Page 34 - The Hollywood Reporter (January 2020)
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nothing. It’s so precise. But I suppose what
surprised me is that for as exacting as he
is, how collaborative he is. He likes to talk
everything through. From production design
all the way down to the marketing, he’s always
analyzing, questioning
to get a real 360 view of
VITAL STATS
the whole piece.
STUDIO Netflix
The film is so relatable
RELEASE DATE Dec. 6
to viewers, even if they
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE
have never gone through
N/A
a divorce. What did you
DIRECTOR Noah Baumbach
find personally relatable?
CAST
I think it’s finding,
Adam Driver, through the journey of
Scarlett Johansson,
separation, the redefi-
Laura Dern
nition of a relationship
TOP AWARDS and the fondness and
6 Oscar noms,
the love that remains.
5 BAFTA noms, 1 Globe win,
Because when you’ve
3 SAG Award noms
shared the experience
of having a child — I
mean, I’ve not been divorced from the mother
of my child, but when you’ve had that inti-
mate experience, when you’ve been so close
to someone for a year, two years, three years,
BEST PICTURE putting aside a child — when you move on,
that experience still is a part of you. And
Marriage Story sometimes I know that people separate and
never want to talk to their partners again.
For me, I’ve remained friends with most of
mine. It’s about just getting to that place
where you can celebrate what is positive about
the relationship, and holding on to that and
Noah Baumbach’s love story about a broken marriage remembering it. And that I found very relat-
showcases breathtaking performances by Adam Driver able and very, very, very moving. The film is
fundamentally a love story — it’s a story of a
and Scarlett Johansson BY REBECCA FORD
marriage told through divorce, and that idea
of looking at a relationship and appreciating MARRIAGE: WILSON WEBB/NETFLIX (2). JOHANSSON: DOMINIQUE CHARRIAU/WIREIMAGE.
oah Baumbach’s Marriage Story David Heyman finds the fact that the film the relationship even after it’s over is quite
centers on the emotionally has sparked discussion to be especially excit- relatable to me.
draining divorce of a couple. ing. “I think that’s the mark of a really good
While that sounds like a very film, that the journey does not end when the Marriage Story earned three acting nominations.
N sad and difficult story to watch, film ends,” he says. Heyman, who also pro- What is it about Noah that he’s able to get those
and at times it is, it’s also a beautiful and often duced fellow best picture nominee Once Upon sort of performances?
funny love story. The film, which debuted at a Time in Hollywood, spoke to THR about why I think it’s several things. One, the script is so
the Venice Film Festival in August, centers the love story about divorce resonated with
on New York-based theater director Charlie him, his thoughts on whether the film favors
(Adam Driver) and his wife, an actress named one person over the other and how he’s been
Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), who are on the juggling two contenders during a very busy
brink of a breakup after Nicole decides that awards season.
she wants to move to Los Angeles with their
young son. The pair sets out to amicably This was your first time working with Noah
divorce but, influenced by a pair of cutthroat Baumbach, who has a very specific, detailed
lawyers (played by Laura Dern and Ray Liotta), style of directing. What did you know about him
things quickly turn ugly. going into this, and what surprised you?
In particular, there’s a blowout fight scene DAVID HEYMAN I knew his work, and I had had
between Driver’s and Johansson’s characters dinner with him. We met with Lucy Dahl,
that not only stunned screening and theat- who was married to Roald Dahl, when Noah
rical audiences but also led to many online and Wes [Anderson] were writing Fantastic
memes after the film hit Netflix on Dec. 6. Mr. Fox. We really got along. He’s very precise.
Plus, there was a flurry of online arguments The film you see is very much the script he’s
about whether the film portrayed Nicole or written. I was recently asked about my favorite
Charlie as the more guilty party. Producer scenes that he cut. And actually, he cut almost
