Sophie, let’s start with the genesis: how did this project begin?
Sophie Brooks: It really does feel like a miracle when an indie gets made. We almost made this movie in 2020 and thought, “this is easy,” but it ended up taking another four and a half years.
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.
When you were first pitched this story, what really clicked for you? Was there a moment or scene that really convinced you that you wanted to make this?
Peter Cattaneo: Well, it’s based on a memoir, and I think what felt really exciting was that you would never dream up this set of facts.
It’s so unusual these days to have a comedy made by adults, for adults, in theaters! Tell us about when you first encountered the script, and how the movie evolved.
Olivia Wilde: It’s Sentimental in Spain, released here as The People Upstairs, and it’s based on a play written and directed by the same person.
A lot of people have talked about the content of this film being edgy and subversive, but it’s actually a pretty sweet story about self-acceptance. Can you talk diving into that idea?
Halina Reijn: For me, that’s core of the film. There was a question that I wanted to ask myself. Is it possible to love all the different parts of yourself?
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.
Congratulations on this incredible film. I want to start with your producer credit. What does that role mean to you?
Celine Song: Being a producer can mean a lot of things. Sometimes it’s financial, but for me, it meant being in the creative trenches—casting, budgeting, locations, all of it.
Albrecht, you said rehearsal was the most challenging of your career. Why?
Albrecht Schuch: It was, without question, the hardest preparation I’ve ever faced. At first, I couldn’t find the center of the character. He felt like someone without emotions, almost as if he were absent from his own life.
For over 50 years, motion picture exhibitors have been battling television executives for the attention (and dollars) of the public.
A select group of knowledgeable film enthusiasts and professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students, the National Board of Review viewed over 250 films in 2009 including studio, independent, foreign-language, animated and documentary selections. These screenings were frequently followed by in-depth discussions with filmmakers, directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters. Voting ballots were tabulated by the accounting […]