“I don’t believe when I was an ‘ingenue,’ that I ever got to say words that were written by a woman. It was always written by an older man, who imagined what a pretty girl wanted to talk about.”
Lea Thompson is perhaps best known for her role as the various incarnations of Lorraine McFly in Back to the Future I, II, and III, for which she won the Kid’s Choice Film Actress Award. And as the star of Caroline in the City she won a People’s Choice Award. Her ginger hair, wholesome girl next-door persona, sweet disposition, and impeccable comedic timing, contributed to Thompson’s success in Hollywood. Thompson has been seen on Freeform’s Peabody Award-winning hit show Switched at Birth and has starred in more than 30 films, 25 television movies, 4 television series; danced in more than 20 ballets, and starred in Cabaret on Broadway. She has also directed episodes of MOM on CBS, American Housewife and 3 episodes of The Goldberg’s on ABC. Most recently, Thompson and her two daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch joined forces to make the film The Spectacular Year of Men. This was Thompson’s directorial debut and her first theatrical film starring her two daughters. Madelyn wrote the film and scored the music. The Spectacular Year of Men was an Official Selection of the 2017 LA Film Festival, and has screened at several festivals since its debut, which was June 15th at the Laemmle Theater in Santa Monica.
Speaking with Lea Thompson was like talking to my favorite girlfriend; her transparency, humor, and warmth may our interview quite memorable.
Questions by Sheryl Aronson
Responses by Lea Thompson
You and your two daughters, Madelyn and Zoey Deutch are involved in a fabulous new project The Year of Spectacular Men. What was it like working on the film as mother and daughters.
I just directed a movie called The Year of Spectacular Men, and it’s written by my daughter Madelyn Deutch, stars her, and is scored by her. My other daughter, Zoey Deutch plays her sister and I also play the role of her mother in the film. So it’s a big family affair, which we have been working on really hard for four years. It came out in theaters on June 15, 2018, and on video and Demand.
How would you compare working on a film with your family compared to doing a film on your own?
It’s been wonderful. I met my husband doing the movie Some Kind of Wonderful. I think the dye was cast from that moment. (She laughs.) Obviously the mother/daughter relationship is a complicated one. My daughters are women now and fellow artists. There have been some events . . . but for the most part it’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life. My greatest creation are my daughters. I’m a real family person. I value my family above all. Just the fact that we could all work together and create something—Inspire each other to do things we’ve never done before—that’s really a meaningful experience.
What steps did you take to develop the film?
A lot of Madelyn’s experiences are in this movie. She had a terrible year and felt confused about what to do once she got out of college.
I think a lot of millennials share that feeling. Then she had these horrible dating experiences. She came up with the title The Year of Spectacular Men first then I encouraged her to write it. So she did. I thought it was funny, honest, touching, and I was impressed with the script
I had never directed a feature film from scratch. I’ve directed TV films before and Madelyn gave me the courage to decide we could put this movie together with me as the director. We found these great producers who figured out how to finance the movie. From there it was one step at a time. Zoey ended up being a producer on the movie. She helped us get a lot of the actors and was involved with the post-production.
A lot of Madelyn’s experiences are in this movie. She had a terrible year and felt confused about what to do once she got out of college. I think a lot of millennials share that feeling. Then she had these horrible dating experiences. She came up with the title The Year of Spectacular Men first then I encouraged her to write it. So she did. I thought it was funny, honest, touching, and I was impressed with the script
I had never directed a feature film from scratch. I’ve directed TV films before and Madelyn gave me the courage to decide we could put this movie together with me as the director. We found these great producers who figured out how to finance the movie. From there it was one step at a time. Zoey ended up being a producer on the movie. She helped us get a lot of the actors and was involved with the post-production.
You’ve had many years in front of the camera, acting in comedies. This film is a romantic comedy. How did your experience as a comedic actor come into play with directing The Year of Spectacular Men?
I feel like I’ve been given so many gifts of knowledge from all the talented people I’ve worked with. It’s really fun to make a soup of that and [serve it] to other people. I love comedy. I love dramedy. I particularly like this type of comedy, where you don’t tell people when they’re supposed to laugh; let them figure it out. The same [goes for] when they are supposed to cry. We don’t have a big [music] score to tell you what to feel. We let you find your own way to what you think is funny or sad. It’s hard to make a women-fronted comedy, especially about a woman in her early to mid- twenties.
Like you said, the millennials have their own new set of problems because of social media today. So what does her character experience that is so difficult?
She’s experiencing some very hilarious and ridiculous love scenes in the film. The movie is definitely R-rated with the language and sexual situations. It’s an honest look at what it’s like to date right now. I think the reason they don’t make movies about millennials is because the studios don’t think they will go out to see them . . . because they’re all on their phones. (Laughs.)
Wow! That’s a really good question. You’ve asked great questions. We’ve been talking about ageism, which is a really important subject. For me, I always want to try and inspire people. I feel it’s important not to buy into the ageism. That’s one of the reasons why I’m directing. There are such fewer parts and I don’t get as many roles as I used to in my 30s. So I think one has to move out and try new things and not expect that ageism will happen to you. Take time to stay positive and not accept the fences people try to put you in.
What are you working on currently?
I have a movie called Who We Are Now and have a supporting part with Emma Roberts, and I have a supporting part in a movie called Sierra Burgess is a Loser. I play all Moms. Then I have another Mom part. I play Marmee in the modern day adaption of Little Women this fall. In terms of what I’m doing—I’m wide open, so if you know anybody that needs a director! (Laughs.)
AGENDA / NOV-DEC 2018
AGENDA would like to congratulate Writer’s Digest 3rd Place 2019 winner Sheryl Aronson. Click here to purchase the print issue that includes this article. (Kaylene Peoples EIC | Lee L. Peoples Executive Editor/Copy Editor)
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