"Maggie Gyllenhaal"

- Okay, real quick on the social media thing, guys. Every week, every week, you also want to post it. You just hit accept. Cool, we're gonna send it to you. Not the email anymore.

- Right.

“- And if you want to post it, you just hit accept.”

- Yeah. - And then it's just gonna post right there. - Right. - And then is everybody like that? - Incredible.

- You're cool with that, J.B. - Yeah, it sounds really fun. - Can we get to an old loose one, let's do it? - Yeah, it's smart. (upbeat music)

- So that's very nice. - That's a talent. - It's really, has it been, how many performances have you had since we saw you? - Three, three more than when you saw.

But the, um, by the way, I have to say this. - Okay, go ahead.

- First of all, we were the fact that, you guys are great.

The fact that you guys came out, you flew out just to see the show. - Sure. - Ment the world to me. I love you guys, you are my family. - We are new.

- And I love you too. And it just was a huge deal to me that you guys did that. So thank you very much. - Really? - I mean, thank you.

Well, was it not, 'cause, you know, we were, some people in the group had to evacuate their bowels before the start of the show. And so they want to release the restroom there. And so, what up there is you mean?

- Oh yeah. - And so we're sitting there in the little place. - Actually, they're about to say they wanted to use the restroom. - They wanted to make a good place.

And so we're sitting there waiting for the people with the week bladder and outwalked shun

“to talk to, I think, the director or something.”

- Yeah, yeah. - And you ran right into us, and I saw in your face, like, oh, you saw someone before the show, kind of like a marriage. - That's right.

- That's right. - And so did we screw things up? - No, not at all. - No, not at all. - Rather, not have people that you know in the audience.

- No, no, I love it. - No, you knew we were all of you. - I knew, I knew, I knew I was there, yeah. But I didn't, yeah, I would have, it was no big deal 'cause I saw you and I wanted to talk to all of you,

obviously, because I hadn't seen you in so long. But then I was like, oh, you know what?

Let's just leave the facade up for a second

and then I'll talk to them after. Now, when you look out into the audience, what you do a lot, because listener, it is a one-man show and he is telling the audience a story. Can you not see any of our faces?

- Can't see anybody. I love it. - Yeah, because if I did, it make me nervous, but the lights are so bright, you can't see a foot front of me. - 'Cause you were looking right at me

for a lot of the show, and I thought, really? Make sure you don't make any funny faces. You're thrown off, 'cause I don't want you looking if I didn't get along. - I mean, I gotta say that.

It's classic, you think you thought he was looking at me. - Right, no, they're looking right at me. You chose me to look at. (laughing) - No, yeah, no, I was kidding, anybody.

- Well, Jason, if you hear a song on New Song of the Radio, are you thinking like, how do they, how do they know that about me? - As it must be singing about me. (laughing)

- Exactly. - And how were we as an audience? - Fantastic. - Great show. - Yeah, really good show.

- Do we laugh in all the right spots? - You did, and I told you the night before, I'm glad you didn't come to opening night, because the lights went out. - Oh yeah, you've got, here's Sean.

Sean, do you have any funny theater stories? - I mean, yeah, so the line that it went, I don't think it told you. The line that it went out on was, because I play these characters,

but I also play the narrator, so sometimes you just deliver straight lines that narrate. And so one of the exposition lines that I narrate was we walked to the Hudson River, and then I walked down stage and every light went out.

Like you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and I'm like, it gives us a couple of minutes. I just said to the audience, and I walked off stage. And it was like 10 minutes, which is a really long time, but breaker, they had a breaker that went out and was like,

they fixed it, and they go, okay, let's go back on. They go back and up, of course. So audience claps, yay, they got the fix, the guy's backstage. So I go, we walked to the Hudson River. It was a really long walk.

(laughing) - Thank you for your show, good for you. - And is there, so now are you feeling, I would feel, the crush of the rest of the run in front of me, now that like, opening night is over,

and the reviews came in, and they were incredible.

And like, can you still, as the kids say, get it up for the rest of the show?

“- Yeah, for sure, I think it's easier now.”

I think it's, yeah, I think all that stuff for your, it's tech and previews and rehearsal and press and opening night. And then all that's, it's so much pressure and stress and anxiety and all that. Now it's just like, oh, I just have to do the show

- And you've got today off. - And today is off, yeah. - So what have you loaded into today that you couldn't do in the previous six? - I'm hanging with you guys.

- That's it, and you're hanging with us and in our special guest. - Oh, that was really nice. - Our special guest, yeah, and you'll like it because we can talk about all these things.

You can talk about the theater. I bet you she's got some theater stories 'cause she's done quite a bit of theater. - Oh. - And she's done quite a bit of film.

And in some award-winning television. - Oh, yeah. - She's the daughter of two writer directors, Academy Award nominee, her mom was nominated for Academy Award, I believe.

Her, her, both her parents are writer directors. She's born in New York, grew up in LA. Her brother's an acclaimed actor. She has a new film coming out in one six. - She's got a baguette.

- She's got a baguette. - She has a baguette. - And a baguette. - She has a baguette. - She's got a baguette.

- She's got a baguette. - She's got a baguette. - She's got a baguette. - She's got a baguette. - I can't wait to see it. - I can't wait to see it. - I can't wait to see it. I mean, this is a talk about a, just an absolutely star-studded cast.

- It's unbelievable Maggie. - Well, believable. - I mean, believable. - I mean, believable director, why would I want to, what, you know?

- I don't believe it. - I don't believe it. - I don't believe it will now.

“- I mean, I believe how great it is that's what I mean.”

- Yeah, amazing actors, amazing, I know.

- Oh my god. All right, so when did we get to see this movie? And we're going to talk about the rest of your career, but when do we get to see this movie, when's it come out? - March 6th.

- March 6th. - It really seems. - It's probably out now. - The bride. - Yeah. - Yeah. - So, all right, Maggie.

