“Maudie” was such an unexpected delight. With terrific performances from Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, “Maudie” brings us into the lives of Maud and Everett Lewis, two people who come together out of necessity but then fall in love. The couple create a life that suits them and allows Maud to become the artist she was destined to be.

I spoke with the film’s director, Aisling Walsh, about how she got involved with the project, collaborating with Hawkins, and her experiences as a female filmmaker.

“Maudie” opens June 16.

W&H: “Maudie” was so good. I loved every second of it. It’s beautiful. How did the film come to you?

AW: The script was sent to me. I was very lucky the day it arrived. I was in early preparation for something else, and I was staying in a hotel in Caernarfon, Wales. I didn’t know the town that well, it was a miserable night, and the Internet wasn’t working. I thought, “I’ll have my dinner in my room and read this script.” After I finished it, I wrote to my agent and said, “What do I have to do to meet these people?”

I believe that the material’s got to fit. I was trained as a painter, so I loved that it was about that and also about a woman.

W&H: How did you segue into filmmaking from painting?

AW: I just started making little films in art school. In some sense, the campus wasn’t really big enough, so I started to make films. Then, I went to film school in England outside of London, and that’s where I’ve lived every since.

W&H: What is your logline to describe this movie?

AW: That’s a tough one. I think it’s that you can find love in the world, and that anything is possible. You can overcome anything if you believe in it and yourself. It’s difficult because this film is about so many things.

One of the things that really attracted me was that the fact that it was a portrait of this relationship over 35 years — which you don’t usually see in a film. If you’ve been in a relationship that long, you kind of understand that. I really got that; it really spoke to me.

These two very unlikely people, Maud and Everett [Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke], meet. As the Irish say, they’re two odd socks, and by the end, they’re a pair. That’s an interesting journey.

W&H: If I had to give my logline for this film, it would be, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything.” The relationship, of course, is such an integral part. But, for me, it was really about this woman who everybody said wouldn’t be anything.

AW: Yes. I was in Ireland last week giving a talk to Women in Film and Television Ireland. They asked me about the worst advice I’ve ever been given, and I said, “You can’t do it.”

I came from a family who taught me that I could do anything I wanted if I believed in myself. So, that advice was really interesting.

W&H: Women directors are told that all the time. In “Maudie,” it’s incredibly moving to see what she overcomes. Now, this is the title of the film. Was her name Maud?

AW: Yes, her name was Maud, but those who knew her well called her Maudie. Everett called her Maudie, and that’s why we chose that title.

W&H: Sally Hawkins has done amazing work, but I thought this film took her to a whole new level. I read that you immediately thought about her for the part of Maud. What made you think of her?

AW: I’d worked with her before; she’s attached to a number of projects of mine. We just love working together.

Sometimes, when you’re reading a script, you can visualize who should play a particular part. I knew I was going to have a conversation about the film when I was 10 pages in. I knew — if I was lucky — I was going to have a conversation with the producers, and I wrote her name down. I thought that she would be amazing.

I spoke to one of the producers the day after I received the script, and he couldn’t believe that I had read it that quickly. I then had a longer conference call with the other producers. The questions always are: When and why do you want to do this film, and who did you think of? I had a list of people, and I mentioned Sally. They immediately responded, “Gosh, we hadn’t thought about that. She would be amazing.” After that, there wasn’t ever anyone else.

I also knew that it might be something she’d like to do that we could do together. We so wanted to work together again, and I was right. I sent her two pictures of Maud Lewis, as well as a picture or two of her painting. I got an email back that said, “Yes, I’ll do it.”

W&H: When you were sent the script, was that an official offer?

AW: No. It was just to see what I thought and whether or not I was interested.

W&H: It’s always so interesting to see how people get material and how the process works.

AW: It’s also interesting because, by then, I had been in film for 10 years. There was another director attached to the process that came and went. Somehow, it got to me. You’ve got to grab those things; you’ve got to try, at least. There’s something about it that just spoke to me. I felt that I could do something with it.

W&H: How did you and Sally work together to prepare to play this woman who had a severe disability?

AW: Like me, Sally lives in London, so it’s easy to get together. We started off by watching a documentary on Maud Lewis. We talked about prosthetics, wigs, and so on. Sally felt that she could do a lot of it herself; she wanted to work hard to do that.

