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An interview with Lisa Cholodenko

It’s been eight years since out writer-director Lisa Cholodenko stepped behind the camera to helm the steamy Laurel Canyon. In that time, Cholodenko also provided us with lesbian staple High Art, started a family with her partner, musician Wendy Melvoin, and has been hard at work penning what could easily be considered the biggest film of the year for the LGBT community: Focus Features’ The Kids Are All Right.

Cholodenko began writing the story for Kids – about a long-term lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) with two teenagers (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) whose sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) becomes part of their life – in 2004, paused to have a baby and drew from her parenting experiences as the script evolved.

AfterEllen.com caught up with Cholodenko to discuss the film, how the social landscape has changed and why Kids will make Hollywood take notice of the many ways lesbian stories can be told. AfterEllen.com: When you first set out to write Kids in 2004, how much were you writing about any fears you had as you prepared for motherhood?

LC: The genesis of the film, the first ideas for it, started from my own experience but it splintered off from there. I always felt that if we [Melvoin and Cholodenko] were going to go with an anonymous sperm donor – because we weren’t sure we were going to do that – that we would always encourage total openness about it as early as possible.

The moms in the film are sort of coming from a different place. We hope the audience will see their anxieties about meeting their donor aren’t really because they’re not in favor of that idea; they’re just becoming more clingy and possessive as their daughter is about to leave for college.

AE: Was it always your intention as you were writing to make Kids a family film first and a gay film second?

LC: Yeah, it kind of was. I didn’t really want to make a film that was political – I really didn’t have a lot to say about the subject in political terms; I felt like what would be more interesting to me as a writer and a filmgoer was to see this configuration of a family going through this but to be focusing much more on the emotional dilemmas and dynamics than the issues of sexuality, per se.

AE: Julianne Moore mentioned that she based her character’s mannerisms and speech on you.

LC: I know, I learned that later! She definitely didn’t tell me that when we were filming. [Laughs] AE: Can you see yourself in her performance?

LC: Yeah. At a certain point when I was watching her do the role, I thought, “Well, she’s locked into something – I don’t know what it is. It seems like some kind of California surfer lesbian and I’m not sure where she’s getting it but let’s roll with it.” Later, she said, “That was my interpretation of you and your mannerisms.” I didn’t put it together at all.

AE: Moore attached herself to this project from the start – why do you think she’s one of those actresses who play gay so often?

LC: I think Julianne just really loves to stretch herself and go to places that she doesn’t go to in her real life. That’s not her orientation but she’s obviously open to opening up any box that a film world will let her into. I think that’s just one of the things that she really enjoys as an actor is trying to stretch into these other worlds. She does a great job with it. I think a lot of what attracts her is the psychological and psychosexual realm, the emotional, interpersonal realm. So it would make sense that she’s trying on these different hats. AE: How would the film have been different with Robin Wright Penn as Nic instead of Bening?

LC: I don’t really know. But I do know that Annette Bening brought a kind of mama bear kind of largess to the film that was really funny and touching. She’s one of the few actors who has the extraordinary gift to be sarcastic and funny and kind of large that way, then completely grounded and dramatic and heartbreaking the next second. I felt really glad that I could tap her and get that kind of performance from her. I think that really was a great asset to the film.

AE: Was it more difficult to find backers for the film because of its content?

LC: Again, I can’t really comment on that because nobody talked about that expressly to me. I can only imagine that people felt torn when they read the script and really liked it and thought, “Oh, but you know we can’t plug this formula into the computer because we haven’t seen this film before so we don’t know how this film is going to do. We haven’t seen a film that has gay content sort of packaged this way as a comedy and that’s more of a mainstream film or a film with two lesbians at the center.”

I would venture to guess that people were timid because of that but I think it would be more accurate to say that the people we almost got involved with – which was a series of different companies over the years – felt genuinely torn and not sure what to do. That all came out when we went to Sundance (in January) and every company and more than we’d ever talked to started bidding on it.

AE: Do you think the social climate has changed in such a way that you can make a movie about a lesbian couple and have it be a comedy as opposed to the tragic lesbian drama that we’ve seen in the past?

LC: I do, which I think is a great thing. We’re a pretty long way from The Children’s Hour. I think we’re in a climate where people are very candid about their lifestyles and gay marriage and that’s slowly, incrementally moving forward. And now with the issue at the Supreme Court, it’s something that’s really in the zeitgeist in a multitude of ways. So to have this idea out there but not have it be the focus of the film per se is really testament to sort of how far we’ve come and where we are with the culture and I think it’s promising, I think it’s great.

AE: Why aren’t there more upbeat films with lesbian story lines coming out of Hollywood right now?

LC: Because I don’t think it is just about “lesbian plus comedy equals good film.” I think making a good film, casting it right, doing it for the right price – all the elements that go in to making a film that works. There’s a laundry list, there’s a lot of things, whether it’s gay or otherwise and there’s just not that many great films that get made. When this film is profitable commercially and does well, then I think the studios – I’d bet on it – they’ll definitely be apt to put those kinds of screenplays at the top of their reading list rather than to the side.

AE: A lot of lesbian films or films with lesbian story lines are criticized when one of the leads cheats with a man. Are you worried about a lesbian backlash to Kids from within the community?

LC: No, not really. [Laughs] To me, the whole story is coherent and about something very specific and I don’t really have an agenda. I never meant for this to be a political film in that sense. It came from a personal place and in that sense it’s sort of more an auteur film. What excites me is the possibility that this kind of family can be seen on a wide screen and reach a mainstream.

AE: What did you think about the Time magazine story that found that children with two lesbian parents perform better than their peers?

LC: I thought that was exciting. I liked the timing of that. On a personal level, I felt that was fortifying. And in terms of what people might want to pull out of their pockets and start asking me about when the film gets released, I thought it was a great piece of ammunition.

AE: Is there anyone you’ve worked with before that you’re hoping to work with again?

LC: All these people, every person in this cast including the small parts were fantastic. That was the one across the board pleasure of making this film. For some reason, every actor just had it going on and just knew their character. That’s the fun part for me about directing films – having those experiences.

AE: Anyone from High Art or Laurel Canyon?

LC: I’d love to work with Frances McDormand (Laurel Canyon) again – in a heartbeat. She’s one of those American gems. Hopefully there will be something for us to do in the near future. Patricia Clarkson (High Art) is another one I adore and want to work with again. I feel like I’ve had great experiences; I really love working with actors. AE: What’s next for you?

LC: I don’t have an answer for you! There are a couple things that I’m sorting out right now but I don’t have anything concrete so I have to see how things unfold. I’m reading scripts and talking about some television stuff and I’m hoping to get back to work sooner rather than later.

AE: Are you writing anything at the moment? LC: No. I’m throwing some ideas around with Stuart Blumberg, who I wrote this film with. I hope to do something with him again but we don’t have anything concrete that we’re going to do, but I would like to write with him again.

“The Kids Are All Right” opens July 9.

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