Getty ImagesAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowPhoto: Getty ImagesYou could say that Greta Gerwig is having an HBO Girls moment. Similar to the rise of her gal pal, Lena Dunham, Gerwig has taken the reigns of her acting career by picking up the pen to co-write her upcoming film, Frances Ha. She even cast Girls's Adam Driver in the movie. The final result is her most captivating role—and film—yet.
We've watched Gerwig lost in the conundrum of her 20s and thriving within the confines of NYC before, but this black-and-white version—deftly directed by Gerwig's rumored beau and previous Greenberg collaborator, Noah Baumbach—finds a nuanced layer.
"One of the main trajectories we were telling was her love story with Sophie [played by Mickey Sumner]," said Gerwig at the L.A. premiere last night, which was hosted by IFC Films and Flux.
"And that we'd told [this friendship] like a love story. You don't know what the last great day you're going to spend with your best friend is, until you've already had it. And then it's done."
We chatted with Gerwig, dressed in an Isabel Marant blazer over a dress she bought in France, about dating, her 30th birthday, and girl crush on Diane Keaton.
What is a Greta Gerwig dance party like?Oh, I'm really good at giving a dance party. It's one of my talents. I feel like that's one sad thing about adult life: There aren't opportunities for it, except at wedding receptions. My friends are starting to get married now, so it's really exciting because I get to dance a lot. But I'm going to turn 30 in August, and I'm having a blowout dance party.What are the necessary ingredients for a "blowout?"You need to work your way up to hardcore rap. You can't start there, because everyone will be like, "Ah, this is freaking me out. Why are you playing Kendrick Lamar right now?" But you can get there, if you introduce it through New Order, followed by Blondie rapping, and then A$AP Rocky. But you can't just go there at the beginning. So, a good DJ or a good playlist is key. And alcohol. And you need at least four people who are going for it, and then everyone else just accepts what's happening.Your character in the film spontaneously breaks into a dance sequence. Do you let yourself go when you dance in public spaces?I've been known to do it on the streets, but I don't look like a crazy person. I just look like a joyful lady. I've always given myself permission [to do that]. I've always been that kind of person.What—or who—has influenced your brand of physical comedy?Carole Lombard is probably my favorite actress of all time. The way that she walks in movies and there's something about her entrances and exits that's inherently hilarious to me. Her swiftness is very funny. And then, of course, Diane Keaton is just baked into my heart, because she's Diane Keaton. Everything she did, especially with Woody Allen, I imitated from the very first time I saw it. And, Buster Keaton. The way he is. It's a confident but shy combination that I really got into.The film popularizes the word "undateable." What is the difference between "undateable" and "unavailable?"In the beginning, and through the movie, Frances considers it almost a point of pride–a badge of honor—that she's undateable, and she wants [her best friend] Sophie to be undateable, too. She thinks, "Who the f--- is going to date us? We're so crazy." But it's actually a loss when she finds out lots of people could. She probably eventually joins the world of adults and joins up with some gentleman.Where did you pull inspiration for this film? Because, unlike Frances, you are doing what you want to do.That's true. I feel very close to Frances, although I'm not Frances. But I feel like anybody who does anything in the arts—acting, writing, dancing, music, directing—it seems like you're always close to being nothing. And you're always two decisions away from not being employed in what you want to do. And I don't think you ever forget that fear. And so, it's very accessible to me, that feeling that I'm almost not doing this.
