The film stars Aselton andDaveed Diggsas a couple escaping to the desert to navigate complicated feelings in their relationship.
COLLIDER: I am thrilled to be talking to you guys forMagic Hour.
MARK DUPLASS: We’re pumped to be here.
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KATIE ASELTON: That’s why SXSW is the ideal place to bring it into the world.
It’s fun and dreamy and a little desert-y.
Did you actually think about, Do we want to go to Sundance?
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Do we want to go to SXSW?
Did you have that conversation?
ASELTON: Yes, but it’s not like we get to choose, you know?
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I think SXSW was always what we felt was the right fit for this movie.
I remember being at Sundance withThe Puffy Chair,and we premiered very late at the festival.
We were one of the last movies they accepted, for sure, and they let us know that!
[Laughs] You’ll premiere on Wednesday when everybody’s gone.
It’s just about the art.And let’s do it with our cash and with no obstacles.
ASELTON: It really does feel like a return.
Image via SXSW
I think when we all madeThe Puffy Chairtogether, we weren’tinthe business.
We werent a part of it.
We’ll do it our way and make it up as we go along.
Image via SXSW
It gave us so much creative freedom in doing that.
I think there is something to be said about the business [being] a bit in shambles.
I think fewer and fewer films are being financed, and fewer movies are being bought.
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All the rules are out the window again.
DUPLASS: So what’s it all about now?
ASELTON: Its now on your terms, all over again.
ASELTON: I think, ultimately, it’s a love story.
ASELTON: This is just between us, you guys.
But it’s about a lot more than that.
Image via SXSW
It was a movie that was birthed about five years ago.
ASELTON: It was right after New Year’s in 2020, so really anything was possible.
DUPLASS: Everything was possible for the next two months.
ASELTON: The world was our oyster.
And as usual, it started more with, What’s interesting to us?
What do we uniquely have to offer?
And what is that now?"
The thing that spilled out of our mouths first was our codependency.
It’s something that we talk a lot about, and we are confused by and conflicted about.
ASELTON: A lot of people had some real judgment about it real early on in our relationship.
I don’t actually know how codependent you are.
ASELTON: Pretty darn codependent!
Weve literally been making movies together for 20 years.
DUPLASS: This is what fascinates me about it.
On one hand, it is a four-letter word.
You shouldn’t be codependent.
At the same time, like, how beautiful to be so inextricably linked with a human.
Isn’t that the romance of everything we read about?
This is what I’ve always wanted.
It’s my dream.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
You guys are happy, and thats fantastic.
DUPLASS: That’s the hard part.
ASELTON: Its a lot about the dogs.
DUPLASS: It’s not simple, and there’s a darker side to it.
DUPLASS: Well, you cast somebody else.
So let’s face it, let’s just talk about it.
ASELTON: There were alotof conversations in that cast.
DUPLASS: Fucking begging for roles after 20 years!
ASELTON: You have been riding my coattails.
Its time I set a boundary.
Duplass, Mel Eslyn and more discuss how Duplass Brothers Productions is pioneering a new form for television.
ASELTON: No, you have to ask for permission first.
But if you’re just starting out, dont ask for permission.
Just go do it.
Did they say that?
DUPLASS: They’re like, I look at Collider, I know.
[Laughs]
So you asked them, and they said, Yes?
ASELTON: We found the house on Airbnbthat part’s true.
I’m a middle-aged woman who loves interior design.
I will love and respect your house as if it was my own.
And they were lovely about it.
You are starring, directing, co-writing.
There’s a lot of emotional stuff going on.
What is it like on set?
I am either going to think everything’s terrible or wonderful.
You have to be like, No, we gotta go again.
DUPLASS: I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.
I don’t think that happened.
I get to say that as your husband.
ASELTON: All that emotion is always right under the surface.
It doesn’t take a lot for me to go there.
Let’s talk about casting your husband in the film.
DUPLASS: Or not casting your actual husband in the filmIm not bitter.
ASELTON: Are you bitter?
DUPLASS: Its fine.