- Maggie, do I have this movie nice? - Hi guys. - Are you loving directing more than acting? - I am, yeah. - Are you more than acting?

- Tell me why. - I mean, it's, it's like really you are in charge of everything, which then means that you can make space for everyone else to offer what they want, express what they want, you're not, you know, like when you're an actor

and you're like, okay, I need to make sure that I just create the space for myself to get out,

the couple of things that are the most important things to me.

In case nobody lets me, you know, not feeling, like, you know, you're trying to figure out, like how to just protect your little thing, which is the reason why you came to do it. When you're the director, you don't have to do that, first of all.

And also, you don't have to make other people do that. You can just make it okay for them to feel free. - Yeah, so you must have had, I mean, obviously, as I pointed out that you come, you come by quite honestly,

both your parents or directors and writers. So did you, but then you've had such an acclaimed acting career before you directed your first piece. But did you know, in the back of your mind, because it was just so there,

that that was your ultimate destination, like, was acting a way of sort of getting there? - Or-- - I mean, first of all, yes, my dad was a director growing up. My mom was a writer.

She did direct a film, but it wasn't until, I think she was 70, you know, it was like a total wild departure. - That's cool.

“- For her, I think she might be one of the only people”

to direct their first film as a grandmother. (laughing) - That's cool. I told you, I told you brother, when you was on that, I had dinner with your mom once,

years and years and years ago, and I was talking to her about writing, and it's the first time I ever heard anybody say the hardest part is starting. - Yeah.

- About writing. And I was like, "Oh, that blew my mind," 'cause I was like, "I tried to." I was like, "I couldn't do it," but-- - It's like exercising, like get just get your clothes on.

If you haven't asked that clothes on and you don't exercise, then you really fucked up, you know? - All right, Sean, so exercising is this thing that happens. So what do you think you break a sweat? This is not for tracing, this is for Sean.

But you were asking me if I always wanted to be a director.

I don't think so, I think I, to be honest, I don't even, I didn't even allow myself to fantasize or imagine that it was a possibility for a long time. I mean, there weren't any other women doing it. I mean, there were, but I wasn't cool enough to know

“about like Agnes Varda when I was in high school, you know?”

I mean, I really, the people who were really doing great stuff on film were actresses, at least from my perspective and I had, I looked up to so many people who were, you know, totally expressing themselves and being incredible, but I didn't see a lot of directors.

And then I played a director on TV.

- Yes, right. - But I think that was actually sort of part of just imagining, fantasizing, it like allowed me to imagine it.

- So, what was the first, I'm trying to think the first thing

that you directed? - The Lost Otter. - The Lost Otter. - The Lost Otter. - Yeah.

- Which was super well received. And so then, but that was, that was only what? That was like five years ago, maybe the Lost Otter, right? - Four years ago. - Four or five years ago.

- Four or five years ago, yeah. - So, but was there any time before, it was that really the first time that you allowed yourself

“to kind of contemplate doing, you must have.”

- I spent, I mean, you guys must know what I mean. Like, I sort of just was talking about this, like that feeling of like, you know, it's almost like when you're a kid and you're like, if I had this job,

I would never speak to someone like this,

or I would never make them twist themselves into a pretzel to get this tiny thing, like cut this line or whatever. And so I guess I imagined it in that level, or even with writing, like, I would cut chunks of dialogue

or just kind of sneakily move a line. But no, I think, really, I just kind of went, all right, I'm gonna try this. I'm gonna, I wrote Lost Otter also and each step, I thought, okay, I'm just gonna take this step

and we'll see how it feels. And then once I started doing it, I think I immediately just went, this is a way better job for me. - Yeah, yeah.

- And what was the, when you, when you direct your first directing gig, what was the thing that you were overwhelmed with or scared about the most? - The four, before I did it. - Yeah, but as you were, as you were prepping the film,

“like what was the first, what was the most thing you were scared of?”

- It's funny, I was so much scared or about making the bride than I ever was about making the Lost Otter. I was scared, I was, but I think in some ways, I didn't even know what I was walking into.

I mean, that said, I'd been on so many sets. I think about directors who are really first time directors, who don't know how to read a call sheet, who don't know what the rhythm of a day feels like, who that must be really, really scary.

- Yeah, so when you're doing the bride, you kind of, now you know, so you've had the experience. So then you have the anticipation of like, shit, now I know where some of the pitfalls are. How's that gonna go?

How's that? - So even more than that, I think with the bride, I actually was terrified before I started. I was like, I wrote this script. It came out very not easily, obviously writing is so hard,

but there wasn't ease to it. And then I was scared. I was really scared. - The bride was number two, the second film, yeah? - Yeah.

- And it's a significant jump forward as far as budget and scope. And just basic responsibility, a big piece of Hollywood business too, and the huge stars. And yeah, that must have been, yeah, sobering,

to say the least. - Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. On set, even though it was, as you say, like the scope was much bigger, it felt very similar to the lost daughter.

In terms of just working, work flow, how we did it. And I didn't know that it would,

“and I think that's part of why I was scared.”

But once we got working, it was the same. And yet, actually maybe even easier in some ways

because the heads of every department were incredible.

- Yeah, right. - You know, you know, the longer schedule too, right? - We had a longer schedule. I mean, like maybe even twice as long. I shot not quite twice as long,

but I shot the lost daughter in 26 days. - Wow. - That was really quick. - Wow, that's fast. - But there was so much story,

and there was so much to do. It wasn't like we were hanging out eating sushi. We were really working on the bride. We were down to the minute every day. But I do think also, like the bigger scope

and the excellent, excellent crew. I mean, had a great crew and grease on the lost daughter, but they don't have a props master, for instance. They don't have someone who takes care of props. So I had a very important doll in that movie.

I don't know if you guys saw it. And we had one doll. And it was like, you know, it's just, you know, sort of wrapping it together, like it's best we can. And we were not doing that on the bride.

