Scene 2 Podcast seen: Thomasin Mackenzie, Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel and William Oldroyd talk about “Eileen”

Welcome to the Podcast Scene of the Lakes. I’m Valerie Complex co-editor and film writer at Deadline.

I have a disclaimer. I talk to actress Thomasin Mackenzie, director William Oldroyd, screenwriters Ottessa Moshfeg and Luke Goebel about the Neon film Eileenbut this episode is split into two parts.

The first half is a separate interview with Thomasin Mackenzie and the second half is a full interview with Moshfegh, Goebel and Oldroyd. Consider it as Eileen Clock! I hope you can take some of the pressure off me because they couldn’t record together!

Eileen is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ottessa Moshfeg. In addition to Mackenzie, the film stars Ann Hathaway, Shea Wigham, Marin Ireland and Siobhan Fallon Hogan.

The film takes place during a severe winter in Massachusetts in 1964. Young secretary Eileen is enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a strange turn when a dark secret is revealed and sends Eileen down a dark path.

McKenzie is from New Zealand and has emerged as one of the most talented young artists in recent years. After a small role in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) She had her breakthrough in Debra Granik’s drama film Leave no trace opposite Ben Foster. (2018), for which she won the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Achievement. Other notable appearances include starring in the 2021 indie drama I’m not herethe science fiction mystery 2022 Last night in Soho Directed by Edgar Wright and starring Jane Campion’s Netflix film The power of the dog opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.

Only in her mid-twenties, Thomasin McKenzie has proven herself as a talented acting actress capable of connecting with audiences through complex, challenging roles. With her career still on the rise, she remains one of the most promising young actresses today.

In the first half of the episode, I talk to her about staying in character in the New England winter, bonding with Ann Hathaway and recommending the best New Zealand films.

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Author and Writer Ottessa Moshfegh is a fiction and screenwriter from New England. Eileen, her first novel, was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is also the author of the famous book My year of rest and relaxation.

Luke B. Goebel is a Los Angeles-based author and screenwriter. His first book, Fourteen stories, none of them yours won the Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize. He also co-wrote the film Dam-2022

William Oldroyd is best known for directing the critically acclaimed 2016 breakout film TIFF Lady Macbeth starring Florence Pugh. After its premiere in Toronto, the film received critical acclaim at the London Film Festival, won the International Film Critics Awards at the San Sebastian Film Festival, and earned William a DGA nomination.

In Part 2 I talk to the group about the process from book to film, the power of transgressive fiction and the collaborative process between director and writer.

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