Vicky Krieps wasn't Mia Hansen Love's first choice for staring in " Bergman Island." Neither was she the third, fourth, or 12th choice because Chris, a Faro-based filmmaker, is already Greta Gerwig's role.
Gerwig was told just months prior to filming that she would be directing "Little Women" if it happened then. Krieps then enters the picture.
Hansen-Love fell for Hansen-Love in "Phantom Thread" like the rest of the globe. And she loved that the actor would bring a European flare to the character. Krieps also wanted it, though it would be difficult because there are two children involved.
Krieps, 38 said, "The moment I read the email I knew that I was going to make this film, but now I have to tell everybody else and they won't be okay with it." "I had just planned my entire year and it's not easy to negotiate when you can work. It's always negotiation for a woman who works.
There was one problem: Tony, the actor playing Chris' husband had also left, and they hadn't found a replacement. Krieps would have to leave her family and travel to a Baltic Sea island with little notice in order to film a project about a marriage that she doesn't know her husband.
She said, "It's difficult to find a man who will play the role of just the husband." It sounds absurd, but it is true.
Tony was eventually joined by Tim Roth.
This is not the story people tell when they talk about filmmaking. Everyone insists that one person was the best and the only option and everything went according to plan. It's true, even though it is messy and complex, it produced something transcendental that feels like it was always intended to be.
Despite all the reasons to avoid it, there was still a strong pull to Bergman Island. It had nothing to do with Ingmar Berman's films. Chris was Krieps' vision of herself. She saw herself as a mother, artist, and lover but wasn't sure what order they should be placed, especially when compared to her husband who was more successful.
Krieps stated, "It's really about, 'Who are I as a female in my life?'." It's the story about a woman who accepts her way and then accepts that she doesn't have a method.
The film opens in theaters Friday. Reality blurs and the audience is taken into Chris's imagination. Chris tells Tony about a story she had: A woman (Mia Wasikowska), who attends a Bergman Island wedding and reconnects with her ex (Anders Danielsen Lie).
The Hansen-Love film shares many similarities with the director's life, as do all Hansen Love films. She was in a relationship with Olivier Assayas, a French filmmaker. They had a child together.
"(Mia] said that although my movies are autobiographical in nature, they don't really reflect my life. Although it is based on my life, it doesn't really reflect my own. Krieps stated, "If you want to find out, you can ask." "But I don’t feel the need for knowledge, so I didn’t ask. It was always something I knew, and it was her way of thinking. We never discussed it.
They trusted each other. Krieps felt an invisible connection between them, knowing that it was difficult to be creative and productive while caring for their children.
"Sometimes actors will give interviews, such as "then I prepared for the role, you know, but I lost so much weight for one year." I'd love to have someone look after my children like that. She said it in a quiet voice to avoid disturbing her children who were sleeping soundly. But I believe that it gives us women a different type of strength which can take us to different realms and different imaginations.
Krieps isn't sure if she has a clear answer for which part of her life should dominate, but that's okay. Chris was there to help her.
"Letting go is the most courageous and brave thing. It's to jump into the unknown. She said that she did this movie without knowing my husband's name or the identity of my other lead actor. "Even in private life, this is the only way. It's a leap into unknown every morning. Let go, I believe, is the key to peace in this insecurity.
Despite her concerns, her children had a great time in Faro on holiday while she was working. She was also able to reflect on the attention she received after "Phantom Thread."
"I didn't imagine myself suddenly as this Hollywood actress. Much of the opposite happened. I sort of left Hollywood. My life was changing in a big way. My life was different than it was before. It was quite a strange place to be. It took me two years to process it," she stated.
"I believe that making Bergman Island really helped me, because I had this landscape, which I could return to. All these questions were easy to meditate on. The movie's images are beautiful because they transcend from reality to reality and back to your reality. That's what I thought happened with "Phantom Thread."