We had great people. - As an actor, as a great actor yourself, how I'm assuming that your knowledge of being an actor affects the way in which you direct actors. And do you find yourself directing every actor

and you figure out a different way

to direct different actors based on what you assume their props are, you know? - That's such an interesting question, actually. - Thank you. - When I started the lost daughter,

I started with, I don't know, eight days with Jesse Buckley. Pretty much, Jesse is the center of pretty much every scene. And I spoke to Jesse the way I would speak to myself.

“Like the way I sort of wished someone would speak to me, you know?”

- And with Jesse, it just went in like water. And then I tried to talk to Olivia Coleman that way. And she was like, what the fuck are you talking about? (laughing) - What?

And I really quickly, like, on the job had to realize, oh, right, no, of course. Like, I can't talk to my husband the way I talk to Jesse either. He's also like, fuck off what, you know? So that, there was such a pleasure to me, actually.

That was actually, I would say one of my absolute favorite things about the lost daughter was learning, oh, oh, what language is it? With this person, like, and then bringing that to the bride. I mean, like, what, how does Penelope Cruz want to be talked to? Versus a net bending, like a net, I realized I would get so excited

by what she was doing. I would come to her with like three notes on top of each other. And she just would not have it. She want to want to have it. And like, and made that very clear to me.

Whereas, like, you know, Jesse just wants to sort of take it all in and whatever sticks and, um, and yeah, Peter just, like, but that's a, that's a process that you learn as you go, right?

Like, it's, it's something like you have to, like, that first day,

that first week, it's the personalities and you're trying to figure out what that rhythm was like, Jay, what you were kind of saying, like, how you have to, it's not that you're tailoring it, but it's, you have to have a certain amount of EQ if you, to be a really good director. I, I think that the really good ones have that understanding

“as you point out to go, oh, this person, you have to kind of read the room, right?”

A hundred percent, I think you do tailor a teach person. Like, and that interaction is one of my favorite things. And sometimes there's friction too, like, it's not, not, but it's only natural that there will be moments where we've all had them. Where somebody gives you a note or something, you go, like, hey, you know,

and you're just trying to, and sometimes it's necessary. Or sometimes you need friction in order to do whatever it is you need to do, and the director just has to just deal with that. Like, I, I remember, I won't say who, just so that I, because I love him, but there was an actor who, um, who yelled at me on the last daughter,

and none of us had been yelling at each other. Like, we were just, it was all, we were all in love.

And, um, I was sort of stunned for a second.

And then I was like, oh, no, no, I've been him. I know, I get it. Okay, he just needs to like crack something a little bit. Just take it, just take the smack, and just keep going. That's your job. Like, it little taste your own medicine.

Keep going, and just kind of just in character. Like, and just trying to like break something, like, just make something alive. You know, that's interesting, you say that, because it, and it is, when you're in such an extreme sort of creative environment. And sometimes, as you say, it's sometimes that needs to happen.

“And I think that there are plenty of examples of people who are,”

especially historically poorly behaved, who are really terrible to people and stuff. But there are, there also is an area where there, there has to be that sort of friction where people do, and people will say, like, oh, that's just Hollywood. And people are badly behaved. Like, no, this is like a really intense, creative environment that also you're dealing with where the currency is emotion,

and people and human beings, and there's going to be that. And sometimes that exists, right? Yeah, yeah, I think acting, having done it, listen, I think directing is a hard job. No question. But I think there's something about acting that is so,

so precious, like beyond what anyone's doing, so vulnerable, so special. You know, I really do. I just think, like, you know, you're putting yourself out there to be judged over and over and over again. Well, I'm listening to them talking about your play. A one-man play man. I, that's hard core. Yeah, that's a good thing.

Especially staring at Jason the whole time, I mean, yeah. Exactly. I tried not to blank Shani. I'm so sorry. And we will be right back. And now back to the show. So when you talk about, like, the apartment part of the, part of the actor,

is showing kind of what your version of this character is.

“And oftentimes, this is for Tracy out there, oftentimes,”

an actor will get a part, uh, through an audition process.

And through that audition process, you basically show the director,

well, here's my version of the character. And if you want this version, go ahead and hire me. And then when I show up on the set, uh, you'll, you'll, you'll know exactly what's coming. When you're dealing with big stars, like, the kind Maggie has in this film, they're not auditioning. So the first time Maggie's getting to see their version of these characters,

is correct. Through the, through the rehearsal process, it's just kind of like a week or two out and just kind of around a table reading. Um, but really mostly it's on set and it's kind of too late to big changes. So my question Maggie is, especially since you've written this thing too, how do you rate your ability to be flexible, to be nimble to the,

the inevitably different version of this, of these characters,

then you've always imagined in your head and how do you not assess like sort of a false negative

on that performance just simply because it's different than what you've imagined. Because the audience hasn't read the script, they don't have for any preconceived notion. So they're going to take what they get and the actor is kind of approaching their performance with that assumption and they just hope the director/writer will give the same level of, of freedom and, and acceptance to that version of the character.

Did you, do you find yourself comfortable with that? Because that's hard. By the way, that's a really good, the first 30 seconds of that was good. I mean, last four minutes, yeah, I was actually riveted by it. I mean, I was too accurate. I was like, Jason, that is what I was like request.

I was like, yes, I always wanted to know that.

Well, this is like one of the reasons why I became a director.

