Eliza, when did you first start to think about making this remarkable film?
Eliza Hittman: I first began thinking about this film in 2012. I read a newspaper article that was all about the death of Savita Halappanavar, this woman in Ireland who died after being denied a life-saving abortion.
Josephine, can you speak a bit about that rehearsal process?
When I was going into it, I thought we needed three weeks of rehearsal. Of course, we had like a day and a half!
How did you decide that co-directing this film was the best approach?
James Lebrecht: I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with Nicole on three of her films in the past, and we became friends over the years. I just loved her work!
How did you decide what to include and how to show how the puzzle pieces fit together?
That was the main question in the beginning, because it is so overwhelming. It’s likely there are at least 500 survivors of Nassar alone.
There is a scene with an East Timorese woman, a non-actor named Senhorinha Gama Da Costa Lobo, that is completely amazing. Wagner, can you talk about that scene, and about casting that role?
Wagner Moura: I think that’s my favorite scene in the film. That was the most difficult casting we did.