From burning questions to staging musical numbers, Goold talks about crafting the critically acclaimed biopic.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Renees not someone you immediately think of when youre imagining Judy Garland.
But shes incredible in this role.
David Hindley/LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions
She has a kind of emotional sort of luminosity.
she has something very accessible, like a proper movie star, everyman quality.
A character like Bridget Jones for example is very like everywoman.
And I think Judy Garland herself had that a bit as a screen actor.
Maybe thats a good thing.
Because sometimes if youre making a bigger leap as an actor, you could travel further.
You know, I think she was really intimidated about doing it.
And yet I remember when they announced about Bridget Jones and over here people went crazy.
They were like, What an American playing it?
A skinny American actress and shes playing our chubby English sweetheart?
And then she totally won everyone over.
in a similar way I think people were like, Can she really play Judy Garland?
She cant be right.
She doesnt look right.
Were you a Judy fan?Id love to say I was, and I sort of am now.
And then the other big one was the look.
Ive got early makeup tests or pictures on my phone.
I think there were certain elements, like getting the eye color right.
So we had to go through several different kinds of lenses.
I think we had two different kinds of lenses depending on what the light was like on the day.
And then Ive been at work on the end of her nose because Garlands nose is different to Renees.
And the teeth above all the teeth.
She would bring me things she found online, little references.
And Id go, I like this, but not that.
The performances on stage and the stuff replicated with TV interviews, that was almost recreating from given stuff.
Thats what I find magical: When you find the actor and the real person merge.
So the gay couple who she has dinner with in the film isnt real?No.
She would go to dinner with her fans or have drinks in the bar in her hotel with strangers.
I love that scene.
Its almost like a little short film in itself.
Tell me about the opening number at Talk of the Town.
Is that one continuous shot?Yeah.
Its a live vocal.
Its her vocal recorded live in one take.
By the way, when we got there we had to build up the stage floor in the theater.
When we got there the crane that was going to carry the camera was too heavy for the floor.
So we spent the first two hours of that day going, What are we going to do?
So its a sophisticated handheld kind of shot.
But it was exciting.
The film climaxes with Judy singing Over the Rainbow.
We were lucky because it comes off the back of a really uptempo number.
I think the adrenaline was going.
I just remember I kept saying to her, This is an acting piece, not a singing piece.
I remember coming in to give her a note after the first take.
I was just sort of in the game directing and she was in the game acting.
And I saw the extras genuinely in tears.
Like, people really crying, men and women.
I think they must have gone, My God, this is Judy Garland.
It was something special.
Theres something about the melody of that song it just opens people up.
The flashbacks have a surreal quality to them.
Did you want us to think these were sort of dream sequences?
Or her own biased memories from those moments?A little bit.
She said, I grew up on the lot.
Like, did that mean literally?
I liked that idea.
So I wanted to kind of give a slightly sci-fi feel before she came into the real world.
Was that to remain objective?There was a bit of that.
Theres loads of accounts.
Everyone has completely different views of her, not in any way to discount the family.
I hope they enjoy it.
you’re able to find happiness when you feel the most bereft.
And I also hope people go back to the movies and the recordings.
Renees got so much awards buzz for this performance.
Do you pay attention to Oscar buzz?
Do you ignore it?I think whats really lovely is the acclaim for Renees performance.
Ive been around actors all my life and I think its a brilliant, brilliant performance.
Right now, we just want everyone to see the film.
Lets get through that bit at first.
But while we were filming it, it felt very intimate.
It felt like we were making something very personal, even the big scenes.
Its thrilling the response its got or getting, but also slightly overwhelming.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
