Beanie Feldstein & Florence Pugh - Actors on Actors - Full Conversation

How did you find working with Greta Gerwig? No, how did you find working with Greta Gerwig? And what about Saoirse Ronan? I can talk about Saoirse Ronan For the rest of my life. For the rest of my life, all day, every day. Greta Gerwig is the weirdest, bubbliest, most intelligent, colourful burst of life that I've had the pleasure of knowing. She's a special, special soul. And then working with her is the same thing as well. I know. It feels like working with someone that you simultaneously feel so comfortable with, but also admire so much. It's like a weird blend of like older sister mentor, like inspiration, kind of all wrapped. And she speaks the same language. And I think we've been doing a couple of Q&As at the moment for Little Women, and we've all touched on the fact that it must have been because she is, was an actress and so understands how it feels to be not only in the audition room, not only to send away tapes, but to be on set and how crucial that dialogue is. Absolutely. And I feel like she also, she like really blends the cast and the crew in such a beautiful way. I think Saoirse does the same thing. I remember on Lady Bird, I felt like she was like a member, just as much a member of the crew as she was a member of the cast, which was really beautiful. I love that film so much. What was it like making it? I was so green, like looking back on it. I'm like, they were so nice to me. I was like, it's like, you know, I'm older than Saoirse, but I felt like this like little, you know, new, like wide-eyed deer, just like me, like, thanks for letting me come, guys. Thanks for letting me come. I'll pay you. But I've heard from Greta that you were not that way on Little Women and that you were so confident. And I want to hear all about this. What has she said about me? She just said that you plopped down in the carriage in the middle of the street. I was so confident. I'm like, tell me your ways. No, I think, oh no, my mom's going to be embarrassed now. Because I plopped down in a carriage next to Meryl Streep. No, that's incredible, like what confidence she's given you. I remember one day, Greta came up to me and she was like, are you just not interested by the fact that you're sat next to Meryl right now? And I was like, no, I am. I'm just trying to not be a complete insane psycho. You swung the opposite way. I always feel like you just got to slowly shimmy rather than like. See, I need to learn those ways. I could take some tips. Some people are really good at being massive fangirl. I think I'd cringe myself out if I were to be like, I've seen everything you've ever been in. I'm a massive, I just can't help it. I just am like. That's you, that's like, I would fall in love with you. We're already in love, we're getting married. We're wearing white. Anyway, sorry, back to Greta Gerwig. Okay, so Lady Bird was such an important film for me. I even remember doing a little podcast on it a couple of years ago. And I said, I don't know why it's different, but it is. And I can't tell you exactly what the differences are. And I'm not going to say that it's because she's a woman. But there was something that was, I'm not even going to say sensitive because I don't think that's the right word. But there was a different way of viewing things and a different way of explaining things and a different way of seeing someone's life. And I think that's the thing, that's the female aspect, which is, I think we're so used to seeing the world in such, well, one way. And I couldn't put my finger on what it was that was different about Lady Bird. But there was just a different way of telling someone's story. And I actually, I found that with Little Women as well. It was like, I don't know what's different about it. But it's so refreshing. Definitely. I always say Lady Bird is so delicate. You can keep it in your hands. You can kind of keep it with you always. And I think, I mean, I'm going to gush at you about Little Women for so long. But I think what's so incredible is it's much more massive than Lady Bird. It's a big story that everyone knows. It's a period film. It has so much going on. There's dances and balls and all these things. And yet it still has that quality. And I think that's her gift, but also the people that she brings on board. And the four of you just are electric together and so beautiful. But honestly, like, I grew up on Little Women. It's one of my favorite stories in the world. I always hated Amy. And then, Miss, I watched this film and I was so blown away by your work. Truly. Thank you. So blown away because you stood toe to toe with Joe, who is Saoirse, who I know is hard to stand toe to toe with. Oh my God. You elevated that character to someone that I rooted for and that I loved and that I was on her side and questioning why I was on her side. And you could see that they were really mirrors of each other and sisters in that way. Whereas I always never understood their... But they share so much and that's why they really butt heads sometimes. And that's your really brilliant, brilliant... That's an amazing