[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Idea of You.]
The Massive Image
Director Michael Showalter enjoys romantic movies and wished to make ‘The Concept of You’ for a romantic comedy-loving viewers.
Adjustments from the ebook centered on Solène and Hayes’s relationship relatively than mother-daughter dynamics.
Chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in audition scenes bought Showalter on the pairing.
From director/co-writer Michael Showalter and primarily based on the ebook by Robinne Lee, the romantic drama The Concept of You follows Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mother, divorced for a number of years and working an artwork gallery that showcases native artists. However then, an sudden journey to the Coachella Music Competition along with her teenage daughter and her pals places her within the path of 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), lead singer of the massively widespread boy band August Moon. As what begins off as a flirty probability encounter evolves into one thing a lot deeper, Solène should determine if following her coronary heart is sufficient to overcome their variations in life-style and age.
Throughout this one-on-one interview with Collider, Showalter talked about why he wished to make The Concept of You, his love of romantic films, what he loves about working with actors, adjustments constructed from the ebook, the place he drew inspiration from when it got here to the boy band, the second he was bought on the pairing of Hathaway and Galitzine, whether or not the extra intimate moments had been totally scripted, staging Coachella, his favourite second between his two leads, and the way a lot the ending of the film developed and altered.
Solène, a 40-year-old single mother, begins an sudden romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the most well liked boy band on the planet.
Launch Date
Might 2, 2024
Forged
Anne Hathaway Nicholas Galitzine , Ella Rubin , Annie Mumolo , Reid Scott , Perry Mattfeld , Jordan Aaron Corridor , Mathilda Gianopoulos
Runtime
115 Minutes
Important Style
Drama
‘The Concept of You’s Director Is a Fan of Romantic Films and Is At all times Trying For An Fascinating New Take
Picture by way of MGM Studios
Collider: How did you find yourself getting concerned with this? Had you been seeking to do a movie on this style?
MICHAEL SHOWALTER: I really like romantic comedy. I really like romantic films. Fairly a number of of my movies have been on this style. The Massive Sick is a love story. My film Hiya, My Identify Is Doris is a love story. Spoiler Alert is a love story. The Lovebirds is a love story. It’s a style that I really like and I’m all the time on the lookout for fascinating methods to do a film like this. And after I heard the plot of The Concept of You, I’ve to say, I felt instantly like, “Wow, it is a film that I might like to see.” After which, figuring out that Anne Hathaway was hooked up was, for me, actually thrilling as a result of she’s somebody that I’ve actually wished to work with.
How did you come to write down this with Jennifer Westfeldt? What made her the right associate to write down the script with?
SHOWALTER: Jennifer has written and directed some unbelievable films, and I’m such an enormous fan of hers. This complete staff, to me, was simply an irresistible group of individuals to collaborate and make a movie with. We’re each actors and filmmakers. We’re each like writer-director multi-hyphenate sorts. She’s accomplished some unbelievable work on this style, and I’m a really large admirer of hers.
Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway leads the rom-com’s stellar ensemble.
How would you say your background as an actor most impacts the author and director that you’re? Has it formed the way in which that you simply talk and collaborate with actors on set?
SHOWALTER: Most likely. I can’t say for certain. I actually know what it’s wish to be an actor, to be on digital camera, to undergo hair and make-up, the self-discipline that it takes to do a number of takes and to present efficiency, and a few of what it takes to discover a character. That most likely helps me talk with actors. However I additionally am an enormous fan of fine performing, and I really like speaking to actors about their course of and their craft. I perceive what it takes to be actor with out essentially being one myself. I don’t take actors with no consideration. I don’t consider them as simply chess items to be moved round. There isn’t any film with out the actor, there isn’t a story with out the actor, so I imagine that you’ve a script and then you definitely deliver an actor to play that half, they then let you know who that character is. As soon as there’s somebody enjoying that half, they’re gonna let you know who they’re as a result of they now are that particular person. I like that. I just like the symbiosis that happens when the actor turns into that character.
‘The Concept of You’ Director Michael Showalter Needed To Maintain the Story Targeted on the Solène and Hayes Relationship
What was vital to maintain the identical because the ebook and what did you’re feeling needed to change from the ebook?
SHOWALTER: We wished to focus the story extra on the connection between Hayes and Solèneand the double normal that exists across the age distinction relatively than to essentially discover a number of the points across the mom, the daughter, and the betrayal of belief between them. That’s one thing that will get extra deeply explored to nice impact within the ebook. I simply suppose for the film that I wished to make, it is maybe tonally is barely completely different from the ebook, which is kind of racy and fairly great in that method. I wished to perhaps mood a few of that to succeed in an viewers that’s a romantic comedy-loving viewers. After which, we wished Solène to be somebody who was extra relatable maybe. Within the ebook, the Solène character is great, however slightly bit aspirational and never somebody you essentially would know. Whereas the Solène in our film is somebody that you may relate to slightly bit extra. She’s a “regular” particular person.
The ‘Princess Diaries’ alum performs a single mom falling for a pop star on this charming age-gap romance.
There’s been a whole lot of discuss that this ebook was at the least partially impressed by Harry Kinds. Did you draw inspiration from him, in any respect, in scripting this? Did you take a look at quite a few boy band stars? Did you attempt to not embody any direct inspiration? Have been you simply listening to a whole lot of boy band music whilst you had been scripting this?