“Although we can talk about some of the other ones, but I think I've so often been the person who came”

to that with just a different take on something, not just to be a contrarian or be different, but because it's me that's making it and I'm different than what the director imagined when they were alone in their room. And I've so many times thought, don't you want my mind, too? Like, don't you want my heart to be just a puppet? Like, yeah, isn't it going to be a better movie? It's like all of us actors,

am the DP, am the designer, you know, all put ourselves into it. And then, yes, as the director, I mean, I would say this. I would say, yes, I feel very strongly that I'm trying not to push actors into doing something that I imagined when I was all by myself. And I don't do that because it's just not my taste. It's just not what I like from them. Which means that they surprised me all the time. That said, I think it's my job if we're trying to walk a tight rope

across the two hours of this movie. Yeah. It's my job to both allow them sometimes. Okay, look, we did it. We did a take where the whole second half of that you were falling off the tight rope. I mean, I'm not going to say that to them, but I'm not going to use it, you know, and yet like what it did was it got us to the next take where there was a laser beam focus, or whatever,

“you know, I mean, I think it's my job to then assess it and take care of it and really protect the things”

that are really special and beautiful. I mean, I think you can watch a movie, you can, and we, let me say this. I think there's lots of really good actors. And I think there's a handful of really brilliant ones. And like you guys said, a lot of them are in my movie. And so how do you make space for those really brilliant actors to not act like they're learning something or changing on film, but actually learn something or make a change on film. That's the most exciting thing

for me to watch. I think that's a really great point that you bring up to this idea of like of sort of walking that tight rope and maybe there's part of a take where they don't. And you don't bring it up, but it allows you to get to that other place. And I think that in that process, if you can allow, certainly for me, I know, if you can feel safe enough that there are no wrong answers and that it's okay to do that, then that's where you can really find that growth. You can

really find that other gear by allowing us, because if you're worried that you're getting it, you're going to get it wrong or you're not doing it right. You're fucked. Because in the other gear, there are antennae wrong. It's like when you get into that other gear, it's all good. Yes. What about how to dump dumb question? How did you think of doing this movie, the bride, where did the idea come from? Why did you want to do it? And isn't it kind of cool that Frankenstein

just came out and then not the bride? I mean, it's so cool. The shy right. That was a double question.

Yeah, were you aware that you must have been aware of that other movie?

Gearomos movie. Yeah. And I, well, I'll answer the first part of the question first, which is

I was at a party. I was thinking about what I wanted to do. You know, I was kind of knocking things around in my mind. Just sort of more just thinking about what, what was on the edges of my mind. It's kind of hard to explain, I guess, but even with acting. I don't know if you guys relate to this at all, but like the things that appeal to me are usually the things that are like right on the edge of what I've been thinking about. And then the making of the movie can be a way of

“kind of getting into some dangerous territory about what you don't know, you know? So I think about,”

I don't know, what I want to do next. And I saw this guy with a tattoo of the bride of Frankenstein on his entire forearm, you know, the Elsa Landchester. You like to see hair. Yeah. And I was like, oh yeah, we, what is that? It's a bright, a Frankenstein, but who is she, you know? And I went back to my hotel. I was in LA at the time and I looked her up online. And I was like, yeah, she's so, like,

badass. Yes. So badass. Exactly. Then I watched the movie, which I had never seen.

And she's in it for two minutes. And she doesn't speak at all. And I started to think about this idea of the bride of Frankenstein. And, you know, well, then I went and read the book, which I had also never read. And Frankenstein is so lovely in the book. I mean, he does murder people and, you know,

“he's like, what happened? It's very nice. Yeah. He's coming in. We don't have a bad guy.”

There is an aspect of exactly that where you read it and you're like, what? I also feel lots of rage and violence sometimes. I don't murder people, but he's, he's so human. Like, he's so vulnerable. He's so lonely in the book. He's a super smart. He literally hangs out in a barn next to some people speaking French and learns French in a couple days. Or like, finds a suitcase of philosophy. And like, you know, reads it and then is into philosophies. Really great guy. But he's so lonely.

So I thought, okay, fine. Really lonely. Like, unbearably lonely. Wonderful guy is trying to get another monster because no one else will be with him to be with him. Want someone to dig someone up from a grave and make someone like him. In a way, it's fair enough. But what about her? You know, what about the person who was dead and didn't ask to be brought back to life and maybe she didn't want to marry you. We can help. She doesn't get a lot of, say, in the matter. And I thought that puzzle,

which is not addressed in the movie, although El Solantrisor definitely wakes up and says, "Fuck no." I mean, you just say that. But without saying anything, that's definitely what she communicates. I thought that's a great puzzle. Like a dramatic puzzle to start from. And how does that? And then what if it's also an epic love story? What if despite this very difficult beginnings, they can't resist each other? Yeah. Do you ever, do you ever, you were saying that

you like to sort of write about things that, I don't know, you sort of sort of said, not that scary you, but things that interest you were things that might sort of push on the edge. I'm telling you. Yeah. Are there ideas that you've had, I'm curious that you've thought about writing, but you're like nervous about writing about for certain reasons or other things you go, like, I don't know if I want to touch that. I don't mean politically or anything, but just because

emotionally or something that you, and you don't have to answer to if it's too personal. No, I do write about those things. Like, that's the last daughter and that this, like I sort of do, like my daughter, my 19-year-old, was joking with me because I was saying that this one was sort of

dedicated in a way to my younger daughter and that the first one was dedicated to her. She was like,

"A really, I get to have the one where I'm like, like, like, you know, the mom, like,

“is having such a hard time being a mother and she gets stuff to pride." But I think that I,”

I think that the way I get excited and want to sit down and write and work is when I think it's a little dangerous. Yeah. The stuff that really that that really lives in your deepest parts. Yeah, the scary stuff. You got to attack the scary stuff. Can fill the most pages with the stuff that is a part of your deepest parts, right? And I remember actually in the last daughter writing on

and think and think and think and then I was, I don't know what I was doing, press for something.

