I feel like it's starting to affect me a bit now,
(laughter) dying on screen so many times.
Might do a comedy.
The film touched on so many of the teenage milestones,
like the sort of things you're supposed to hit,
like falling in love and preparing for a formal
while showing us, at the same time, the tragedy of Milla
and the fact that she might not make it to these milestones.
So for you two, what kind of milestones marked your teenage years
and did they inspire the film, maybe?
- Ah, go Eliza. - Oh god.
I mean, I feel like I've only just made it out of my teen years
so it hasn't been brewing for very long,
but my school had, like, three balls,
one in year ten, one in year eleven, one in year twelve.
It was so stressful and, oh my god, I remember just being so-,
dreading it, just absolutely dreading it,
so I'm glad that I could have an extremely positive experience
on the screen.
What made you dread it so much?
Oh, it was just like-,
there was so much emphasis put on what dress you were wearing
and the fact that no one else could wear the same dress as you,
and the hair and the makeup.
Everybody went all-out, it was a very big deal, but I did have fun.
You just have to have fun with the right people, I guess,
which isn't always the case in your teenage years.
Yeah, and I guess in terms of anything
that maybe influenced the film a bit,
for me, the night out with Milla and Moses
was something that I really wanted to make sure felt like
the most incredible night out,
this long, sprawling night that just kept having these amazing moments
and felt like it was never-ending.
For me, I remember the first time I ever went to an art school party
and all the people were so cool and they were performance artists,
and for me, that was really inspiring as a young person,
so that's what got us to look at creating
a similar kind of party for the film.
Milla's self-expression in the film is really vibrant,
like, the fact that she loses her hair
and her answer to that is these incredible wigs.
So what would you take away from her attitude or stuff like that
to get you through a tough time that you were going through?
She is just-, she has the most irreverent sense of humour
in the most inappropriate situations.
Is this a style?
I was going for rats' tails.
You look like a different person.
What have you done with my daughter?
I killed her.
Oh my god!
And I'm, I'm a bit afraid to be that way.
I guess I'm more like Milla when I'm with my friends and family
and by myself,
but maybe I'd have a-,
I don't know, I just think she's,
yeah, she's just a really incredible character to have played.
It was an incredible performance to watch.
- Awesome, thank you. - (laughter)
And Shannon?
With Milla, something that I learnt was to really listen to people
when they are facing the greatest existential crisis of their life,
and to honour what they want to be doing
and how they want to be living it.
And I think, from what Eliza and I learnt
when we were talking to an organisation here called CanTeen
which works with young people with cancer,
they talked about how the medical industry and parents
often can't really deal with the realities of what might be going on.
They obviously know what's happening but they don't want to ever really
speak about that quite so openly,
they never want to feel like they're giving up or stop medication,
and sometimes I think it's really important to instead
listen to the person who's going through it
and take their wishes quite seriously.
So I really loved that aspect of the film,
the idea of really listening to that person who it's affecting
more than anyone else.
Will you come to my school formal?
Aren't I a bit old for that?
No.
Do I have to wear a suit?
I don't think so.
I'd like to wear one.
Oh my god!
(laughter)
My heart's beating so fast, that was like having a heart attack.
Feel that. (laughter)
I didn't think it would be like that.
Another aspect of the film I really wanted to ask about
was the fact that Moses is clearly very unsuitable for Milla,
but she looks past his flaws to kind of have that romance
that she feels she needs in that time.
So what do you think the benefits of that self-deception are
to get you through a hard time?
It pushes you, you know, it pushes you into areas
you're too afraid to explore naturally
in your own personality and on your own.
For me, that was what I often thought about with their connection.
What did you think, Eliza?
Um, well, with what you said earlier about
one of Milla's great qualities is, you know-,
well, what's important about this film is listening to the person
that is suffering in the film the most, which is Milla.
Dysfunction doesn't scare her, she's from a dysfunctional family,
so in many ways, she's had to learn to accept their flaws
and she can judge them, but she doesn't really
because she understands where their vices are potentially coming from.
And I think with Moses, she knew that
she didn't want to be looked at as a victim of this disease
and he didn't want to be looked at as a victim of his addiction,
and so I think they saw eye-to-eye in that, that they saw past that.
There are so many funny moments in the film
along with that kind of tragic, heavy, existential tone.
I think the tone is amazing with how balanced it is.
How did you keep the playful atmosphere on set
when you were dealing with such a heavy topic as that?
(laughter) Um, I think we all just really got along
and, you know, it was a real pleasure to work on the film.
I mean, in my opinion, we were all really close
and I was excited to get on set every day, and that's not-,
That's such a great thing to have.
Yeah, it's like, it's not the case for every film, unfortunately.
Ben is absolutely hilarious and marches to the beat of his own drum,
and there's Toby who's just as charismatic and funny,
and Essie, she's got a really naughty sense of humour too,
so there was always something to laugh about.
There were plenty of times when Toby and I
wouldn't be able to get through scenes
because we were laughing too much at very inappropriate times,
so I think there were plenty of laughs to go around.
Yeah, I kind of remember there was one scene
where you guys would not stop losing it,
and I was finally getting so annoyed and I was like, 'Just stop it!'
'We've got to get through it, it's a night shoot, just cut it out!',
but I can't even remember what it was now.
But I think as well, I really love hiring
crew members that have a sense of humour,
because for me, it's all about the people in front,
but it's also, the people behind have to have the same attitude
as myself and what I'm asking the actors to deliver,
which was this mix of tone, as you were talking about.
So I really wanted to make sure that there were a lot of people
who know how to laugh and be reverent when it's important to be that way,
and yeah, so we were all on the same page.
You've both worked with incredible female directors, actors, writers,
so how does collaboration shape your path as a filmmaker
and is there anyone you dream to work with next?
I mean, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head,
but really, I feel very lucky to have worked
with the filmmakers I've worked with.
And, you know, there's been a lot of people along the way
who have guided me through that,
and people like Shannon and Greta Gerwig
are huge idols of mine
and, yeah, I feel very lucky to have worked with them.
I'm just full of gratitude. (laughter)
I actually did the press junket for Little Women
so I met Greta and Saoirse for that. - Oh, really?
Yeah, so this is the second movie
I've seen you die in now, unfortunately.
(laughter) Oh god.
I will say I feel like it's starting to affect me a bit now,
dying on screen so many times.
Might do a comedy.
(laughter)
I think you'd be good at that.
Look, I think collaboration is so important to me.
I really am a collaborative director,
I care so much about my heads of department,
and I need them so much because they supply me
with so many extraordinary ideas and support
and they make the work happen.
I've fallen in love with the actors that I've already worked with
so even though I'm sure there's other people I'd want to work with,
I just want to continue the relationships
with all the great actors and actresses I already have worked with.
Yeah, I really believe in the power of long-term relationships
and how that can just grow, and it's something I really love.
Thank you both so much for speaking to me,
you're both so incredible to talk to.
Very inspirational, yeah.
Thank you so much both for your time today.
I hope you have a good evening, because it's morning here. (laughter)
Thank you.
Have a good day, take care.