Greta Gerwig‘s “Lady Bird” was one of the highlights of last month’s New York Film Festival, rapidly becoming the fan favorite of the festival. In the center of its whirlwind success Gerwig stopped by to discuss her process, creating the character of Lady Bird, and honing all her skills for her directorial debut.
The film was largely inspired by the works of Joan Didion who Gerwig discovered in her teen years and affectionately refers to as “the patron saint of my heart.” “I had this idea that art needed to made somewhere else. I had never seen an artist turn their eye to their hometown,” Gerwig said. A quote from Didion in a 1979 New York Times article written by Michiko Kakutani sets the tone of the film: “Anybody who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento.” Gerwig said, “[Didion] just made me realize that all art is worthy, even if it’s yours. So it really inspired me to make this film about the place I was from.”
Gerwig also noted the importance of the film’s narrative especially as it relates to American cinema, “I wanted this to be different,” she said. “What is ‘Boyhood‘ for a girl? What is ‘400 Blows‘ for a girl? What are those stories? What is personhood for a young woman?”
There are an abundance of male-focused “coming of age” stories, so it’s refreshing to see a similar idea but through the eyes of a young woman. However, as much as it is a story about the film’s title character played by the incredible Saoirse Ronan, it’s also the story of her mother as well, played by the incomparable Laurie Metcalf. “It was important for me to remind the audience that parents are people too, who had their own dreams, frustrations and childhoods,” Gerwig said.
Gerwig Talks Lady Bird & “Incredible” Saoirse Ronan [NYFF]
When asked about the impact of being female director in this social climate, Gerwig proudly said she was honored to be a part of the New York Film Festival and said that “one third of the films being shown at the festival are directed by women which is a record both here and Toronto [Film Festival].” Gerwig went on to say that she “wants young women to see this and make their own dreams themselves. I’m really interested in seeing what we have to say cinematically, in a form that hasn’t been represented by women historically.”
To hear more about Greta Gerwig creating a “bubble of safety” around her actors, working with some of the best actors in the industry including Julianne Moore, Annette Benning and Saoirse Ronan, listen below. “Lady Bird” is now playing in limited release.