“And I would just write everything I'd been thinking about. And I was writing one scene and I”

like looked over my shoulder because I thought, "Oh, this is dangerous." And it was just a little thing where this woman was saying, I hate talking to my kids on the phone. I both love talking to my kids on the phone, but they were when they were little sometimes, it was really hard. And just don't make the ball back. To see that out loud or even write it out loud on an airplane, that was dangerous. Dangerous. No, I was scared. So you're not. You're going to get a lot of pushback,

bad guys. So you're 19 year old, did she have any interest in, in what you do? Or was it completely different path? I don't think that she, at least at the moment, she doesn't seem like she wants to be a filmmaker, although she makes the greatest, like iPhone little videos that she edits on the phone, they're so funny. But she's been such a great sounding board for me, artistically on the movie, like she's seen the movie so many times. She's been, she's such a great mind. That's great.

So wait, so New York, you're in New York right now? Yeah. And New York or LA, and I forgive me, you're, the rest of the family's in LA, right? My brother's here and my mom is here, actually, but my dad is in LA. Oh, I thought your mom was in LA too. She used to, she used to be, okay. And, and you much prefer New York, yeah? Obviously, you live there. Yeah, I do. I do. I was just in LA though, and it was so nice and February, like eating avocados, and, yeah, I was like, I get it,

why they all do this. Yeah, it is a whole, I mean, I have, I've such a lost to live in New York, but, you know, as I'm getting older and, and crankier and more noise sensitive and, and, and, and everything else, I, I, I do find my little alarm going off after, like, it was just there for four days, seeing Shawnee and, and it was like, yeah, just a little extra space in LA allows for, you know, cranky sensitivities to be taken care of a little bit more, I mean, my goodness,

but it's so compact there. But, if you had your, your home here, you know what I mean? It would be different, because you could, even, I live in Brooklyn, so it's a little more outside of the

“craziness, but I, I think that's sometimes even about people who live in Manhattan, I go into”

Manhattan and I'm like, oh my God, maybe it out of here. Yeah. But I think of it, if my apartment were in Manhattan, I could at least just get at it. You know, your spots, and you're, yeah, how you, a good side step, and yeah. So funny, I feel, and, and I've been going, and I'm sort of in the process of sort of halfway moving back to New York now, and so I'm there a lot, and I find myself, this is so weird, I sleep better when I'm in New York. I feel more at home there than I do here,

even though I've lived here full time for just over 10 years, basically. I don't know,

there's something else. That's interesting, Willie. Yeah, my, my, my, my, my blood pressure settles like everything, I just feel more relaxed. What is that about? Because because the business is in LA, maybe? No, I mean, I don't think business is everywhere. It's not really anywhere anymore. Yeah, that's true. But I just, that's true. I feel like that's my, I don't know, my place, and it's, yeah, I just feel better. And so many of our friends are moving back to New York now, too, which is,

Maggie, where do you, what do you do outside of work that you're like with you and the kids to go to,

“as Will says the Long Island, to travel out there? Or is 19, is 19-year-old still around?”

Is she going to school? No, she's in college, she's in college. Not in New York. Not in New York. No, she's in, she's, um, so I just have my 13-year-old here now. We have a house in Vermont. Oh, nice, perfect. Way deep deep inside the grandfathered into the, um, national forest. Yeah, that's right. But I will be honest with you and say that is really because of my husband, um, who's great. I, the great Peter sideguard, yeah. We're trying to see, yeah.

I, um, I love Vermont, but that's really Peter's place. And I'm kind of always wanting to

you know, I'll go for a bit, but it's, it's pretty hard courts. It's isolating. It's very, really in the middle of nowhere. We were stacking wood the other day and Peter's a little off. He was like, "Well, do you think this is what our friends imagined we do when we felt here?"

I wasn't chopping it. I would chop it. I would chop it. But he like raises bees and

chickens and taps maple trees and has a beautiful garden and, and I would love to pay people to do

“that for him. I mean, the raising bees partying when you have to pay something for now.”

Yeah. That's for Peter. Peter putting on the hood and everything with the bees. Oh, yeah. Oh, so Peter, Peter sometimes is like, "I don't need the hood. I don't even need the gloves. I, I listen to, um, I read this book and he did, you know, and listen to this thing and watch these videos about how to, like, be zen and do it. So the bees that come to you and then he gets, like, 10 stings on his arms." Wow. Wow. It's hot. What it is, because you can apply.

It's good actor. And now you're telling me he's got this move to be. He's hard. He's busy. Yeah, but I'll tell you this. Just so you don't feel bad. All of his bees in Brooklyn died. And it was because he made a, he made a mistake. He made a beekeeping mistake. And he was so upset about it. And I was like, Peter, he were in Switzerland acting. And then you went to another movie in London right away. You were home for one week in your

bees died. Like, some people's only job is doing bees. He died right there. Give yourself a break.

So he was, he always upset the bees. Were you, did you shirt your responsibilities in babysitting the

“bees? Yeah, I think I may be. I think you might, you got to be able to shoulder some of that, right?”

The size of it. What's your letter? I didn't know, you know, she had something on a piece of paper. Yeah. Maybe all you need to do is just water the bees for bees. For bees. Yeah, I picture you guys driving. I was sick. I picked you guys driving away. Just going, oh, shit the bees. Let's just bring them. Put them in the trunk. Just bring that like home alone, Kevin and home alone. So wait. I, I think I would go out of my mind if I lived in the middle of

Vermont like that. Not that it's not beautiful. And I appreciate it. And I would like to go for a little bit because you're a city mouse. Yeah, I, I, I, I, I, I can't be alone with my thoughts too long. Oh, oh, hang on. Why? You need to write something about them. We got to do a celebrity version of a loan and just see how I know. I mean, do you think you could make it a week on your own period? No. Do you have to finish the sentence? So well, yes. If I knew it was a week, I could do it for a week.

“I think this is hard. No shelter, no food. Oh, shit. I mean, you just have 10 items, right?”

Our week for, yeah, I've only seen the last episode of a loan, which I watched last two days ago. Yeah, with Peter and my daughter who was so into it. Peter could win. Peter would win. I sound like Peter could win. He's we each start chopping wood day one. He'd start cultivating bees. He'd be eating honey. But he wouldn't kill him. He probably wouldn't kill him. He might not kill him. But I watch those videos. This is what I watch so many of the videos.

