Before becoming one of the most important directors of American cinema with ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Little Women’, he gave many outstanding performances in front of fictions such as. “Greenberg” and “Frances Ha” by Noah Baumbach. Her new movie ‘Ruido de fondo’ as an actress marks the fourth film collaboration between the two. emotional couple for 11 years -fifth Long-awaited comedy ‘Barbie’ about Mattel doll A surprisingly faithful adaptation of the novel of the same name, which they both co-wrote and directed. It was published in 1985 by Don DeLillo. In the film, Gerwig plays Babette, the mother of a large family, who tries to protect herself from her extraordinary fear of death by secretly taking an experimental drug.
In the last six years you have focused on film directing. Why did you decide to go in front of the camera on the ‘Background noise’ ship?
when noah [Baumbach] We started working on the movie, where we stayed completely confined to our Manhattan apartment. And asked me “Who should play Babette?” When asked, I immediately replied, “I am”. First of all, because by then I was terrified, afraid that the world was going to end, and I wanted one last chance to act. But at the same time, to tell the truth, I didn’t take the matter very seriously at first; Given the circumstances, the film was unlikely to come to fruition. In any case, I felt I had a very clear idea of the personality and what the character should look like.
What was this idea?
“Background noise” is a black comedy and plays with many of the archetypes that mark ’80s movies in genres like disaster movies or science fiction. And I especially thought of characters like those played by Dee Wallace in Teri Garr’s “Encounters of the Third Kind” or “ET The Extra-Terrestrial,” mothers who inspire peace and security but most likely stay behind that front. at war with various inner demons. . Babette has the same front, but in her case it is extremely fragile.
Did you miss acting?
Of course. I love acting. I always knew I wanted to devote myself to writing stories, but when you’re 15-16 your writing is usually garbage. I started acting with the intention of stepping into the world of cinema; He didn’t have the ability to write like Tennessee Williams, but he had the ability to memorize texts and read them with an intent. The truth is, I fell in love with it and the sense of community that was created on set. And this feeling continues to intoxicate me every time I perform.
Do you think your experiences as a director have changed your attitude when it comes to acting?
I think it made me value both professions more than before, but above all it made me admire translators even more. Acting is much more complex than you might think. What makes me happiest at this point in my career is being on set, sitting on the floor next to the camera, watching a group of incredible actors play for me. Keeps me flying.
One of the most surprising aspects of ‘Background Noise’ is Don DeLillo’s faithfulness to his original novel, which for decades was deemed unsuitable for film.
I first read DeLillo’s book in 2002, when I was 19 years old. The September 11 attacks had just happened, and the fear of death was in the air. I still have it, full of underline and “Wow!” in the margins of some pages. I wrote things like Noah and I share our commitment to that novel. And we also share the love of cinema with sensitive dialogues. When we direct, both he and I like that the actors follow the script to the letter. We are literally fascinated by the films of some directors from the first half of the 20th century, such as Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks or Ernst Lubitsch. And I think directors always imitate what we love.
“Background noise” is a movie about, among other things, a poisonous cloud that follows the public like a virus; and during the pandemic, it was withdrawn in the face of the threat of coronavirus. The parallels are clear.
Yes, and therefore frankly surreal situations occurred during filming. In some scenes, our characters wore protective masks and we had to wear other types of bodyguards between shoots, so the assistant director would often tell us, “Guys, take off the 2021 mask and put on the 1985 mask.” It was really weird.
Do you share the fear of death experienced by the heroes of the movie?
Yes, and I tried to explore it to make the movie. There are some really great books written about death like ‘Being Mortal’ and ‘Remembering When You’re Dead’ by Atul Gawande. Live’ by Paul Kalanithi. I wanted to read for a long time, but I did not dare. Confronting them in the end made me emotionally invested in my character. And it made me realize that I had to change many of my vital attitudes. And I think this happens to almost all of us. We must stop pretending we are immortal. Because life is too short and we can’t take advantage of it.
Some say making movies is a way of defying death, a way of living forever. What do you think?
Every time we watch old movies, I think about it and realize that all those people who walk around the screen, who sometimes radiate so much vitality, are actually dead. I’ve never thought about myself or my own films, but I’m afraid from now on this thought will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Source: Informacion
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.