compliment. Thank you so much. I think something that Saoirse touched upon a couple of evenings ago, because the one thing that Greta does is, even if the film isn't about completely one specific character, every single character feels so beefed out and they have their own story. And even if they're only in three scenes, you know them. You know them by the end. It's not that they're a token role in any means. And I think straight away when I came to this job, Greta said straight up, Amy's going to be more than just what she is in the books in this, because I feel like she hasn't had her voice. And I have to say, I totally agree. I think she is so easily and quickly the bratty sister. I think it's so easy to read Jo as being this hero and everybody wants to be Jo. But I think there's also something being said for Amy, for a girl that knows at that time, the wisest thing to do is to richly marry. Which is so odd for us, for women now to go, yeah, you go, you marry that rich man. But actually at that time, there wasn't very many options. And what Jo was doing was the most absurd thing. Like you're not going to marry and you're going to earn your own money. Are you stupid? So I think it was like a really nice way of just spinning it back around and going, yeah, they're actually very similar. They're both very stubborn and they are both very headstrong. They both want different things. But it doesn't mean that one of them is right and one of them is wrong. Totally. I also feel like as young women, I'm the younger sister. I think you're the older sister. Well, I was the youngest for a long time. And then my mom decided to have another one. So I understand. You understand. But I did feel like, why am I being held back just because I'm younger? And I was like, oh my God, am I an Amy? Yes. You mean me because? Yes. I always thought I was Beth, but here I am. I thought you were Beth. That is the best one. It's true. Yeah. No, it was. No, but it's like, why should we be kept from an experience just because of your age or your gender or anything? Yeah. I also love that one line in it, which is, I've been second to Joe my entire life. And for anyone that's. Even just hearing you say it now, I'm like, I'm right back in it. I'm in the, you've taken me back. And it's for any kid that's younger than their siblings, that is so true. Whether or not it's fact, you will always feel like you have to, in some way, prove yourself again and again and again or run past their. Totally. Their peak. And so I love playing her. She was so much fun. I just had three months of being the most delicious, bratty, gorgeous little girl. And those costumes. I won with the costumes. You really did. I really won. Yeah. I've always known I would marry Rich. Why should I be ashamed of that? There's nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you love him. Well, I believe we have some power over who we love. It isn't something that just happens to a person. I think the poets might disagree. Well, I'm not a poet. I'm just a woman. I have many questions about books, Mark. A, what was it like to work with Olivia Wilde? Because I am totally in love with her. Caitlin as well. I've been watching her for the last couple of years. She's just incredible. And how was the shoot like with that many young actors? And what were the difficulties? And what were the best days? Please fill me in. I think you and Olivia would be like, you'd be so drawn to each other because she's just as fearless as you are in her work on screen and off screen. I can tell. I think it was such a beautiful kind of. I felt like once I worked with Greta, I'm not sure if you feel the same way. Greta Gerwig, I was sort of like, where do I go from here? Because I've hit the top and this is like my second movie ever. And what am I going to do? And then Olivia came to me with Booksmart. And I was like, this is it. You find someone that's amazing in her own beautiful way. And Olivia is a remarkable director. She's so fresh and energetic. And just I felt I was believed in her so much that I was really intimidated by my character. I think she's really tough. I wonder if you felt the same with Amy. Like she can be a bit intolerable sometimes. And she's sometimes like the one being like, we can't stay at this fun party wherever the audience is enjoying themselves. Like we have to move on to the next thing. And so I was really intimidated by that because I'm used to playing kind of the sweet one. And so to play the very, very motivated, strong, fierce one was very new to me. And it was Olivia's kind of confidence in all of us that I think made us all rise to the occasion. And working with Caitlin was, I mean, truly a special partnership for me in my life. Like we lived together while we were filming the movie. And so we were just like on top of each other all the time, inseparable. We'd like brush our teeth together and eat pancakes. And it was, there's really a lot of us up there. And I think it kind of had to be that way for it to work. You can see it. You can see it's not a false in any way friendship, but it looks totally real. Yeah, it was, it was really, I mean, as you