The guys who time lapse a building shelter is out of nothing. Do I get those two? I love it's on your algorithm. Yes, I send me one. So you can infect my stream. Do you also get like Eastern European Gramas making like huge vats of like stuff. I just did. I just started getting these videos of these Roma people and Eastern European Romanian and having these parties and these guys are like arguing and then these women are making this same food and they keep slapping each other's hands and then

they have these huge feet. It's wild. There's also people in China dying fabric. If you want to get an algorithm. I've seen those two. Yes. I'm fascinated by that. I'm still getting the guys and fist fights on golf courses. I need I need to flush my stream. I got I'm Karen videos. I get just none stuck here. I get tons of Karen videos and cop videos where they argue at the cops. Oh yeah, about their rights for a cement right guys. Yeah, I'm just feeling for who? I'm

allowed to sex your sizing my rights. Yeah, you're obviously asking for trouble. I'd like to see a mashup of Steve Sands arguing for his rights on the sidewalk. Wait, wait, go back to a

live for a second because I remember this one episode where guy cut open a salmon or some fish

and he's like, I'll just eat that fish eggs like caviar. Yeah, whatever. And he took a whole hand during the episode and talking about it. Go hand and he he he washed them and everything you took him and he got so so sick. Yeah, I'm like yeah, you can't just open a fish and eat their heads before Jason three days before the word show eats that just so you've got to

opened up a fish and there was a little tiny fish inside of it that had been digested and he was like

bonus, you know, look at that. No way. I can go deep with a load. I've only seen one. Yeah. We'll be right back. And back to the show. So if you're you're not in Vermont. If you're in the city and you're not working and you're not in post and you're not acting but you're what are you doing? What's the thing that you're doing that that is you're like not even guilty pleasure. You're pleasure. How do you dumb it down? Yeah. Yeah. It's so funny though. I've been in post or shooting or prep for for so long.

Like what have I been doing? Even now even now even now when you're in post and prep where you have five minutes or ten minutes to do something that's for you that you like to do that's like a little mini break. What is the world counts? Oh, I love those. I love when they tell me I'm a genius even if I cheat, you know, like you go look at the you're. How smart are you? I like the news quiz. I don't have that one. How up to date are you with with this week's news? Oh, there's little quiz. Do they have

“the history one of the New York Times too where you can it gives you a bunch of events and you have to”

place them on the timeline of when they occurred. Oh, that's how I want to do this. It's cool. Well, it does good on that. It's real. I want to do that. Maggie, do you do you do all the New York times games like the next. When I was cutting, when I was cutting, I would basically be sitting behind my editor for Tracy. You mean cutting the film? Cutting the film. Yeah. I'm editing the film.

Sitting. Sitting behind my eye. When incredible editor you had my incredible editor,

Dylan Titchner. Yeah. Cut buggy nights and there will be blood and zero dark 30 amazing. And you had Larry sure as a DP. I mean, I love the way you said that, by the way, just as you were talking about all the filmmakers on the film, which is the props and the DP. And then, I don't think that people understand it, maybe for Tracy too, that making a film, everybody on everybody who has these great jobs, you see the actors, but there are all these

filmmakers there who are part of the process, who will have such important jobs, who are so valuable to do the filmmaking process. Well, and I just want to say, actually, because we're talking about the acting, and obviously I've been an actor, but what I haven't been is a cinematographer. And

“you know, I learned a lot about Aspect Gratio and Lensing on the last daughter, but the truth is,”

and now I am understanding who Tracy is, you know, you know, on a little movie, you, you have no money. And so you can't afford even to rent a lot of different lenses. So in the last daughter, we maybe had five lenses, maybe. And so with those five lenses, I learned a lot. Then I go, as Jason's viewer saying, to this totally different scope, and I have cranes, techno cranes, shooting four IMAX, which is a very particular thing, which is not just a movie

that will play an IMAX, but a movie that's designed to change Aspect Gratio, like to grow vertically for an IMAX audience. And then even know really what IMAX was when I started. And Larry Share, who's my cinematographer, I felt like I came into this movie with a really clear, you know, idea of what I wanted to say. And, and in a lot of ways also how I wanted to say it, even visually, but I, I don't know, I felt like I took a master class with him. And I do feel like I've finished

the movie speaking a language that I didn't speak when I started the movie, which is maybe part

“of what was terrifying. Like if you have to learn, if you know, like I was saying about actually”

even watching good acting, like if you'd rather watch someone learn something for real on screen, instead of fake like they're learning it, even if they fake it very well, I was actually learning

as I was working, which was incredible, like so exhilarating, but also. And here's,

did you guys, did you guys jump on his, his the shot deck is such an incredible asset for folks, you know, to like, you can, you can, he's cultivated all of these images from all these films that you, a quick reference point for you, as you guys were devising the look of the film, did you guys spend some time on shots? Well, like if, if we say, say we're saying, okay, there's big, you know, the movie hasn't almost like a bonding-clad aspect of the levers on the run, you know,

and there's a lot of stuff in a car, and we were talking about different ways of shooting in the car, and we were, for example, say talking about Tom and Louise, Ridley Scott, lots of long lenses, totally different way of shooting than we were shooting because they were actually in that location, shooting, you know, probably within a ray of cameras, both far away on really long lenses and then

I found I really loved, I really love long lensing, yeah, my editor was joking with me that I

“should be a bird watcher. And then what about designing just the overall world of it, too,”

with your production designer, Caramel, if you had an incredible talent, you know, like, was it,

how did you start at a, because world building, like, it's like filling up blank pages a writer, I would imagine, it can, it can be anything, and how did you, where did you start, what sort of aesthetic did you start and was it, was there like a book or photography or something, or did she bring ideas or? The movie is set in 1936, which was somewhat random, like I originally said it when I was writing, just posts of a war, because so many people had died, this is a movie

about people coming back from the dead, so it's kind of thinking like about like, when were the times when the, you know, the veil between the living and the dead felt the thinnest. So I was thinking about

