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I dont know whats going on, laughs Dern at one point.
Were really on a tear.
So Stewart, Dern, and I decided to grapple with those questions, too.
There are so many levels to each of your performances in this film.
Youre playing people who are playing people who are playing people.
That wasnt well-articulated, but I dont know a good way to put it!
I felt a closeness and a kinship with Savannah for a lot of reasons.
Though we have a pretty healthy relationship, comparatively.
Laura Dern:Yeah!
KS:But who knows, it hasnt been as long.
LD:Just give us time.[Laughs.]
Kristen, can you speak more about this kinship you felt with Savannah?
Because having followed your career, she does seem similar to you in a lot of ways.
But Ive had this physical aversion to nailing things down in a way thats digestible for other people.
I only recently became comfortable with that idea.
And fuck, thank God I think it just happened in our current times, too.
And I was like, Dude, how do you know?
I dont even know!
Not changing as in, becoming who youre supposed to be.
Youre always who youre supposed to be.
Theres just an evolution there.
Were gaining patience with that.
Its not an easy thing.
LD:This is some amazing and articulate dialogue.
KS:Im really on a tear.
]My progress has been kind of retroactive.
Ive been involved in a narrative that I wasnt aware of.
And I feel that way about Savannah.
I look up to them in such a foundational way.
Theyre a courageous, authentic, unique person.
Its not always been easy to be that.
Its much easier to exist in that in-between space.
Your career has, too youre playing a lot of roles where women are either openly or subtly queer.
Whats behind that choice?KS:Its not conscious or intentional.
But I think its natural.
Were all drawn to the things were drawn to.
I didnt call my agents and say, This is my direction now.
All of my choices have to reflect my you ready for this?
my fucking TRUTH![Laughs.]
LD:But [that] also speaks to Kristens boldness, which is a rare gift.
You know better than anybody as a film journalist its rare that the artist is matched by the human.
Thats what I fell in love with in Kristen.
She matches it by saying, This is who I am.
These are the things that interest me.
Lets have a conversation.
She expresses herself as an individual, and thats a rare, beautiful thing.
KS:This is Laura Dern.
I take her everywhere I go.
[Both laugh.]
Can you guys talk about how you developed this friendship?
And when we had social time, Kristen adopted my teenage son, who is obsessed with her.
That made it easier.
I had a built-in nanny, co-star, love interest an all-in-one.
The film is a love story; its complex, its about intimacy, theres love-hate.
But in real life, we get to be buddies.
Plus the nanny thing.
Its a small, indie movie, so we couldnt really fly a nanny out.
Laura, how old is your son?
So we had a little crew.
And we were just like, Ellory, come over here!
Also, by the way, Ellory is incredibly fucking cool.
When I was 16, I was a serious dweeberson.
We were obsessed with him, to be honest.
Me and Suzie were marveling at how dope he was for his age, and how dorky we were.
Now hes cooler than our friends.
LD:My compliment back to Kristen is she comes at it with truth.
She allows him to be an adult in the room.
Its not like, Oh, what are your interests?
She was like, Dude, what are you feeling?
KS:And he answered everything!
LD:He likes to go deep too.
KS:It was an amazing experience.
And we got to wear wigs the whole time.
Im curious if you guys find the performance inherent in this movie similar to the performance of fame.
But I felt it an immense amount.
When you go to a press day or do an interview or a red carpet youre an actor!
And Im like, No, I would rather have them.
Id rather notbe, or notbe an actor, if I was just a big lie.
LD:I feel the same.
Interestingly, its how our friendship developed.
Because we met doing press.
We met on aKelly Reichardtmovie,Certain Women, having been in different stories [within the film].
But we were paired together for press.
And we were like, Whoa!
Hey, you gotta do your press, just create a story.
But now [actors and the press are] on the same team.
Not that we werent, but we have a mission.
We have an opportunity to talk about real things, so lets use it.
It feels like were part of a tight-knit community now.
And its a gorgeous feeling you didnt really have before.
]No, Im kidding.
Were on a roll here.
KS:Did you play the game more when you were younger?
Or you were always the same?
LD:Im literally staring at my publicist Ive had since I was 19 years old.
Now I dont answer those questions.
Ive become a grown-up.
For me, it took having kids.
I dont think I was as wise as Kristen.
Ive loved everyone Ive ever loved and worked with![Laughs.
]Other than that, I tell the truth about all else.
Its the same relationships, personal stuff.
People ask you questions, and its your responsibility to answer those questions, right?
Because Im not just fucking here to be famous.
So yes, I want to give you myself.
That isnotyour responsibility, to provide them an income.
Like, fuck you!
But when youre little, how do you know which questions to answer, and which to not?
It takes growing up, and going, I know what matters to me and what I care about.
LD:To go even deeper because were on a tear!
how about the fact that were the only girls in the movie?
We were with five guys doing press, and the five guys werent asked the same questions.
And the guy would say, They didnt ask me anything.
But now that were working together as a community of actresses.
KS:Were all talking, guys!
LD:Weve all had the same experience.
If a man said, Oh, wouldnt you like to know?
The journalist would say, Oh, isnt that adorable?
KS:What are you hiding?
LD:There was bullying in a different way.
Oh, God, are you gonna tell me?
KS:Youre shining!
Everything I ever see about you is very un-sordid.
LD:I will share things about my views or whatever, but I dont read anything.
Are you aware of how youre talked about?
KS:I used to be so aware when I was younger.
Because it was so … so bad.
LD:Even I knew!
KS:I was really curious.
I needed to not have people know stuff about me that I didnt know.
At a certain point, I stopped that.
And it got so much easier.
I genuinely stopped giving a fuck what the headlines were, what the articles were.
Oh, cool, look at this weird thing!
Im not saying everything is not real.
But I used to be aware of it because I cared, because I wanted to control it.
And now I control it by not caring.
Which is ironic, but it works.
When and why did that change?KS:I think a couple years ago.
The further I got away from being a kid, it got easier.
And this sounds so, literally, such a circle-jerk but Ive also been famous for a long time.
The first couple years, I couldnt understand how many people were in the room.
When I put them all out of the room, I realized I could just be myself.