said, I, I've admired her work for so long too. And I was so intimidated. I felt the same way with Saoirse. I'm just like, these are extraordinary. It's terrifying. And how do I, what am I doing here? And the worst thing is, is that, you know, every single aspect of their face, because you've watched them all the time. And you know that it's going to be the most amazing, but the most terrifying thing to act with them. Because my big fear was that I was just going to be like, yeah, I forgot my lines. I'm just like, oh, sorry, it's comforting to hear you say that because I see you as so fearless. But no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I, uh, but what you were saying with Merrill earlier, I remember just watching her for an entire scene and then realizing that I hadn't been acting and I'd just been like saying my line every now and then. And Greta came in. She was like, hey, so, um, let's go again. Yes, very true, very true. But no. So when did you shoot Booksmart? We shot it, um, like early summer of last year in L.A. And it was almost entirely night shoots, which was. What? Yeah. I mean, it takes place all overnight, basically. So we did three and a half weeks of nights, which was crazy and fun. And you asked earlier about like the young cast. Yeah. What was that like? It was just so special because it's a group of young people, some of which are, I already knew, and one of which is my best. My girl is my enemy in the movie. Triple A is my best friend in the world. So that was so fun. But, um, Molly Gordon is a dream, but we just, it was just this crew of young, talented, fresh, so different, so spectacular, um, beautifully assembled by Alison Jones, the incredible casting director. And it was just so special just to watch everyone shine. I think Olivia and Greta share that in that every character in all of their movies just has a moment that makes them clear and complex and lovely. And that's someone you want to watch for a whole movie of their own. I also feel like with films that size, everybody is so invested in the script that it, it, it becomes like this. Everybody's making it, everybody's making it and everybody's lifting things and everybody is eating everyone's food. And it's just, you're there for one sole purpose, which is you all believe in the script and you all believe in, in the team and you'll do anything for it. Yeah, of course. Just like pouring all your love into it at four in the morning. I remember starting the scene where, uh, we were, we were running away from the yacht and we call Malala for the first time, which is like a big moment. Yeah. And we started it at four in the morning and I was like, Caitlin, this is going to be a movie. All the stuff we're doing at four in the morning is like actually in the film. It's actually going to happen and people are going to see our faces at this time. At this time and my brain is fully working for sure. But your comedy in it was so quick and so pacey that the, the, the thought of you working through the night is like mind boggling to me because I switch off past like three. Oh, I'm so, I go to bed at like 10. Olivia is like, she is the energizer bunny. She is so full of life. I mean, that kind of terrifies me. I'm trying to think about her schedule and I'm like, I don't know when you sleep. Children directing and night shoots. Acting, what are you, where are you going with that? Um, but she was incredible. And Katie Silverman who wrote the script, the two of them had a partnership very similar to the one that Caitlin and I were portraying. No way. So it was like literally right behind the monitor were these two incredibly different but lovable, brilliantly smart women that were leading the charge. So that was really, really one of a kind. That's cool to see as well. The support system and the head of the ship. That's very cool. That car belongs in a museum. What the ****, Jared? I said door to door. Museum of death because it's smog. It's killing us all. You all right? They spend every minute together. It's so weird. We spend every minute together. We are equals. When you first read Booksmart, were there any other teenage comedies or films that you took inspiration from? What did you grow up watching? How has any of that impacted you as a performer? It's so interesting because Caitlin and I talk so much about it and most of the memories we had of female friendships from our childhood were on TV. They weren't on screens like Lizzie McGuire, like That's So Raven. Yeah, they did. Me too. They were so prevalent in our lives and that's what we thought about, but there weren't that many. All the films were mostly male-led. Mean Girls, I grew up quoting incessantly. It was amazing. We've watched so many since then. Olivia showed the whole cast and crew Fast Times at Ridgemont High before we started, which was the night before we started shooting. We went in with that energy, which was amazing. But for both of us, I think comedically, Bridesmaids is always my heartbeat. It's my Bible. I can watch it. I think I've already seen it 900 times. But to see that many women given their own film and all allowed to be so different