'Mack & Rita': Director Katie Aselton On "The Largest Pull" Of Working With Diane Keaton & More [Interview]

Diane Keaton leads the charge in “Mack & Rita,” a comedy that plays with the body swap storytelling device, this time with a character who, rather than swapping bodies with someone else, instead ages a few decades into an older version of herself. Elizabeth Lail plays 30-year-old Mack, who, while reluctantly taking part in a Palms Spring bachelorette trip for her best friend, her inner 70-year-old, is released after being promised a transformation of her true self. Keaton plays this version of Mack, going by Rita, as she comes into her own, finally no longer working against others’ opinions and expectations.

Katie Aselton directs the film in her third feature, following “Black Rock” and “The Freebie.” Known for her roles in “Legion” and “The League,” she’s worked consistently as an actress, writer, and director. We spoke to her about “Mack & Rita,” directing versus acting, the excitement of working with Keaton, and how we’re constantly growing into ourselves, no matter the age.

How did the story first come to you, and what was the biggest draw?
The largest pull was Diane Keaton. The opportunity to direct her was undeniable; I couldn’t pass that up. Beyond that, though, the heart of the story and the message felt really important. It resonated with me and really struck a chord with me about the struggle we all have to be our most authentic selves. I loved the way it was all wrapped up in a comedy; I couldn’t deny it.

Do you find that there are some aspects in the stories you direct that are consistent, or is it just about wanting to try new things with each project? Looking through the films you’ve directed, they’re all pretty different in tone.
Yeah, they’re different tonally, but I think the three movies’ throughline is that they all have really strong female characters. None of my female characters really fade into the background, and they’re not there to be supportive. They’re there to shine. I kind of dig that. I think moving forward, that’s my jam.

I love seeing that too. In this film, I liked that the aspiration is to be older and more comfortable in your skin, and that’s nice to see, especially in the entertainment industry where women aren’t really celebrated as they get older.
For sure! I think our character Mack really confuses age with wisdom and what those two things are. But I think using a body swap device for storytelling is a really interesting way to get both perspectives and see two sides to that story. Also, as a middle-aged director, it’s an interesting take because I feel I’m straddling both worlds. I’ve got one foot that still very much connects with the woman who is racked with insecurity and trying to be someone she’s not, and then my other foot is dipping her toes into the world of true self-acceptance and living her best life. You look at the older generation in the movie, and the fun thing about showing these women is that they’re learning to live their best lives at any age and to know that there is no expiration date on doing that. The journey never stops.

I look at Betty, who Lois Smith plays, and she’s 92 now, and she’s the one who has it the most figured out. Betty is the one who has the most sage advice where you want to skip all these years, but those are the “you” years; those are the years that get you to this point. That’s sort of the takeaway. Let’s enjoy the journey.

I always like the idea of a coming-of-age story getting to be told from any age perspective. It gets lumped into the teenage age, adolescence, but the fact is that it’s going on the whole time.
You never stop learning. That’s the greatest realization—or the worst realization may be—of adulthood in a lot of ways. Adulthood doesn’t mean figuring it all out; no one has it all figured out. Everyone is just doing their best as we go. There’s no finish line where you’re like, ‘oh wow, I finally got it all figured out.’

Do you see, since you’ve been working as an actress and since you’ve been directing, do you see the landscape changing of telling stories about older women? Even just a few years ago, it felt like there were maybe three actresses who were actually allowed to play their age.
It’s interesting, as we were making this movie and seeing who is available to make this movie – they’re all working. These stories are out there, and they’re being made. I think about the Emma Thompson movie that just came out; it was fantastic and is a fantastic example. There’s such a dearth of talent and stories and fun to be had. These women – working on this set was so much fun. To hear all the stories and experiences and to live it that I certainly hope, everyone is saying it’s getting better, everyone is saying it’s happening, and what I think we’re seeing this summer with movies and who is going to see them, there’s definitely an audience for it. So I certainly hope, particularly as an actress moving forward in age [laughs], I hope that these stories keep getting told. I just think life is rich as you age, and stories get more interesting, and characters get more interesting. Fingers crossed!

I read that this was the first film you directed where you didn’t write the script as well. Was there something liberating about that? Is it something you’d like to do again?
Incredibly. I would love to do it again. I love creating it from the first iteration of thought and bringing it through but also the collaboration with writers and having these other voices in there, I think, really brought so many other layers to the movie. I loved it.

Look, I came to filmmaking as an actor looking for an opportunity, but I stayed here for the collaboration. The process of making movies from start to finish is utterly delightful. With a team of creatives, too, it’s really cool. Bring me the writers, bring me the scripts, bring me the idea, and I’ll write it myself, but I’m very open to all of it.

As an actress and director, while watching your work, do you dissect it differently depending on which space you’re in? Do you find it easier to watch when you direct?
Yes, because I can celebrate the work of the actors, whereas if I’m watching my work as an actor, I have a very hard time celebrating the work of the director as I’m only focused on myself as an actor. It’s really hard to separate the two. As a director, I really love looking at what the actor is bringing.

It must be fun as well to see actors who’ve had buzzier roles recently, like Taylor Paige, Simon Rex, and Patti Harrison, come on board. What is the casting process like, and is it just a part of the fun?
It was a dream, a total dream, but also, at the same time, completely wild because there were no chemistry reads, nothing with COVID, so it was just a crapshoot on whether or not it was going to work. I love the way it all came together. I’m so madly in love with my cast.

Looking ahead, is there a type of story or genre that you’re interested in telling that pushes your boundaries or out of your comfort zone?
You know what’s interesting? I’ve really found while working on this movie that I really love working in comedy – I really do. It’s a space that I take great delight in, and I love pushing the boundaries of comedy and going high with comedy and then contrasting it with drama and having that friction of storytelling there to heighten both sides. The idea of bringing back Penny Marshall movies, bringing back the true character drive rom-coms that don’t go for the cheap laughs but have real heart, that would be a dream.

It also allows actresses to be big and broad in a way they don’t always get to be.
Big, broad, and flawed! Yeah, these characters are just so multi-dimensional and have an edge, and are ultimately lovable. Let’s show that.

“Mack & Rita” is in theaters now.