“a post of a war, so many people died, so many children died in childbirth, and there was this”

job then, I had been learning about for something else, of a spiritualist, which is, was almost

always a woman, and it was like, as ubiquitous as a therapist, was someone who spoke to the dead

for you. And so I started out setting it then, because I thought that was kind of an interesting time to just, to be dealing with people brought back from the dead, and then I realized that Frank can sign, my Frank, I don't call him Frank and signs monster, because he would never call himself that, you know? So Frank was so lonely that maybe his only, like his primary relationship was with a movie star, who didn't know about him, of course, but then he could go sit in the theater

and watch this movie star, and also in a dark movie theater his ugly face, you know, his scar, face, wouldn't be so, you know, scary to people. So then I thought, okay, I have to set it in a time when there are movies, and it shifted to 1936, also because the movies then are so much about fantasy, and my movie is actually a lot about kind of breaking down the fantasy, and what does a real love affair look like, and what does a real man look like, woman,

“look, you know, what is the reality versus the fantasy? But still, 1936, which I think is beautiful,”

but it was never really 1936. It was always 1936 sort of by way of 1981 downtown New York,

really, by way of like right now. So if that's the directive for Karen, you know, it's a tough one, it's something that you haven't seen before. Yeah, but that's kind of will, though. I love that idea. So it sort of blends, it blends today's aesthetic with 81's aesthetic with 1936. Yeah, it's kind of, I mean, it is technically 1936, but it's a different world, as you say, world building, which is actually something I'm really interested in, that term, which I had actually

never heard before, before I went to work on this movie, which at least in my mind really refers to VFX, visual. And something, something usually completely non-existent, right? Like, superhero, like the art of the ring, this, this, this isn't, you're saying, there's, there's some, there's definite tangible, relatable, recognizable elements. But, I mean, here's something I've been thinking a lot about. So few women have gotten a chance to get our hands on some of

these tools, like shooting for IMAX with a changing aspect ratio, like world building. I mean, there are some, there are, but just not very many. And I somehow feel like the way that it's been done before is in a language that doesn't totally resonate with me. So, you know, world building could mean we're shooting underneath like that, what would it be? The West Side Highway up in New York, like, has like an overpass if you're up on a 125th street with beautiful, beautiful, like arches.

We shot there. But, if you look to the right in reality, there's like a big ad for whatever something from now and the rest of the highway and all this modern stuff. So, you can create whatever you want in the rest of that frame. And it was interesting because when we first started working on that frame, it was like a celebration of VFX. It was like we was her pan over to show the whole world and look what we did with our VFX. And that's just not, I don't like that. All right, all right, like,

expensive the VFX were. How do you know? I want to, I have a different, I'm really interested in

“world building. I'm really interested in that idea. I really think probably the next thing I do will”

incorporate that some kind of imaginary world. That's great, I love that. But with all the things I've learned from this one. Sure. Isn't it kind of, I would say this earlier, isn't it kind of like designing a house like you got like the architect and the interior designer and the project manager and the contractor? That's all I wanted to say. Next question. We're party. We used to think of it as a party like a great dinner party. Yeah. We're someone else is doing the flowers. And I just invite

people and maybe see them and that kind of thing. Yeah, everybody's got a placard. Oh, sorry, Sean, did you want to take a snack break? Sorry. I got, yeah, I got an apple fly. I mean just drop in this kind of a non-secreter and then just pop a apple in your mouth. Right. What do you think is going on in your bangs? I didn't think. I didn't think of a Maggie's time. We're taking a Maggie's time. We're taking a Maggie's five or four minutes. You could go get your snack on. Yeah. I didn't have anything else to follow

up with. So I thought it was safe to take an apple fly. I like that idea, though, Maggie. You said

about like that it's never spoken you before and nobody's ever done in this way. And I do

like that idea of like there's got to be sort of more to it than just flexing a sort of a muscle which does seem to probably be because it's been dominated by men and maybe I'm wrong about that, but there's something cool about that, like just bringing a new perspective to it that it can be much deeper than that somehow. Do you know what I mean? Well, like if you... Again, I'm being, I'm just being simplistic about it, but maybe... I don't mean to be overly simplistic about it either.

I just... I do think if you have a different experience in the world, you're going to make different movies, you know? Yeah. And obviously, gender isn't... or race or ethnicity. I mean those... those aren't the only things that change your experience, but they are one thing. And I guess I... well, well, when I actually started using IMAX and changing aspect ratios and doing it, so I learned about it,

I also, my editor, that we were just praising who's just incredible. It was a delintitioner

and Larry Share, both were kind of in each ear, really teaching me so much about those tools, but when I imagined it, what came out was different than how IMAX has been used before.

“And I... I think that's cool. I think that's like... like, you know,”

that... I forgot about that. Let me ask you this, did the film turn out the way you had imagined and hoped that it would? Because there's so many people that contribute, it inevitably is going and, as you said, you provide this environment, if yes, please contribute, bring your uniqueness. So did it end up... and JB, but also she has a front row seat to watching it evolve and changed. Right. And the unapologetic position of controlling the way that it comes out to the extent

that you can and like, how much did you let yourself allow it to be the film it was kind of becoming and like... so like, what's the... I guess the question is sorry for the long one again, but like, what's the percentage that it maintained the version that you thought and hoped that it would be? Percentage in math is maybe like, not my... my team. But I... let me think, let me think.

I... the movie has a very specific tone, like a very... I could always hear the very unusual tone

of the movie in my head. I could feel when we fell off the tightrope, for example, always, I could.

