Portman, Melton & Moore dissect May December

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Natalie Portman, Charles Melton and Julianne Moore chat to Melissa Nathoo about their performances in May December. Report by Nathoom. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

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00:00 What's it like being part of a film that is sparking so much conversation?

00:04 I can't go online any day and not see someone talking about this film.

00:09 That must be incredible.

00:10 I think we just all kind of go back to the 23 days we spent in Savannah, Georgia.

00:14 I mean, we had no rehearsal time and we all came together for 23 days

00:18 under Todd and told this story and, you know, that was the gift.

00:24 I mean, you're getting so much praise, which is rightly deserved.

00:27 But what was the process in your head of making yourself...

00:31 Like, you seemed like a little boy, but you weren't when you played him.

00:36 But the way you carried yourself, it was just something to behold.

00:41 Yeah, it just started with Sammy's script.

00:42 I mean, she laid out this beautiful road map for all these characters

00:46 and Joe's character and, you know, diving into who this man was

00:49 at such a young age, at 13, he was given this immense responsibility

00:53 of being a father and having to show up for his family and his kids

00:56 and being a provider and kind of just understanding this internal

01:00 kind of repressed tragedy that lived in Joe

01:04 and how that would manifest through his physical body

01:08 and how he would carry himself and protect himself

01:10 because, you know, emotions live in different parts of the body, I believe.

01:15 Amazing to watch.

01:16 Can we just talk about the score as well?

01:18 Because sometimes, I mean, it's brilliant,

01:21 but it's so comedic at some point and so devastating at others.

01:25 Yeah, it's just incredible.

01:27 It was one of Todd Haynes' most brilliant ways

01:31 that he expressed his vision for this movie, I think,

01:33 was repurposing the score from the 1971 film, The Go-Between,

01:38 that he watched when he was looking at inspiration for the movie.

01:42 And he played it for us while we were shooting,

01:45 so we were so clear on the tone of this movie,

01:47 which is so highly specific and really leads to that melodrama

01:52 where, you know, it can be a very subtle scene,

01:54 but you know that something much darker is going on.

01:58 And then, of course, allows for that humour and lightness

02:01 because life is absurd.

02:03 - Yeah. - You know?

02:04 Like, even the darkest things are funny.

02:08 Yeah. Actually, I did wonder whether he'd played it for you

02:10 or whether you just saw it in post,

02:12 but, yeah, I think it massively helps.

02:14 - Playing Gracie, - Yeah.

02:16 what is it like getting into that mind frame?

02:20 Because she has so many layers to her that you brought out so well.

02:25 Oh, thank you so much.

02:27 She's challenging.

02:28 She's definitely challenging because there's a narrative

02:31 that she's promoting that clearly is her own.

02:34 It's her own kind of storytelling.

02:36 So when you look at the facts of what actually happened,

02:39 which is that she had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old

02:42 when she was 36,

02:43 so she's transgressed in this major way,

02:46 but she tells the story as if she was rescued,

02:49 that she's a princess who was rescued by a prince.

02:52 And in order to kind of make that palatable,

02:54 she has to make that prince, that boy, a man,

02:57 and she keeps herself forever a child.

02:59 So she has this presentation of naivete,

03:02 of innocence, of romance,

03:06 which, of course, is patently incorrect.

03:09 So I think the tension between what actually happened

03:11 and her narrative is so vast.

03:14 You know, I mean, there's so much room in there.

03:16 And so when she's alone, there's this incredible volatility,

03:20 you know, and shame and confusion.

03:22 So it was definitely a challenging part in that sense.

03:26 I mean, you did it incredibly well.

03:28 No, I keep saying that.

03:29 You don't get tired of hearing it

03:31 because you're going to hear it from everyone.

03:32 It's like in between every question,

03:33 I'm like, "This is a great film."

03:35 Thank you. Thanks.

03:36 If you were going to have someone,

03:39 I'm not saying play you,

03:40 but an actor come and study you to play you,

03:44 is there one thing about yourself

03:46 that you hope that they really get right?

03:48 Because in the film, Gracie's like,

03:50 "Make sure you get that right about me," for the film.

03:52 Is there one thing that you know you do

03:54 or something about yourself that you're like,

03:56 "I hope they get that right about me"?

03:58 Well, one thing I'll say about Gracie,

03:59 when she says, "Make sure you get that right,"

04:01 you know, Gracie is, you know,

04:04 she wants Elizabeth to see

04:06 what Gracie believes her truth to be.

04:08 That is not necessarily the truth.

04:11 And so if somebody came to observe you,

04:13 I think it would depend on what you wanted

04:15 to know about you.

04:17 You know, this movie is so much about performance,

04:20 so much about how we communicate who we are to the world

04:23 and what our signifiers are.

04:25 So the first question would be,

04:26 are you telling the truth or not?

04:28 And do you want that person to see the truth?

04:30 That was a good way of getting at you.

04:31 You know what I'm saying?

04:32 You know, you know, very well.

04:35 Guys, like, I'm going to say it again.

04:37 It's a great film.

04:39 Thank you.

04:39 You're going to hear it plenty,

04:40 and you deserve all the, like, critical acclaim

04:43 and everything that it's getting.

04:44 Thank you.

04:45 Thank you so much.

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