COLLIDER: Whats it like to release a movie during a pandemic?
How hard is that to deal with?
JULIA HART: Its funny because we also released a movie right at the beginning of the pandemic.
We had a movie [Stargirl] come out on Disney+ in March.
We had already experienced that.Im Your Womanis our second streaming film that weve made.
I think we need art and new content more than ever.
Image via Amazon Studios
JORDAN HOROWITZ: I really have nothing to add to that.
That was very well said.
HART: Thank you.
Image via Amazon Studios
You mentioned havingIm Your WomanandStargirlboth come out in the same year and those are films that very different tones.
How did it happen that they both ended up in the same year?
HART: We really like making different movies.
Image via Amazon Studios
He was talking about that because hes obviously a writer who writes wildly different types of things.
It makes an already exciting profession that much more exciting and fun and interesting.
I like to describe Julia as a humanist filmmaker.
We made them pretty much one year to the day later.
They felt so different becauseStargirlis a YA Disney musical and our cast were these bubbly, lovely teenagers.
Its a musical, so there was a lot of music and dancing.
And we had just had a baby right before we went into production.
Our youngest son was eight weeks old when we started makingStargirl.
And we were in New Mexico, which is much warmer than Pittsburgh at that time of year.
And then,Im Your Womanis an intense, dark movie.
The set pieces inStargirlare all fun marching band and musical numbers.
It was also 17 degrees when we shot.
HOROWITZ: And we shot 15 straight full nights over three weeks.
Our crew has now become our family.
When it comes to working together, what does that look like?
HOROWITZ: We start with an idea.
Were also thinking about it from the point of view of outlining it and how we tell the story.
Julia and I are not the kind of people that share a brain.
HART: Unless its what we want for dinner.
HOROWITZ: Then, we usually want the same thing.
We start from a place of collaboration.
Our key crew is our family.
Julia stays in writer/director mode a little more than I do.
I very often forget that I co-wrote a script.
HART: I think that also comes from the fact that you started out as a producer on set.
Your comfort and history on set is being a producer.
You didnt start producing films that you wrote until much later in your career.
Its probably just a force of habit.
But everybody needs the producer to be present on set, I think.
So, its habit, but its also preference.
HART: Were also lucky that theres two of us.
Its a really great process for us thats definitely evolved a lot over time.
HOROWITZ: Its changed the most.
HART: Were both really doing everything at the script level, as opposed to taking on separate jobs.
HART: He directed second unit on this movie and he did such a good job.
HOROWITZ: I dont think we need another 40-year-old white guy directing, to be totally fair.
Im very satisfied with our creative relationship.
We work very hand-in-hand.
Shes driving the process, but its very deeply collaborative.
HART: As is every relationship on set.
As Jordan said, we view every single aspect of filmmaking as a collaboration.
I will never take a Film by credit.
To be totally honest, I find it offensive for directors to take a Film by credit.
The film is by all of us.
We are all working together to tell this story.
but that isnt necessarily authorship.
That is very much the goal of the work that we do.
How involved did she get with giving her input?
HOROWITZ: Ill let Julia speak to her as an actress.
I can speak to her as a producer, and it was awesome.
Otherwise, take an EP credit.
Im not interested in a producer in name only.
In prep, when we were location scouting, she would come with us to locations.
And it wasnt just her only thinking about herself.
That was really awesome because I certainly dont think about that when Im doing a location scout.
How does this make sense?
Why am I not feeling like this is moving from point A to point B emotionally?
It was very impressive how she was able to switch hats.
But I have to keep in mind that Rachel is a very specific and singular talent and person.
That is just a truth, if you know how to make that work.
If you actually know how to be a strong triangle, it is an inherently stronger shape.
HART: Thank you for saying that.
Jordan and I are writing the pilot script forFast Colorand Im supposed to direct it.
Were still in the writing phase, so well see what happens, but were excited about it.
Does it feel like its so much more wide open?
Its not necessarily starting where the movie left off and telling that same story.
Thats something that were really interested in.
The movie hinted at a larger mythology, but just didnt have the running time to fully explore it.
Im Your Womanis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
