Tropic Talk with Rebecca Miller (Rhoades)

Tropic Talk Offers
Live Conversation
With a Filmmaker

As follow-up to last week’s review of “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” I’d like to report a conversation with the film’s director Rebecca Miller. This was as part of Tropic Talk, a program where the Tropic Cinema’s audience is hooked up via Skype for a live conversation with a filmmaker.

Despite the time difference, Rebecca Miller talked with us from her home in Ireland that she shares with husband Daniel Day-Lewis.

“The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” is based on her novel of the same name. She described the process of using color-coded index cards to dissect and shorten the book to a manageable length for a film. “It was a challenge,” she admitted.

Starring Robin Wright Penn, the film is also populated with Alan Arkin, Blake Lively, Keanu Reeves, Maria Bello, Shirley Knight, and Julianne Moore. When asked about the movie’s amazing cast, she replied, “I was very fortunate that a lot of great people wanted to work with me. I needed them to get the film’s financing. Money people think a film needs big names to be successful.”

Although I’d promised myself I wouldn’t ask her about her famous husband, I couldn’t resist, realizing he was probably nearby and hoping to lure him into camera range. “You started off as an actress to get the experience that allowed you to direct films. You live with an actor. Do you think he wants to direct films too?”

“Not right now,” she countered, allowing him to stay out of camera sight. “He loves acting. I think he’ll keep doing that for a while.”

Asked about her next film, she said she didn’t have one in mind. Her next project was to write another novel. The Key West audience agreed she should hurry up with that novel so she could give us another film.

srhoades@aol.com