WORDSOLLY RICHARDS
moments I wanted to preserve,” he tells Empire. “It
would be very easy to make this a fi lm about the
shiny objects: decadence, glamour, money, gossip.”
His directorial debut received a warm response on
the festival circuit. In Sorkin’s own words, he shares
what his fi rst time out of the gate taught him.
CAST WELL
“Day one: panic. Day two: cast the lead role.
That’s the most important decision. There are
certain things an actor can’t act. They can’t
pretend to be smart or funny. Jessica [Chastain]
brings those things and many other strengths”.
WATCH EVERYTHING
“I watched any movie that was in front of me.
I had a particular interest in The Big Short. There
was an editing style that Adam McKay and his
editor, Hank Corwin, used at certain moments
that I was very interested in. If you were to watch
Molly’s Game now knowing that, you’d see some
moments that are reminiscent of The Big Short.”
NEVER GIVE UP ON A TAKE
“If there’s one piece of knowledge I’d take from
this fi lm, it’s to never give up on a take. There were
a few times in making Molly’s Game where I felt
like [a take] was never going to be exactly what
I wanted, so let’s just move on. I regret doing that.”
LISTEN TO COSTNER
“One of my actors was an Academy Award-
winning director [Kevin Costner, who won an
Oscar for Dances With Wolves, plays Molly
Bloom’s father]. Kevin was there as an actor, but
when he talked as a director it was to be
supportive, to say, ‘You’re doing great. This
tracking shot you’ve designed, if you want to
hand off here at the end it might make a nice cut.’
His advice was always welcome.”
Screenwriting legend Aaron
Sorkin on what he learnt from his
directorial debut, Molly’s Game
RAISING THE STAKES
AARON SORKIN SAYS he’s “never thought
of being a screenwriter as a stepping stone to being a
director”. He had considered directing The Social
Network, but happily handed it over to David
Fincher. When it came to Molly’s Game, though, he
felt differently. Adapted from the memoirs of Molly
Bloom (played by Jessica Chastain), who went from
being a Hollywood PA to running high-stakes poker
games that got her mixed up with the Russian
Mafi a and the FBI, it made Sorkin feel protective in
a way he hadn’t before. “There were emotional
