You mentioned the first act was the hardest to edit. Can you expand on that?
Christopher McQuarrie: Every time we finish one of these movies, we’re at the premiere and in that moment where the film ends but right before the credits start, Tom will lean over and say, “we could do better.” We came away from Dead Reckoning knowing not only that we could do it, but we had to do it.
Laura, let’s start with the title. I had to laugh—Jane Austen doesn’t wreck anyone’s life… or does she?
Laura Piani: It all started years ago, when I worked night shifts at Shakespeare and Company in Paris.
Can you talk about coming across this book and deciding to make it into a film?
Daniel Minahan: My producer Peter Spears and I were looking for material to make a feature together and I knew that I wanted to make a love story. We were passing books back and forth and Shannon Pufahl’s novel came to both of us at the same time, coincidentally. I started reading it and I was about halfway through when I realized that I felt really excited by this story.
When did you decide to make this project together?
Ariella Mastroianni: Well, Ryan and I, we grew up together. We’ve known each other since high school, and we immediately bonded over films.
This is a movie that shows real love for the Bay Area. Where did the story come from?
Ryan Fleck: Well, it starts with that Too $hort song, this really nasty song called Freaky Tales that I heard way too young, maybe nine or ten. I grew up with hippie parents. We had Beatles records and Janis Joplin and then my friends played me Freaky Tales and I was like, What is going on?!