in their comedy, and that's what I love about Booksmart is that Olivia really manages to capture all these different comedic styles and not force one to meet the other, but really let each one have their own life. And I love that. And I think Bridesmaids is a very similar thing where each of the women has their own take on the world and take on humor and how to bring it to life. But it all works in the same kind of space. I want to know, I wish I could have seen your face the first time you read. Do you say Midsommar or Midsummer? Sometimes I've done press and I've been like, so Midsommar. And then two minutes later, I'll be like Midsommar. And I basically caused them the most amount of stress because I mispronounced the name a hundred times. But I wish I could have just been a fly on the wall watching you read that script for the first time. I was shooting Little Drummer Girl in, we were in Greece at the time and I got sent the script and my agents were like, this is nuts. You need to read it. I was like, okay. And I'd just come home from a night shoot, same thing. I got back at like 6am in the morning and I was FaceTiming Ari in a couple of hours time. And I said, let's just crack it out. And I don't want to read it. And then I just want to read it and then talk to him. So I remember reading half of it before I went to the night shoot and then half of it when I got back. And I remember that entire night shoot. I was like, what happens? And then when I got back, every single page I turned, I was like, oh no. Okay. That's how I envisioned you doing it. So thrilled that you're doing the same. Totally. And to the point where I felt like the last page of that was just like 200 words that were just, they all were contradicting one another and then vibing with one another. And I had to reread the last page three times to make sure that I wasn't just tired and I wasn't reading it right. But honestly, the last chunk was Danny is happy, free, unhappy, depressed, screaming, crying, vomiting, bliss, orgasmic. And it was like this. I felt all of that. Yeah. But it was just like, I remember I had to read that last page about three times. I'd be like, am I getting this right? And then you're sending him like, how do I, what are we going to do? Yeah. How are we going to do this? Sorry. Did you do the two films back to back? Yeah. How close together? Like I, so I went to Budapest and I shot Midsommar for three months and then I, I, I flew to Boston and I, I shot the next day, did my makeup test. What was that like? Well, I basically had to call both, both directors and plead them to help save my life. That's how dramatic I was. I was like, you have to help me. Like scheduling. Yeah. Which is always, as you know, a nightmare. But I remember like melting down on the phone to Greta and Greta was like, sweetie, what's happened? And I was like, the filming won't work. And she was like, oh, okay. Is everything okay other than that? And I was like, yes. And she was like, oh, okay, well, we can try and make that work. That's so sweet. But yeah, I finished Midsommar and then I flew and, and, and they had already started. They already got going. And you were just hopping on the train. Yeah. But I have to say that I, that Amy was all the therapy I needed. It was, it was perfect. It was like, I got to be this child for three months and, and I didn't have to think about flowers or having a mental breakdown or, you know, a field. I, I moved straight on. We were, you were cold. You went from like very hot to very cold. It was perfect. But yeah, similarly to you, reading, reading the script was just so exciting and there's nothing more thrilling than reading a script and knowing that you can, that you want to give it a go. Yeah. I mean, I can't imagine that film with anyone else at the center. You really like, you just have this beautiful clarity in your work that is so grounding. Oh wow. And I think that film was such a testament to that. So thank God you made it work. I'm thrilled for my personal viewing pleasure. Thank you. Well, we can thank Auri and Greta. Yeah, I'll personally call. And my meltdown on the phone. Amazing. Amy, you've got it. No, I haven't. That's a lie. No, it isn't. I haven't got it. I don't know where it is. And I don't. I burnt your book. I told you I'd make you pay. So I went to go and watch Booksmart with my younger sister, who's seven years younger than me, and my mum. So big age difference. I don't know how old my mum is. She won't let me know. And we all totally loved it. And straight away, all age groups were talking about it. Even my gran, who is 84, was like... Queen. So-and-so has gone to the cinema, and they say that I need to go and watch Booksmart. And my mum's like, well, there's a lot of... And my gran's quite cool. But my mum was like, take it with a pinch of salt, gran. My sister-in-law let my nephews watch it, but only once it was on DVD. So she could fast forward. And instantly, the one thing that we all noticed was every single age group, we were just seeing it everywhere. And we were seeing memes of you, and GIFs of you, and you and Caitlin dancing. And then my sister would start