The moment is shocking in its casual misogyny.
That conversation is verbatim.
The result is a strikingly accomplished psychological thriller about the dangers of walking the earth in a womans shoes.
Pete Holmes as Terry and director Anna Kendrick as Sheryl on the set ofWoman of the Hour, on Netflix this Friday.
The more I tried to push it away, the more it persisted.
And I started to feel heartbroken at the idea of anybody else doing it.
Still, the stakes felt high.
Karen Holness as Gretchen, Anna Kendrick as Sheryl, Denalda Williams as Marilyn, and director of photography Zach Kuperstein on the set ofWoman of the Hour
That was really scary.
I learned that language so that I could get them to take my opinion seriously.
We shot on lenses that had a lot of character, Kendrick says.
Kendrick on set
I wanted the beauty of the film to come from the women, the setting, and their performances.
Under Kendricks direction, a spirit of sisterhood also came into sharp focus in the story.
That was something I changed with the actress at the last minute, Kendrick says.
She understood the assignment intrinsically.
Im sure shes had a million of those moments in her life, as we all have.
But its all about her trying to warn this other woman.
Other interventions were more counterintuitive.
As modern women, we are told to take back our power and stop appeasing, she says.
But sometimes its not that simple.
Sometimes, that is the thing thats going to put you in harms way.
So playing [realistically] with that idea was interesting.
She continues: Yes, women are supposed to havemoreagency.
And nothing makes me happier than a big fantasy action movie where the heroine is just kicking ass.
In our film, theDating Gamesection, where Cheryl rebels and takes control, is almostthatfantasy.
The most beneficial thing might have been watching them adjust their temperament to the person theyre in front of.
Hes really not his authentic self with that person.
One filmmaker she called for advice before working onWoman of the Hour?
HerA Simple Favordirector, Paul Feig.
In hindsight, the guy known forBridesmaidsdoesnt seem like the first phone call youd make here, she acknowledges.
But I really like how he is as a collaborator.
And I love the dynamic between him and his DP, John Schwartzman.
I think of them as these archetypes: the sweetheart and the bulldog.
Johns kind of a bulldog.
And what does she want to do next?
Everything, she says.
There are times where I feel trapped in my own head, in my own darkness.
Maybe I need to find something that has a little bit more upside.
I would love to direct something else.
But maybe something with 20% more optimism.
