(It’s still seeking distribution.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What about this character really spoke to you and made you want to tackle this part?
VANESSA KIRBY:I guess the challenge of it, really.
Pieces Film, Inc.
The birth sequence, which is nearly 30 minutes long, was one continuous take.
What was your reaction when you realized you’d be doing that?
So the idea of doing a 30-minute take with no cuts was really kind of exhilarating to me.
It required us to kind of freefall.
He literally followed us for half an hour capturing different moments of the process.
It just honestly felt like we took a jet and we jumped off.
It was deeply bonding.
We felt like we’d been to war together.
How do you prepare for something like that?
They were so generous and totally took me under their wing, and showed me everything.
So, she was really just about to start pushing.
I could not have acted it without her being so generous.
She was unbelievably helpful.
Was all that in the script, or did you add that in?
No, actually, we added them as we went along.
I mean, from her experience, she said [it was] a very lonely one.
So, one day on set, I ordered diapers and was wearing them throughout the film.
You finished shooting the film right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Has the pandemic changed how you feel about the film and its themes?
Oh, yes, Kornel talked about this recently.
I think there’s been much loss during the pandemic.
I think people have lost many things.
I think for Martha, she finds her voice at the end.
She’ll never be the same, but through that process, I think Martha finds parts of herself.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
