The Big Picture

Stars Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway discuss the production of their indie film, Eileen. McKenzie and Hathaway share their thoughts on their previous work and which scenes throughout their careers were most challenging to film. The actors also discuss the pressures of working on an indie film, the importance of preparation, and the unexpected twist in Eileen that took them by surprise.

Audiences are finally going to get to see the adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning novel Eileen on the big screen. After its well-received premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, director William Oldroyd’s indie thriller is now playing in limited release, and now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has officially concluded, Collider’s Steve Weintraub was able to speak with stars Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway about their experience on set.

Eileen takes place during the 1960s and follows the somber life of its title character, played by McKenzie. Employed at a local prison, Eileen spends most of her time isolated from her coworkers or evenings at home with her cruel, alcoholic father (Shea Whigham). She longs for something more, and when the new prison psychologist, Dr. Rebecca St. John (Hathaway) is hired on, Eileen believes she can finally withdraw from herself as their relationship evolves.

During their interview, McKenzie and Hathaway talk about how the script’s “gut punch” twist upended all of their expectations, why they wanted to sign on to the project, and if they’ve read the book. The duo shares the pressures of an indie production and how it changes their approach to acting. They also reveal which of their films they’d show someone if they haven’t seen their work, and which scene in their careers they found most challenging. You can watch the full interview in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.

Eileen
A woman’s friendship with a new co-worker at the prison facility where she works takes a sinister turn. Release Date December 8, 2023 Director William Oldroyd Cast Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Tonye Patano Rating R Runtime 97 minutes Main Genre Drama Writers Luke Goebel, Ottessa Moshfegh

Read Our ‘Eileen’ Review

COLLIDER: For both of you, you have done a lot of cool stuff in your careers, so if someone has never seen anything you’ve done, what would you like them watching first and why, besides Eileen?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I can’t remember a thing I’ve been in right now. [Laughs] I have to go with The Devil Wears Prada.

THOMASIN MCKENZIE: Yeah!

HATHAWAY: I think if you’re going to start with one thing, I’m so overjoyed by the now decades of love that that film has received and that it’s for so many people. It’s like a family member at this point, and it’s kind of become part of the cultural lexicon. And so if an alien species landed and I had to start with one film of mine, I think I’d want to show them the Chanel boots.

Image via 20th Century Fox

MCKENZIE: I’m just going to say it again because I said it before, there’s a show I did called Life After Life that’s based on a Kate Atkinson book directed by John Crowley, which I’m really, really, really proud of and I want more people to see.

HATHAWAY: Including the aliens.

MCKENZIE: Including the aliens. I think the aliens, specifically, would enjoy it.

HATHAWAY: I actually think that would be a great thing to show the aliens. I haven’t seen the series yet, but just knowing the book, it’s a beautiful kind of human offering.

MCKENZIE: Yeah, humanity. I think aliens would be like, “So that’s what humanity is.”

HATHAWAY: “So that’s what it’s about.” Between our two films, you got a lot of it covered. Not everything, but a lot.

Which Roles Made Them the Most Nervous?
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

One last question before getting into why I get to talk to you guys today. You’ve both worked on a number of things, is there a scene that you remember from one of your previous projects that you vividly remember being incredibly nervous before you stepped on set?

HATHAWAY: [Laughs] Literally, you could throw a dart at every day on set for me and find that moment. A moment came to mind, which was, I made a film called Rachel Getting Married, directed by the one, the only, the great Jonathan Demme, and there’s a scene in a rehearsal dinner where my character gives a speech. I was nervous that day because I was giving the speech in front of some people who knew the person that my character was based on, and I didn’t know how I’d measure up. I remember turning to someone after I did the first take and going, “I just have to know, how does it stack up?” And she gave me some feedback and it pushed me way deeper into the performance, past the nerves, past everything else, and it was a gift. And I’m really proud of my work in that scene. But I was very nervous that day because any time you’re playing someone real in front of someone who knew them it’s…

MCKENZIE: Scary.

HATHAWAY: Yeah.

MCKENZIE: I did a film called Last Night in Soho, and, as the name suggests, it was set in Soho in London…

HATHAWAY: Last night.

MCKENZIE: Yeah, Last Night in Soho. [Laughs] We were filming a lot in Soho and Soho is a very busy place, and there was one scene where I was running through, I think it was Piccadilly Circus, and it was just insanely busy. Every member of the crowd, they weren’t a part of the film, they weren’t SAs or extras, they were just the general public, and I was there with black makeup running down my face and just looking an absolute mess, sprinting through the crowds, running away from the shadow men. I got some pretty weird looks on that day. That was pretty nerve-wracking.

Image via Focus Features

HATHAWAY: I just love the sentence, “I was running away from the shadow men.” It’s gonna be alright, darling. It’s gonna be alright.

MCKENZIE: Running away from men, in general, really.

Making an Indie Movie versus a Big-Budget Blockbuster

Jumping into why I get to talk to you guys. You’re both so great in this. When you’re making a film like this, which is clearly not Marvel money, you’re making it on a budget, do you feel more pressure on yourself prior to stepping on set to know all your stuff because you don’t have as much time and you don’t have as many takes?

HATHAWAY: Absolutely.

MCKENZIE: I think I’d feel a lot of pressure either way. Because if I was on a Marvel project, just knowing the amount of money that’s going into it, I’d want to be worthy of that money. And also, if you’re making an indie film, knowing the amount of hard work and time that goes into it, I want to be worthy of that hard work and time and sacrifice. So, either way.

HATHAWAY: I think that whatever the budget is, the approach that you described, that should be the way you act. I mean, that’s kind of your approach as an actor. The thing that I’ll say, when you’re working on an indie film versus a super luxe, all expenses paid ride, the people that feel it the most are the crew. So, I feel like there’s extra emphasis on you as the actor to really, really, really keep it tight and do a great job and hit your mark and be super precise on an indie film because everybody on an independent film has, like, 18 jobs that are not their job. You just want to make it as easy on them as you possibly can, and the best way to do that is to do your job as best as you can.

MCKENZIE: Yeah, to do your work, show up prepared.

Image via Sundance

When you were given the script, how much were you told about it, or how much did they say, “Just read this?” Because at a certain point, this film punches you in the face in a way that you’re not expecting, and so I’m just curious how much were you told about that in advance? Or maybe you’d read the book, I’m not sure.

HATHAWAY: Hadn’t read the book, wasn’t told in advance. You have your list of directors that you’re just dying to work with, and Will was on that list for me. So, it was a William Oldroyd project that just kind of had a part that I could maybe play and that was everything I knew going into it. And like you said, it was a total, total gut punch, and it was one of those ones where the thing that happens happens, and you’re just like, “Wait, wait, what?” And you go back a couple pages and you go, “Oh my god. I think I know what they’re doing and this is crazy, and how do I get involved with this? This is amazing.

MCKENZIE: Yeah, I wasn’t warned. I feel like it’s better not to warn people going into it so that the shock is as big as it possibly can be. So, my team sent it to me and were just like, “You should read this.” And then after reading the script and loving it so much and so badly wanting to be a part of it, I went and read the book and was even more in love.

Eileen is in theaters in the U.S. in limited release and expanding on December 8. You can purchase tickets here.