“So that has remained. I think really when we were shooting, I was collecting all these beautiful”

things. I definitely had, in some ways, the movie in my head. And I was sort of building something as we were shooting, but the cutting, I would say, is where it really changed. And I think in some ways, I... it was a really about letting things fall away, letting the movie be. What I had always wanted to be, which was kind of like a roller coaster ride, like, strap in and you can't get off until it's over. Right. There's not...

I wanted it to be like a laser beam, like, fast and hot. Right. And just realizing all

Even my really wise, you know, collaborators like Dylan, letting me take the time I needed to know. I would say, don't fuck with that scene. No, I don't want to hear it. I love that scene. Don't fuck with it. And then eventually letting it go. Because it wasn't a proper bunch of different reasons,

with different things you had to let go of, but because ultimately, either was not as good as the

rest of the stuff that you had, or that it was sort of not serving the laser beam. Yeah, no. I think I pretty much just took out, in both my movies, when I cut them, let's just take out everything that isn't really great. Like I was, and most of the time, I didn't stop shooting until we had something that was that was great, I think. But let's just get rid of that stuff. Then the hard thing, obviously, is like getting rid of something that,

for instance, is the scene that I'm imagining, which is no longer in the movie, so it's hard to talk about it. But I felt it just deepened everything. It just took things down to a completely another level. And, you know, Dylan's argument and actually Dylan was not alone. And I remember hearing this great note from someone about a, about getting notes on a screenplay, where she said

“if five people tell you you seem drunk, maybe you should lie down. You know, if you get to see”

note over and over, you have to go like, okay, okay. But in fact, Dylan's argument was, it's, it's too complicated now. It's, it's, it's made it too heavy, like let it lift off. And, um, and so maybe that's for another movie. Yeah, yeah, I love it. I love it. I love it. This, I've, we've got a couple of years on you, but I, but I do love it this age. There's nothing better than constantly, you're like, I, I find more and more like, that I'm learning stuff,

and I really enjoy learning stuff, and also really, sort of, uh, coming to peace with how little I do know or how little, uh, what I thought I knew. Yeah. And I find it so much more exciting now,

to go like, yeah, first. Well, yeah, you get smart enough to realize how not bright you might be.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And how great it feels when someone else is able to guide you in something is so, feels so good. Everything in my life, I'm like, I don't know what that word means. What is your, what are you talking about? I don't know where I'm going. Yeah, dictionary.com is on the front page of my, uh, iPhone. Is it really? Oh, I hit it. I hit it a few times a week for sure. I love that. We may, what are you doing for the rest of the day? Yeah. Tell 'em your busy, tell 'em your busy,

- I'm so busy telling me you're busy. - I'm so busy. - I'm so busy. - She has to run the corner and stay at the closed teel. - We can get like, we can get a cupcake.

- What do you wanna get? - Yeah. - I wanna go see weathering heights. - Oh yeah. - I mean, I go try to do that.

- Oh yeah. - I can't wait.

“- I can't wait to see your mirror filming.”

- I know, I can't wait.

- Mark six, it may be already out.

We don't know how this works, but we are really excited to see the bride Maggie's such a treat to have you on it. - And then I wanna see the next one and the next one, and the next one and the next one, - Yeah.

- Yeah, you're very, very cool. - And it's so good. - Amazing. - Thank you. - We'll say hi to Peter, say hi to Jake, please.

- I will. This was such a nice talk. - Thank you, Matt. - Yeah, thank you for doing this. - Thank you for seeing the great, great, great, great round.

- I'll see you round, round, round, round. - And we are on the next one. - And we're on the next one. - Okay, let's see what's going on. - Let's play.

- Thanks, Frank. - Come on. - Bye, man. - Bye, bye. - All right, Maggie. - Bye. - Bye.

- Great, great guest there, Willie. I'm so excited to see her film and truly all the rest that she's gonna do. She seems to just want to see her film. - I know, I mean, just so good in there.

- What the math of acting career. - I know. - Do you like what? - Sorry, what'd you say, Sean? - Sorry.

- Why could you take it? You were the one who's about to say something. And you had the control to wait on taking the butt. - You could have not put it in. - I know, I know. - That must be good.

- What it, what it is, it's just an apple, it's just an apple. - He just discovered fruit. He's just discovered it. So I do want to give him-- - He's a darn scurvy away.

- I know. - I mean, she's been in so many good movies as a guy. - You have a huge acting career. - Yeah. - She does this turn.

And this movie looks-- - She writes the last order. And nominated for Academy Award for the last order. - And that's what we look huge. - As worked with all these great directors,

“I think about all the ones that she's been able to learn”

from to cherry pick from, too. - I know, we got to send her our headshots. I did a scene with her in a movie in a low-bud to movie years ago. - 20 years ago. - And she hasn't called--

- She didn't bring it up. - No, she didn't bring it up. I didn't want to bring it up either. We had to see it together. She sets it down.

When I'm so excited for the bride.

Oh, you know.

“Well, I feel like you guys have a bright future.”

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- And thank you for having us.

- Yeah, it's been so much fun to have-- - Did you get any-- - Fans on. - Any questions you forgot to ask us? You've got our email? - Yeah.

- You can do follow-up.

“- We'll do a follow-up and let you guys have a listen”

before we put it out. - Oh, great.

- Yeah, there's a lot of things and a little nervous about that.

I thought we could get another listen, too. - Sure. - Of course. - No, of course. - Yeah.

- But even if you say something right, wrong,

“I think that people are willing to let bike--”

- Bye, God's team. - Bye! - Beautiful. - Oh, incredible. - Incredible.

- Good to the music, though.

- Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - They're about, they're about, about, about, about. - Smart. - Smart. - Smart.

- Smart. - Smart. - Smart. - Smart. - Smart.

- Smart. - Smart. - Smartless is 100% organic and are tizantly handcrafted by. Michael Grant Terry, Rob Arncherv, and Bennet Barbecue. (upbeat music)

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