colourful, and vibrant. The intensity of
the adolescent experience reflected in
colour and saturation.
I’ve found that half the battle of
directing is communicating your ideas
to people who may not be able to see
what you so clearly see in your head.
I had a lot of weird ideas for this movie
(a stop-motion drug-trip sequence and
a Technicolor dance fantasy are two
that ended up in the film), and it wasn’t
always easy to communicate why
these sequences, though seemingly
unnecessary within the plot, were
essential for the development of our
characters. In the end I was so lucky to
be given the creative freedom to make
Booksmart exactly how I dreamt it, but it
was a powerful lesson in communication.
When it came to directing the cast,
I had this idea that I wanted them to go
completely off book, which is something
I learned from working with Martin
Scorsese. He asked that people know thescript to the word. You could not bring
your script on set on his films, and so
that’s what I asked of this cast. It was
actually quite insane, when you think
about it — a first-time director thinking,
“I’m going to do what Scorsese does!”
But I knew that it would let them be free
and creative in the moment.
As an actor myself, I believe that
we deserve a certain amount of trust,
and that’s what I wanted to give my
lead actresses, Beanie Feldstein and
Kaitlyn Dever. I wanted to challenge them
to show me who they were, and
they accepted that challenge. Every day
I was blown away, jaw on the ground —
I was amazed by their skill. It couldn’t
have been more blissful, considering
that neither of them had played the
lead role in a film before. I remember
having a very intimidating meeting with
the bond company who insured the film,
and they asked me if I wasn’t just a bit
concerned that the majority of the film isdialogue between two actresses who
have never had this much material before.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind. I had
sat with our casting director, Allison Jones,
for hours and hours poring over auditions,
because I knew that this was the most
important process. And I have very high
standards for performance. I am so lucky
that she brought in these girls. Once we
had cast the film, I knew we were set. I
knew what we were capable of.AS THE FILM ENDED at the
Paramount in Austin, those 1,100 people
cheered for what felt like 10 minutes. It
was completely overwhelming. And then
to see the entire cast on stage with me for
the Q&A, their beaming faces looking
out at this crowd that loved their work so
much... it’s a moment that I’ll measure
everything else to.
During that Q&A, a young woman
approached the microphone and told
us that she felt seen, and wanted to
thank us for making her feel less alone.
She was crying, which meant the rest
of us were then also crying. That night
was also my 35th birthday, the most
incredible coincidence. The SXSW
volunteers crashed my intro to the
movie by bringing me a cake on stage
and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ with the
entire audience. I had a full-body blush
moment. Tears in my eyes for two days
straight. I was overcome with gratitude
for the whole, life-changing weekend.
I’ll never forget it.BOOKSMART IS IN CINEMAS FROM 11 JULYAbove: “I was given
the creative freedom
to make Booksmart
exactly how I dreamt
it,” says Wilde.
Left: The SXSW
volunteers crash
Wilde’s intro to wish
her a happy 35th
birthday on stage.ALAMY, GETTY