Marielle Heller began her career in front of the camera, appearing in shows such as “Spin City” and “Single Dads,” as well as in movies like “MacGruber” and “A Walk Among the Tombstones.” For her feature directorial debut, Heller adapted and directed Phoebe Gloeckner’s novel “The Diary Of a Teenage Girl,” which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus category at the Berlin International Film Festival. She has directed episodes of acclaimed shows such as “Transparent” and “Casual.” Heller is currently in pre-production on her next feature, “You Are My Friend,” which will star Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” will begin screening at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MH: “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is a salute to the resilience of two down-and-out New Yorkers who do what they have to do to survive. It’s based on the real life literary forger Lee Israel, played by Melissa McCarthy, who finds a friend in Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) at a moment when her life is totally falling apart. She can’t make a living as a biographer any longer, and is out of step with the literary trends of the day, so she figures out a way to make money: forging letters from dead famous writers like Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. And the crazy part of it is she was so talented that her forgeries pass, until they don’t.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MH: I love stories about misunderstood people. Lee is a cantankerous, probably-alcoholic lesbian who spends most of her time with her cat — not the type of female character that Hollywood movies tend to focus on. But she’s whip-smart, funny as hell, and a joy to spend time with.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MH: I want people to feel like they were transported back to 1991 New York, and to feel like they hung out in gay bars and dusty old bookstores for an hour and a half, and heard some of the best stories of their lives.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MH: Shooting in the dead of winter in New York City when the sun goes down at 4:15 and you don’t have a lot of daylight hours is tough. But we captured some gorgeous snowy days in our film, and I hope eventually I will forget how cold I was and just focus on the beauty of those shots.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MH: The movie was made with Fox Searchlight. I came on board when it was already far in its development, so I had less to do with this part of the process than I did with my first movie.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
MH: I never decided to become a filmmaker. I have always been invested in telling stories, first as an actor, then as a writer, and now as a director. Making movies was a leap I took when I was making “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” and I couldn’t stand the thought of somebody else directing my movie.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MH: The best advice came from the Sundance Labs where we were shown that our responsibility was to our story — that we are going to be asked to balance budget concerns, and shooting concerns, and clearance concerns, but that at the end of the day you have to check in with what your story is asking of you, and make decisions from that pure place.
The worst advice I ever got was to wait until you were ready to do hard things.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MH: Just make things, and find people you love working with. If you’re working on something you truly love and are passionate about, you will do your best work.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MH: Oh that’s not fair! There’s no way I can pick that.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
MH: I feel like overall there is a greater conversation happening about people’s personal experiences. The idea that we have to pretend we’re fine all the time is disappearing, and people are able to talk more sensitively from their heart about themselves as full people. This is a great change.
