His Three Daughters Roundtable with Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Azazel Jacobs

During the rehearsal I don’t know if you remember, but I had this like, the heartbeat monitor so that we get the sense like I can play it so that we could feel that there actually is a tempo going on in this next room. There was a sense of a presence over there. I wrote each of you and said that I had written a script with you in mind, and I was terrified just to say that, because I feel like actors don’t want to hear that something was written with them in mind. -Really? -Aren’t they solipsistic by nature? I thought that was our whole trip? His Three Daughters is about three sisters coming together because of their father’s ill health and the other reason that I really thought of the three of you is because I think you all have — bring comedy. Let’s settle down. There’s no reason for this to become an issue. And for her to just take her shitty weed and smoke it outside. Shitty weed? Oh please. No, I get top shelf. Not that dog shit you smoked all day long, right? You think I forgot that? That was high school. I’ve grown up quite a lot since then. Unlike others. Grown up. Still a bitch. Rachel. Katie. No. Let’s just stop. People make dark jokes and people laugh when things are terrible. And I hate when things are so serious. There’s no sense of humor because that doesn’t feel like real life to me at all. And that’s why they need to have more laughing at funerals. That’s my platform. One unanimous thing that you all responded to because I said I’ve also sent to Natasha and sent this... All three of you said, oh, I want to work with these other two. And you. Sorry. Let’s just keep our voices down. We need to be able to hear his room. The idea of sending it to you all and Jovan as well, was just to say, this is a film that exists outside of how things are normally done. It’s been you this whole time in this house taking care of your dad. We’ll shoot this in New York City. We’ll shoot this on film. We’ll be partners in this. That this would be our film. Ultimately we’d come in this together. I think that maybe that has become a lost art form. -Absolutely. -Which is film and all that and purposeful. So I think that yeah, we’re really excited to bring that back. because if it’s not, it tones it down. The scenes felt very real to me. So, like, Katie’s apology felt like an apology from someone who has a really hard time being fully expressed and vulnerable. Rachel, can I say something and you wait just one minute. Not interested. I haven’t said anything. I’m not interested in whatever you want to say. And yet, the person receiving the apology is like, that’s as good as I’m going to get. And that just all felt like real people to me. What’s going on here? Well, I’m trying to apologize to her, but as you can see... Fuck your apology. For real! I think we are all always doing a litmus test if something was too saccharine or not. Like we just, I think we were all very aware that it could go there. We had all agreed that we felt strong about the script. And so now it was, okay, how do we make this feel sincere? How is this real? And so it had to do with how you all were going to space out lines when you were going to jump on top of each other or not. How you’re going to come together. Where you were going to move. Oh. Oh, you are over there. Yeah. I was just taking a moment. What’s up? Nothing. Take the moment. Everything is fine. You very clearly explained to us your intention of wanting us to be isolated in shots until you didn’t and when you wanted to frame us in the same frame. And I think we all, just as people who are lovers of film, got excited about that, that arc and story as its own element. I think every time we asked a question, it was kind of like because of this, it was like, sort of very official. -Nothing arbitrary. There was nothing arbitrary. -Yeah, there was no... Everything was clear. I think that’s why the film works the way it does. As our images of each other gets complicated, the audience goes on the same journey. The audience’s image of the sisters gets complicated as the movie unfolds, just like we’re discovering each other. I’m going to you all with a story that revolves around grief to a certain degree. He’s been Daddy to me. So that’s my dad. Over there. In here. Fucking dying. You know. How did you each find your way into that? I think that we’re all processing and unpacking that grief. It’s sort of like a shared common language that does actually make us sort of siblings in a way because life, they say is a grieving process because like at all times you’re grieving. You know the last thing and yesterday let alone your parents, your childhood, the end of a relationship. But there’s like there’s ongoing sea of grief, you know. It’s my dad. It is my dad. Okay. I felt like all three of you from the very first moment, just came out swinging with everything. It was always what I hoped for every day. So I’m so, so grateful to all of you. It really is... this film has been a blessing.