learning the dancing. And it was like a wave. Well, I wanted to wear that flower crown in today, but I couldn't find one. You couldn't find your one that you'd made? I couldn't find one that elaborate. To really pack the punch of the bit. But what is... I mean, before I got even to see the movie, just the crying and so many pictures. Like, it's so crazy to be kind of... It's cultish. And I think for both films, it's actually quite cult. I think comedy is very similar in horror films in the sense that... They find their people. Yeah, and people are excited by sharing comedy and sense of humour, just like they're excited by sharing what they found scary or horrific about scary films. So I do find it interesting that they have very similar ways of moving and very similar ways of finding their ways into your text messages or WhatsApp. And you just have these shared memes. And actually, that's happened a lot of both Booksmart and Midsommar. I see these memes everywhere, and it's caught on in the same way, no matter different genres, which is bizarre. But because I am such a fangirl, clearly, I do... I'm like, I get it. If that wasn't me, maybe I would use it. I would start using you now. No, I use you. Don't worry. No, I just... I think the reason why Booksmart has done that is because no matter... And this would go back to the ages. No matter who you are, every single woman and man, but women mostly, understand exactly what that is like. And it is executed to perfection, the way that girls go about their evenings, the way that they get ready, the way that they pump each other up, the way that they pull each other down. It doesn't matter how old you are. We all understand it. The way that Greta and Olivia capture the space between women, I think is really their gift. It's not just the individual characters that they write, but it's the energy and the love between them. And I think that's just so beautifully personified in Little Women. I have a sister-in-law, but I don't have a sister. But it just makes me live out this fantasy. If I was one of four, what a dream that would be. I was like, there's too many boys around. But what was that like, bringing that sisterhood to life in that way? It was relatively easy, to be honest, but pretty much similar as what you were saying about Caitlin. It needed to be there. You can't just have four people. I think the whole thing about siblings, whether you have brothers or sisters, you're on each other all the time, and you're hitting each other all the time, and you're kissing each other, and you're loving each other, and then you hate each other, and then you get in an argument over the washing up, and someone hasn't taken the bins out, but then you'll stay up and do homework with them. It's like this constant touching and fussing. And I think that was something that Greta from the get-go was like, I want this to be a mess all the time. I want the house to be a mess. I want you to always be doing stuff. I want you to be always touching each other. And I think straight away, we all kind of knew what that meant. We had to be friends straight away, and that wasn't a horrible thing. We got to be best friends with the coolest girls. So we similarly were living in a muse. Saoirse, Eliza, and I were all living in a muse, and Emma was just down the road, and we'd do dinners and sleepovers and all that. And then what you saw on camera was all pretty real. You could feel it. I mean, you really can feel it. Yeah, and Saoirse and I have this very fighty relationship anyway, in a loving way. We just always want to wrestle one another. And so every single time you see Amy and Jo fighting, that's probably because either she came into work or I came into work, and we were like, should we fight today? And then we'd be like, yes, great. So we'd just be clocking each other around the head. But it was totally natural and normal to be that close. And she's so mushy. I remember being so nervous the first time I was meeting her because I was so in awe of her work. And she like koala bear hugged me. Like she got on, you know, like up on, and I was like, this is gonna be amazing. This is gonna be amazing. But she puts people at ease, I think. Oh, totally. And everything is so effortless about the way that she acts and the way that she works that it's not even in any way daunting. It's like, oh, this is how I'd be then. I'm supposed to be like this. She brings everyone up to her level, I think, for sure. And Caitlin's the same way. It's so funny because my vision of Booksmart is just Amy. Like I have my kind of lens of it. It's just Caitlin. And it was like, I always say to her, it was like the biggest joy to just watch her. Really? Because she's just the same with both of them. Easy. We have to go to a party tonight. What? Let's go to Nick's party. Are you kidding? No, no way. Beanie, we only have one night left to have studied and partied in high school. Otherwise, we're just gonna be the girls that missed out. We haven't done anything. We haven't broken any rule. So, Beanie, tell me about your upcoming role, Monica Lewinsky. Well, we haven't started filming yet. So I don't have