Nancy
Oliver first met American Beauty writer Alan Ball when they
both studied theatre at Florida State University. They formed a theatre
group together and when Nancy was relocated to Los Angeles Ball immediately
employed her as a script reader. Some years later she joined him as
one of the writers and co-producers behind the acclaimed television
series Six Feet Under. Lars and the Real Girl is her
debut feature.
How
did you come up with the idea of Lars…?
It was a “what if?” thing: what if we didn’t treat
our mentally ill people like animals? What if we brought kindness and
compassion to the table?
Mental
illness crops up in Six Feet Under too, why is that?
It's a sort of theme in my life. A lot of people close to me have suffered
a great deal from mental illness and when you're close to it like that,
the suffering is palpable. There is a lot of anguish. It's awful.
So
where did the concept of the blow-up doll arise from?
I had a weird job where I had to deal with a lot of websites and a lot
of lonely guys. The dolls advertised were so bizarre they stuck in my
head, because you can totally see the reason for them. How many people
do you know who can’t operate with real human beings? That’s
a large part of Lars’ journey: he’s been so deprived of
female companionship and motherly love, he’s hungry for that kind
of comfort and softness.
Why
did it seem such good medicine for Lars?
I didn't want to go therapeutic with it because it's not a documentary.
He's finding his way out and he was functional. When someone says "Can
you fix him?" the doctor answers, "There isn't a pill for
lonely." And there really isn't, and that was the crux of his problem
for me.
How
did you hear that you were nominated for an Oscar?
I actually heard actually from the director’s assistant who became
a friend of mine - she gave me a call. I had asked the publicists not
to call me because I was asleep from a trip. It’s kind of crazy
for it to happen with a first screenplay, and with something as perverse
as Lars…
Because
of the writers’ strike you might not get to go, how does that
feel?
Considering the issues that the strike concerns … it’s OK.
Of course I want to have a big party and get a dress and everything.
But my real concern is the issues on the table and our future. Hopefully
we can get something together before then, but if not, then that’s
all right. It’s an honour just to be nominated.
Is
it true that you were just about to give up on writing before starting
on Six Feet Under?
Yeah, when I moved out to LA I decided that I would give it five years
- I'm not a kid anymore. When Alan Ball called my five years were just
about up. I was going to go back to Florida and figure out another way
to make a living. I had boxes packed when I got the call. I asked him
if he could give me some time, but after the first day I said: "What?
Are you crazy? Yeah, I'll do this!" Then I was clearly onboard.
Has
Alan Ball seen Lars… ?
At the world premiere in Toronto. Usually I annoy him by talking through
movies. But this time we didn’t even look at each other until
the end of the movie. He had tears in his eyes and I was starting to
lose it. It was an incredible moment. The movie ended and everybody
got up and I thought they were leaving. But they were clapping. That
just kind of blew the top of my head off. I had an out-of-body thing
because it was just an amazing moment. More than 27 years of just hard
work for nothing, and then this. I never, ever thought something like
that would happen. Never, ever.
Lars
and the Real Girl
Ryan Gosling
interview
Emily Mortimer interview