SHOWALTER: Sure, after all. I drew inspiration from Harry Kinds, and I drew inspiration from pop stars, normally, and the fascination that we, as a tradition, have with our pop stars. Proper now, we’re going by means of a interval the place that obsession is at an all-time peak, and I feel it’s as a result of we get to see their lives greater than we ever have. With social media and issues like Instagram and TikTok, all these large pop stars have this direct hyperlink to their fan base. That didn’t exist after I was younger. Once I was in center college, I cherished Madonna, however it wasn’t like I might simply go to her Instagram and watch her cooking eggs, or one thing like that. However now, you may go and watch your favourite pop star goofing round and being a standard particular person. That’s one thing that’s within the ether of this story as a result of we’ve this very shut relationship now. We’ve robust opinions about who our pop stars date and who they don’t date, and what they suppose and what they don’t suppose, and what they put on and what they don’t put on, and all these items. This film exists inside that context.
The Chemistry Between Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine Was Apparent in His ‘The Concept of You’ Audition
Picture by way of MGM Studios
One of the crucial difficult issues about making a film like that is the chemistry and the believability of it. What was the second you realized that chemistry was completely on level? What bought you on Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine collectively and made them the right pairing?
SHOWALTER: There was a second when Nick got here in and did an audition with Anne that was an entire session. We spent a protracted afternoon collectively the place we noticed him singing, and we noticed Anne and Nick improvising collectively and doing scenes collectively, and we noticed their rapport that that they had between one another. There was undoubtedly a second the place Nick sang a track that he performed on guitar, and to see the look on Anne’s face whereas he was singing the track to her, you knew that there was a spark there. After which, as soon as we began taking pictures the film, watching them kissing one another, it was like, “Wow, I like taking a look at these two folks kissing one another.” That’s not all the time the case once you’re taking pictures scenes of actors kissing. It was like, “Wow, I’m not hiding from my monitor whereas these individuals are kissing.” That was additionally good. The aesthetic of it was actually there.
This romantic adaptation is aware of the advantages of going off-book.
How thought out had been a number of the small romantic moments and gestures on this? Have been these scenes totally thought out and mentioned through the writing stage, or did you wait till you bought on set and will work with the actors? There are some standout particulars in the case of specializing in their fingers intertwined earlier than they kiss, or the second when Solène grabs Hayes’ hand to cowl her mouth. Have been these moments that had been scripted? Did that come out in enjoying the scenes and in conversations with Anne and Nick?
SHOWALTER: These had been scripted moments. We talked about that loads, about what these scenes could be, what excited us, and what felt attractive and exhilarating and romantic. We talked about all that stuff. There’s all the time a certain quantity of improvisation that occurs on the day, however in each of these circumstances, at the least, these had been issues that we knew we wished to do. The entire thing, for me, was to make the viewers really feel like that is actually occurring and you actually are watching this occur. The most important pop star on this planet and this lady who owns an artwork gallery, that is what it will be. This would possibly really be what would occur. It isn’t this glamorous Hollywood fantasy, although it’s in its personal bizarre method. The scene the place they first kiss is in her home. She made him sandwiches. It’s really one thing very small. That was very a lot what we had been making an attempt to seize, the incremental method wherein two folks discover one another.
How Did They Recreate the Coachella Musical Competition For ‘The Concept of You’?
Picture by way of MGM Studios
To offset these small intimate moments, you additionally staged Coachella. How did you shoot Coachella and create an August Moon efficiency? What went into taking pictures that and the way lengthy did that take?
SHOWALTER: We constructed our personal Coachella campus on a racetrack in Atlanta. We had a big stage constructed for us with lights, lasers, jumbotrons, and an enormous sound system. We had variety of background there to present the sensation of a packed Coachella viewers. We had a full band and the August Moon guys had been rehearsing these songs for weeks. By the point we really had been able to shoot, it was like an actual live performance. We actually simply recreated an actual live performance expertise. For these of us that had been there the night time we shot it, we had been, ourselves, dancing and having a ball. It was very a lot an artwork meets life second. And people songs are so enjoyable. The songs are so catchy and infectious, and the blokes had this wonderful choreography that they did. They had been so enjoyable to look at they usually’re all so gifted. You actually simply let your self imagine that it was actual.
Do you may have a favourite second between these two characters?
SHOWALTER: For me, my favourite second is the scene within the lodge after they’re dancing to the Wang Chung track (“All people Have Enjoyable Tonight”). I really like that track, in order that’s a part of it, however I really like seeing them so free and so comfy. It’s such an incredible second as a result of their guard is down, there’s no exterior opinion, they usually’re not afraid of what anybody thinks. No person’s taking a look at them. Nobody’s judging them. They’re not serious about age or fame. They’re not serious about something different than simply the enjoyment of one another.
What’s most outstanding about Michael Showalter’s heartbreaking 2017 romantic comedy is that it’s primarily based on a real story.
Was the ending that we see now all the time the ending? Did that change or evolve over time?
SHOWALTER: We had a number of completely different variations of the ending. We had many alternative iterations, however it was all the time some model of that. We all the time knew that the film was gonna finish the way in which it does, with the concept that is being given to the viewers, as to how issues finish between them, however we had alternative ways of doing that. The one which we landed on was the one which in the end made essentially the most sense for us once we had been taking pictures.
The Concept of You is accessible to stream on Prime Video. Try the trailer:
