“I’d never seen marriage dealt with quite this way,” Coon says of the film.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was it about this film that attracted you to it?
CARRIE COON:Well, firstly, it was offered to me.
Credit: IFC Films
That’s the biggest attractor.
I had met Sean a couple of times, and I quite liked him personally.
He spoke so intelligently and so specifically about his work.
And then the script was also very specific.
I was a kid in the ’80s; I never got to wear adult clothes in the ’80s.
That was a big draw.
And the horseback riding, too.
I mean, nominally.
So I had a lot of work to do.
How much did you work with Jude to develop your characters' dynamic?
We had one meeting before we started production.
And that was it, we were off and running.
Because it’s an independent film, so you don’t get a lot of time.
And it really felt like doing a play.
That was a really gratifying way to work.
Sean would always prioritize performance over any other consideration, so it felt very actor-driven in that regard.
So it’s more a matter of, “Can you let go of control?”
[Laughs] So the most intimidating part of it was making sure it still felt like the decade.
I hate it when things feel like they’re anachronistic.
And also our costumes; our great costume designer, Matt [Price], did an amazing job.
So I really felt the part when I walked in.
It’s good to have a proper ’80s dance piece to really get into it.
But it really is about letting go of your inhibitions and not worrying about what you look like.
It’s not interesting as an actor to worry about what you look like, I don’t think.
What was different about that experience this time?
I think I rely very much on on good writing to take care of that for me.
And he’s very deft.
This movie, with its themes of isolation, hits a bit differently right now.
[Laughs] But I do think that isolation is something we’re really struggling with.
The Nestis now playing in select theaters.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