that much to say except for that I've... She's... It's very daunting and very exciting. And Sarah Paulson is playing Linda Tripp. And yeah, so that. So I love her more than anything to exist. And I've always been like her number one fan. I think I've like modeled my life after her life in any way that I can. And we have... We were always emailing and we were like we had never met, but we were just in life. I didn't like set up on email and we're chatting. And then when I found out that we were... Our characters really, you know, if you know the story, they are best friends. And then one deeply betrays the other one and she betrays me. And I just couldn't be more excited to play that out. Oh my God. The person I think to be like, you know, one of the best actors of all time. I know. And she's just so funny and warm and giving. And so just to take this journey with her is going to be... And you don't... You haven't started yet. We start early next year. I know. Also, I have one quick personal question. How to build a girl? How did that go? When I was listening to your accent, I was like, she's definitely from the South. Now I feel like I'm like an expert on British accents because when I had to learn a Wolverhampton... I bet you did. Midlands accent. I bet you did. Katlin, you couldn't have been from anywhere else. Okay. So I love her books. I love her growing up. She was my hero. I love her big black messy hair. I love her stripe. I just, I also love how she once did this interview where she had just in this big shoot for like a magazine and the interview was in there. And she basically then turned around and said, you do realize that all the clothes that I look good in in those photos had like 17 clamps behind them. And I was like, oh my God. You're a legend. Katlin Moran. What was that like? Because I love her. I love that book. I read it when I was needing it. And I was so happy that you'd been cast because I was like, if there's anyone that can do this big bundle of like beautiful mess, it's going to be you. It was a similar feeling to when you got Little Women. It's such a beloved, I mean more so because it's been around for ages but it's such a beloved character. And for me, she's such a beloved British sort of icon. She's real and that's what everybody is gasping for. She's the most honest person I've ever met and it's contagious. And I think it shines through in her writing. She adapted this screenplay herself and it is so funny and beautiful and warm and weird. And it was really, I wonder if you had this in Midsommar because like I felt like for the first time I was by myself. I didn't have Saoirse, I didn't have Caitlyn. You have to lead the ship. And I really learned so much from both of them how to do that because I remember just thinking like Saoirse acted this way and she was such a beautiful example to me. Like if I could be that for someone else, that would be the greatest gift of my life to do that because she did that for me. But it was a lot of like alone. Pressure. Because she's building herself. It's all you, it's all you. And she didn't have any friends. It's really the story of a girl without friends, without a sister. Her mom is very absent. And it was really the greatest journey of my life. But it was the same thing I was in Wolverhampton three days after finishing books. So you're just like, wait, this is not LA. I'm so excited for that. The people of Wolverhampton have my heart now. I love them. Oh, I bet they do. I got to pull my own pint, which I think you'll be impressed by. So, for Lawrence, I have a question. Go ahead. What's it like being in the Black Widow movie? It was one of the most bizarre, nuts, extravaganza experiences. I just finished on it about three weeks ago. And I landed the role in March, April. And then we started prep in May. It was right to it. And then we shot throughout the whole of summer. We shot in London, Budapest, Morocco. And then they went to Atlanta for a bit. I mean, the fact that I got to do a film with Scarlett was really magical. The fact that I got to do one of those films with a lead actress and the most beautiful and warm director, Kate Shortland, was a very, very unique and special experience. And I don't know what the other films are like and what it's like working on them. I remember being on set many times and thinking, I know this isn't like this. And I know that this is unique and I have to take this all in. And I think we've made something very raw and very painful and very beautiful. And I think people are going to be really surprised by the outcome of a big action film and having that much heart. And Scarlett was just... And I know lots of people will obviously be emotional about her because her character had such a horrid ending. But it was special learning from her. And she's been doing this like 10 years in those films. And for this to be her film was special. And I got to be there and see how she does stunts and see how she lives it. It's so her. And so it was special. I feel lucky to be living at a time when I get a Florence Pugh movie every year. I'm in heaven right now. I'm in heaven. I think we're both in heaven.