(L to R) Geraldine Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley and Beanie Feldstein talk director Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls.’
Opening in theaters on February 23rd is the new film from director Ethan Coen (‘The Big Lebowski’) called ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ which he co-wrote with Tricia Cooke and stars Geraldine Viswanathan (‘Blockers’), Margaret Qualley (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’), Beanie Feldstein (‘Book Smart’), Colman Domingo (‘Rustin’), Matt Damon (‘The Martian’) and Pedro Pascal (‘The Last of Us’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Geraldine Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley and Beanie Feldstein about their work on ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ their quirky characters, and working with director Ethan Coen.
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Geraldine Viswanathan stars as “Marian” in director Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.
Moviefone: To begin with, Geraldine, can you talk about your first reaction to Ethan Coen and Trisha Cooke’s screenplay and the aspects of this character you were excited to explore on screen?
Geraldine Viswanathan: I think getting the script was just so exciting. I feel like Ethan and Trish are some of the greatest writers of our time. It was just such an original and fresh script with so many cool elements and so many surprising turns, and I really fell in love with the character, Marian. I feel like at first, I thought I was really different from her, but I also kind of understood her and related to her and the way that I get introverted or sensitive and shy. I felt excited to play into those parts of myself a little bit more.
Margaret Qualley stars as “Jamie” in director Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.
MF: Margaret, Jamie is really a free spirit, can you talk about your approach to playing her?
Margaret Qualley: Playing Jamie, she’s a total free spirit. It was very inspiring. I would like to have a little bit more of Jamie in my everyday life because I’m somebody that can be a little in my head, go home a little bit anxious, and I think that’s not really a big part of her experience. I imagine her kind of like a teenage boy. Not that teenage boys aren’t in their head, but there maybe is kind of like a puppy spirit.
Beanie Feldstein stars as “Sukie” in director Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.
MF: Beanie, can you talk about Sukie’s breakup with Jamie and how that anger really fuels her journey through the movie?
Beanie Feldstein: I mean, I think you hit it that she’s so heartbroken, but that kind of takes a turn into just tunnel vision, that she’s just, no matter whether they’re together or not together, she’s focused on Jamie. That was the note that Ethan and Tricia gave me in my Zoom audition. They were just like, “You cannot be more obsessed with her, and nothing takes your focus away from her.” So, I think that’s kind of Sukie’s motives the entire time, and to play someone who was just unapologetically angry, and abrasive is the opposite of my personality. So that was fun to jump full speed ahead. I think Ethan and Tricia saw something in me that I don’t see in myself. So, it was fun to play.
(L to R) Actor Geraldine Viswanathan, actor Margaret Qualley, and director/writer/producer Ethan Coen on the set of ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.
MF: Finally, Geraldine, what was it like being on set with Ethan Coen and collaborating with him on this movie?
GV: I mean, incredible. He is one of the best filmmakers of our time and really is a wonderful person. He has every right to be an asshole, but he’s just not. He’s so great and special, and he’s just a genius. I just relished being around him. Anytime he spoke I was like, “Yes.” I just wanted to learn from him as much as I could. He’s even better than you could imagine.
“A story of two ladies going south.”
Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh… Read the Plot
What is the Plot of ‘Drive-Away Dolls’?
This comedy caper follows Jamie (Margaret Qualley), an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.
Who is in the cast of ‘Drive-Away Dolls’?
- Margaret Qualley as Jamie
- Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian
- Beanie Feldstein as Sukie
- Colman Domingo as Chief
- Pedro Pascal as Santos
- Bill Camp as Curlie
- Matt Damon as Senator Channel
- Joey Slotnick as Arliss
(L to R) Geraldine Viswanathan as “Marian”, Margaret Qualley as “Jamie” and Beanie Feldstein as “Sukie” in director Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.
Other Ethan Coen Movies:
Buy Tickets: ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Movie Showtimes
Buy Coen brothers Movies on Amazon