Was there, in your mind, a thought about casting your real husband?
We talked a lot about it.
How did you end up with Daveed?
ASELTON: I had them both read.
DUPLASS: [Laughs] Together.
ASELTON: There was a chemistry test.
DUPLASS: I think I was like number four on the cast list.
Let’s just talk about how it is.
ASELTON: The list was long.
You were in the mix.
DUPLASS: We look at movies from an available material standpoint.
What’s the sword thats in your hand?
What can you swing right away?
I think we did feel like, Let’s do something different.
We’ve been on-screen together before.
I don’t want it to always appear like I can only do things with Mark.
There’s something that just innately happened withThe Puffy Chair.
I’m a trained actor.
And I was like, Well, I mean, I was the actor.
He was the musician when we met.
The narrative became this thing of, like, Katie’s going to be cast.
It’s all not true, but it’s just the way the conversation happened.
This is the first time Ive said it, and it is vulnerable, and now I’m embarrassed.
I did want to say, I want to do this on my own.
I want to direct on my own.
DUPLASS: I wasn’t on set.
It was really good for both of us.
How did you go 20 days without her?
I actually want to bring up the dogs real quick.
I love talking about animals.
You have two dogs.
How did you decide on the two dogs that you have?
Was there a lot of debate between where you were going to adopt them from?
ASELTON: Theyre both rescues, and they both just felt right.
ASELTON: I just need acreage, guys.
I’m almost out of time with you guys.
I want to ask a few other things.
I am a fan ofThe Morning Show.You guys are filming Season 4.
DUPLASS: We finished Season 4.
What can you tease fans about the series?
Because Season 3 ended in such a way where you and Alex, Jennifer’s character… DUPLASS: Things happened.
Things happened in Season 4.
If I say anything more, I think Apple will somehow Cloud zap me and kill me.
But creatively, I mean, if I say anything, I’m dead.
ASELTON: I can confirm.
When did you realize, Wait, this is popular for Apple?
This is a hit?
By the way, getting four seasons on anything…?
And that is not a cheap show to make.
ASELTON: I think Reese [Witherspoon] and Jen [Aniston] love the show, too.
So, I think that sort of breathes into the material.
A star from ‘Unstable’ is also joining him.
ASELTON: I did two episodes later in that season.
It’s a cool show!
I’ve seen the first five.
ASELTON: Im in [Episodes] 6 and 7.
That would explain why I didn’t know.
ASELTON: The DP onGovernment Cheeseis extraordinary.
ASELTON: Those little pocket computers you guys are all carrying around.
ASELTON: It’s a form of the socialism I’ve always wanted.
So I’m really happy they’re doing what they’re doing.
If they’re watching…
ASELTON: Wouldnt it be so cool if they bought independent film?
DUPLASS: Do that, but also take some shots on some smaller things.
You guys can all take that note.
I want to ask you one other thing, which isHurricanna, which sounds weird and interesting.
What can you say?
I’m hopeful that they will resolve this so this movie can get out.
I’m hoping people will grow up and put it in the world.
DUPLASS: It sucks.
We don’t do that to ourselves.
ASELTON: You realize you’re just battling an ego.
More than that, you have the horror story of Warner Bros. just burying art.
DUPLASS: Just bury the movie, which is a great write-off.
Justice takes a backseat to revenue.
I do want to ask you, you directed something else,Their Town.
Mark wrote it, and it stars our 17-year-old daughter, Ora.
For people that don’t know anything about it, what do you want to tell people?
There’s a deep existential pain to this generation, and they’re thoughtful and really interesting.
ASELTON: I think so easily discounted by the older generation.
When do you think people will see it?
ASELTON: My hope would be later this year at a really rad festival.
DUPLASS: Toronto, New York, maybe Sundance.
ASELTON: You want to do this in Toronto?
Did you finance it yourself?
ASELTON: I’m open to other peoples money.
DUPLASS: We’re in full Cassavetes mode right now.
ASELTON: Its Robin Hood-ing in a way.
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