to make it.
02:17We're just trying to get by.
02:19And I wanted to tell a story about young people acknowledging that that
02:23kind of emotional evolution, if we were to go through it earlier,
02:26could actually allow for a much happier existence.
02:29But one of the most impactful scenes for me, I think, with your friendship was
02:33the argument at the party and the way he was screaming at each other.
02:37And that took me back to many a similar argument with my friends.
02:40But what was that like to them?
02:42Well, I mean, we both knew that that kind of fight with your best friend is
02:46almost worse than a fight in a romantic relationship.
02:50It is so heartbreaking and it crushes you.
02:55And these two girls love each other with every fiber of their being.
02:59And they've never fought before.
03:00Yeah.
03:01And so we had rehearsed every scene in the movie.
03:05But we didn't want to rehearse this scene because we wanted it to be fresh on the day.
03:12And so Olivia came to us and said, I would love to do it all in one shot.
03:19But if that's OK with you.
03:22But if not, we can go into coverage and it'll be great.
03:24And Beanie and I were like, we're going to do it.
03:26We got it.
03:26We got it.
03:27Yeah.
03:27And the ability to argue with your friend is actually a sign of your deep love for each
03:31other.
03:31And the ability to make it through there and be honest with each other is what will
03:34actually allow for a deeper friendship.
03:36But because Beanie and Caitlin are such professional, talented actors, I was able to do that in one
03:42shot, which I didn't, that was my dream.
03:45But I didn't know if it was possible.
03:46And the camera's just lingering between them so that you can see them listening as well as
03:50talking, which I often feel like in argument scenes, we don't ever get to see the person
03:54just listening, which is kind of compelling.
03:58And I just, I'm so proud of them because they are so talented.
04:03Do you have a most fun memory of shooting?
04:08There's so many.
04:09I mean, getting, for the both of us getting to meet Lisa Kudrow was pretty.
04:14Queen.
04:15Was pretty.
04:16Straight up queen.
04:18It was insane.
04:19It was insane for us.
04:20Yeah.
04:20We had so little time to do this.
04:22And we were just a group of people who were so excited to tell the story.
04:27And every scene felt like this huge triumph and it was just a dream come true.
