From left: Adam
Driver, Laura Dern,
Noah Baumbach,
Scarlett Johansson
and David Heyman
at the Venice Film
Festival for the world
premiere of Marriage
Story on Aug. 29.vivid and the characters are so rich and multi-
faceted. And two, he creates a very intimate
and safe space on set. He takes the time to get
what he needs, and that sometimes means
20 takes if need be. He allows the actors to
explore. They can offer up different aspects
of a scene, of themselves, and they go on the
journey of exploring that.
There were some heated arguments on social
media about whether the film reads more favor-
ably toward Charlie or Nicole. What did you think
of all that?
How great is that? It does not answer all the
questions. That’s what I like. It leaves it up to
audiences to bring themselves to it and inter-
pret it as they choose. That’s the mark of a
really good film, that the journey does not end
when the film ends, that it carries on at din-
ner afterward and in conversations for days,
weeks and hopefully months after.
And whose side do you think the film takes?
In a way, Nicole has made the decision to get
divorced. She’s reached her place at the begin-
ning of the film, and Charlie is catching up.
He ultimately gets to a place of acceptance, but
that’s his journey. Through this process, she
is finally heard, whereas she might not have
been heard within the relationship. Though
we feel for him, because he’s going through it
and catching up, she’s the one who hasn’t been
heard through the course of the relationship.
Adam Driver, who has said he has a phobia of
watching his own work, got some attention for
walking out of an interview after they tried to
play a clip of the film. Do you think that criticism
of him was unfair?
Yes, I think it was unfair. He has made it
very clear he doesn’t like to look at himself.
It makes him very, very uncomfortable. We
were at an awards event, and they screened
“Usually there’s like one scene in a movie, or maybe two,
that you’re dreading. With this one, every scene felt like it’s
all too early in the schedule.” ADAM DRIVER30 seconds of something, and he looked
beyond uncomfortable. I so felt for him. Some
people enjoy it; I know actors who like to go
to dailies, but Adam is not that. And these are
artists. They are by nature sensitive people,
and I think to expose him in that way, to
show him [footage] when he specifically said,
“Please, don’t” — it’s just not right.You have two films in the race this year and now
two best picture nominees. How tiring has that
been for you? Do you feel pulled in different
directions?
I’m definitely tired. It’s long and it’s intense
— but what a privilege. I feel blessed, I feel
grateful. This doesn’t happen. I’ve been
nominated once before [for 2013’s Gravity],
but it rarely happens in one’s career. To have it
twice in one year is bonkers. And fortunately,both Quentin [Tarantino] and Noah have great
respect for one another and like each other. I
think the key through it all is communication,
and I think they know that I care for them. I
hope they know. I’m pretty certain they know
that I care for them both and respect them
both. Has it been tough? Yeah, at times, but
gosh, what a high-class problem.Has there been a highlight of the season for you
so far?
Meeting Pedro Almodóvar. I’ve admired
his films for many, many, many years. Andthen to find myself meeting him and talk-
ing to him briefly and having my photograph
taken with him — it’s something that I want
to remember.Is there something you learned while making
Marriage Story that you’ll bring to your next
projects?
Both Quentin and Noah don’t allow mobile
phones on set. It creates a couple of things: It
means that when you’re on set, you’re either
working or you are talking to your family of
filmmakers who you’re making the film with.
You can use the phone, but just leave the set.
This created the family atmosphere — just
because people talk to each other, as opposed
to escaping immediately to their handheld
device. I think that’s something that I’m going
to encourage other directors I work with to
adopt.What were some performances in the other
nominated films that really impressed you?
Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory. I thought
it was a stunning performance, but with such
empathy and melancholy. For someone who’s
normally so alive in his performance in terms
of energy and seduction, to have the bravery
to embrace sadness and loneliness, I thought
was really beautiful. And Song Kang-ho in
Parasite. I think the tonal shifts — not playing
it for laughs — is one of the brilliant things
about the film: It’s played with integrity and
yet it’s very funny.And what are your plans for after the Oscars? Is
a vacation in your future?
I am going to come home [to London] and
spend a lot of time with my family.Interview edited for length and clarity.