I wanted her to be able to paint, and so did she. I found an artist through The Association of British Naïve Artists whose work hints a bit at Maud’s. She worked with Sally every week for six months. At any moment in the film, I wanted her to be able to paint if she wanted to paint.

She came out to Newfoundland about three weeks before we started filming, and we worked on the costumes and accent. It all takes time.

W&H: Ethan Hawke was really good in this movie. It’s a very unexpected role for him, too. It’s very internal. Talk a bit about his casting process.

AW: I’ve always loved him as an actor. There’s always something very special about an actor that kind of speaks to you.

I thought that it would be very interesting to see him play something almost silent. I kind of wanted to tell him to forget the dialogue and use it when it’s really important to. That’s where I always come from with scripts; I look for that one line or word that’s important to say in a specific scene.

He blew me away in “Boyhood,” and Sally had met him the year before. I thought that he might love the challenge of playing a role like that.

It’s hard to love him in the beginning of the film. You don’t realize in the beginning that, by the end, you’re going to love that man.

W&H: That’s hard for you as a director and for an actor. You’re always rooting for Maud.

AW: Right, and he outlives her. He is the keeper of her story afterwards.

W&H: Talk about how you achieved the look of the film.

AW: I’ve worked with the designer, John Hand, before. We hadn’t seen each other for about a year and a half. I sent him the script and told him that I needed to know if he would come out and stick with this. The shoot was in Newfoundland, which is a newer environment for films. I told him that it wouldn’t be an easy journey, but it would be really worthwhile.

A film like this starts off really small; it really started with just the two of us. We met at Heathrow Airport and flew out to St. John’s [in Newfoundland] to meet two of our producers. We drove around to get an idea of the setting.

We took over the school and, together, we interviewed people for various jobs in the art department. Sometimes, that’s quite a nice way to really discover what the film is about, as you constantly have to explain it to others.

W&H: How do you work? Do you storyboard?

AW: I kind of find references, and I scribble a bit for myself. But then, art director Owen Power came on, and he stayed in the room. The three of us were in this room, day after day. It was really an interesting way to work.

W&H: Why did you pick Newfoundland?

AW: That decision was made before I joined. Producer Mary Sexton felt that she could get the money there, and she did.

W&H: There have been many conversations as of late — especially with Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” making so much money — regarding the lack of opportunities for women directors. What are your thoughts on this situation, and what has your experience been as a female director? Do you have any ideas about how we can change this?

AW: I never thought about it very much in the beginning because I existed in the art school world; there were five girls to every 20 guys in my class. Film school was about the same. At that time, many women in Ireland planned on being something like a nurse or secretary after school. I came from a world that was quite tough for women in general. If you got married, you had to quit your job.

But, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I was very fortunate. My brother is a musician, and my sister is in fashion. My family just did it so. I never thought that I couldn’t do it. I merely saw it as the road less traveled, and I was on it. I never thought that if I stuck at it, I wouldn’t be able to do it.

I think it has been tougher. I made a film 10 years ago that I’m very proud of. Looking back, I think that if a man had made it, his career would probably have ended up differently.

But, I was lucky because I’ve always kind of been an outsider. I left Ireland and went to England; my English career has always been as an Irish woman there. In a way, it’s always been slightly easier.

In many ways, you wish you weren’t having that conversation. But, isn’t it extraordinary that we are having a conversation about a woman who’s directed a big blockbuster? And then, on the other hand, why should that be such a big deal?

The film industry is probably one of hardest. For instance, the music industry is slightly easier because one could now record an album in your bedroom. It’s hard to make a film in your bedroom.

It also comes from a confidence, from young women being told at a very early age they can do it. I often say that the difference between the English upper and working class is that no one has told the upper class “no.” Women must believe that they can, and it will change.

It’s also a matter of opportunity. Some find it surprising that people want to see a film like this — but it’s not. There is still space for these stories in the same way there is for huge Marvel movies, sci-fi movies, and so on. Our view of the world is different, but it also shouldn’t exclude men.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they leave the theater?

AW: I want them to feel that, out of struggle, anything is possible. You can achieve something.

Our world has gotten so complicated. In simplicity, there is a great beauty and a great life.

Also, you can find love in the world. People still want that kind of intimacy with each other. I’m not saying that you must have a life partner. But, have relationships and experiences. That’s still possible if you look for it and you find it. Maud and Everett were both so lucky to have found each other.