(L to R) Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman attend Netflix’s ‘May December’ Los Angeles premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix.
Opening in theaters in limited release on November 17th before streaming on Netflix December 1st is ‘May December,’ which was directed by Todd Haynes (‘I’m Not There’), and stars Academy Award-winners Natalie Portman (‘Black Swan’) and Julianne Moore (‘Still Alice’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking in-person with Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman about their work on ‘May December,’ preparing to play their complex characters, why Portman sent the script to Haynes, and what Moore loves about working with the acclaimed director.
(L to R) Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman star in Netflix’s ‘May December.’
Moviefone: To begin with, Julianne, can you talk about the challenges of playing a character like Gracie, finding a way to empathize with her and really see the world from her point of view?
Julianne Moore: That’s always the challenge, every time you do anything. Point of view is so important, because you realize that’s where stories are told. As an actor, you’re coming from the inside, but you also must be aware of what story the director is telling. So, there’s this dual focus. But to me, she was fascinating, because she is somebody who swallowed feminine culture whole, however she was raised, and she talks about her father, her brothers, the things that she pursued and what her expectations were. So, she’s learned to navigate the world from that vantage point, from this idea that this hyper-femininity and this almost less-than adult quality, like a childlike quality, that’s her best defense in the world. But then she’s done this truly transgressive thing, and she’s crossed a boundary. Her story about how that happened and who she was exists up here. That’s what she wants Elizabeth to follow. But maybe what really happened is here somewhere. So, there’s a tremendous amount of tension in her own personhood.
(L to R) Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in ‘May December.’ Photo: Francois Duhamel / courtesy of Netflix.
MF: Natalie, Elizabeth is an actress and obviously you’re an actress as well. How did your own life experience as an actress help inform the character and give you a way into understanding her intentions?
Natalie Portman: Well, I was lucky that I had 30 years of research for the part. So, I think it gives you an awareness of the layers of performance. Who you are in real life, who you are to other people, how people see you, your awareness of how they see you, how you want them to see you, and how you want them to see your character. Then there’s all these levels of how you perform for other people, even more so than the average woman who also is performing on multiple levels, and the average person who is also performing on multiple levels. So, exploring that and the contradictions between all of those was really fun.
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(L to R) Natalie Portman as Elizabeth, Julianne Moore as Gracie, Todd Haynes (Director) on the set of ‘May December.’ Photo: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix.
MF: Julianne, you’ve worked with Todd Haynes in the past. What was it like working with him again, particularly on this project, and what do you love about working with him?
JM: I love everything about him. I really do. I think that he gives you so much shape when you’re working. There’s so much construction around everything. You always know what the context is. He tells a story with the way that he shoots you, with the way you’re framed, and with all his references, and how he casts around you. He does a lot of the work for you. In this case, I think we were both excited to tell this story about these very strong women in this intimate relationship that was admiring, combative, compelling and unusual. You never, ever get to see that on screen. Generally, you see a love story or a familial relationship, but not where these two women are so equally matched where they go head-to-head like this.
(L to R) Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry with Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in ‘May December.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
MF: Finally, Natalie, I understand that you first sent the screenplay to Todd Haynes. Why did you feel that he was the right director for this project?
NP: Well, I had dreamed of working with Todd. I’ve admired his films for so long, and particularly his collaborations with Julie. I mean, ‘Safe’ is one of the all-time greatest movies for me and all-time greatest performances. So, I had sent him a few things over the years that he wasn’t interested in doing. When I got this, I was like, “Let me try again.” This was just the lucky one that he liked. I mean, this was a big win. I felt very lucky, and then he brought Julie, which was even greater. So, it was the joy of life.
MF: Were you hoping that Todd would cast Julianne as well?
NP: You know, I don’t think I even dared to dream that that would happen. I was really blown away when it did.
JM: He slipped me the script. He was like, “Just heads up. There’s this thing that Natalie Portman just sent me.” I was like, “Oh my God, this is amazing.” Then I think he went back to Natalie and was like, “I think this could be something for Julie.” But it was very strange. It all happened like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. We were lucky.
“Some roles are transformative.”
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film… Read the Plot
What is the plot of ‘May December’?
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) with a large age gap buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Who is in the cast of ‘May December’?
(L to R) Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo with Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry in ‘May December.’ Photo: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix.
Other Todd Haynes Movies:
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