Steven Soderbergh sat down with the Village Voice recently to discuss his upcoming Manhattan-based high-end escort industry film, a down-and-dirty digital film called “The Girlfriend Experience,” that we’re highly anticipating because we generally dig the filmmaker and his bold, creative choices, even when he falls flat on his face – he’s always willing to take risks.
Shoot for $1.7 million in 16 days, the film stars real-life porn star Sasha Grey and the filmmaker says her naturalistic performance will sup rise many people.
“We’ve built the whole movie around her and played to her personality, so I think people will be surprised at just how comfortable and normal she seems on-screen—what an unmannered performance she gives. It’s hard for me to tell what this will mean for her, because she’s not someone you can just plug into a generic role. If you’re not taking advantage of who she is, then you’re not really using her well.”
Soderbergh is always refreshingly candid too.
In this volatile time, are we all going to have to whore ourselves out sooner or later?
“Oh, I thought we already were [laughs]. I guess it depends on what your definition is. Mine is doing something you would not ordinarily do for money. I don’t see any difference between what Sasha’s doing in the movie and what I do for Warner Bros. The character in the movie is doing what she wants to for money, and so am I.”
You think he’s joking, but if you read Soderbergh closely, you know he’s not deluding himself and is immensely self-aware (perhaps to a fault). “The Girlfriend Experience,” comes out May 22 in limited release via Magnolia. Someone needs to get back to us about a Tribeca Film Festival pass, because we would really love to see it there.