The romantic comedy “If I Were You,” starring Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Leonor Watling and Aidan Quinn, opens this Friday, March 15, 2013 in Greenwich Village.
The flick is about a successful, strong, workaholic woman named Madelyn Reid (Harden). At the beginning of the movie she accidentally discovers her husband (Joseph Kell) is cheating on her with a sexy young wannabe actress, Lucy (Watling). Lucy has horrid self-esteem and is on the verge of suicide when a most peculiar allegiance forms between the two women. It leads to a mixed bag of friendship and deceit. Derek (Quinn) is a sweet supportive and handsome stranger who enters this combined cast of quirky characters.
Harden brings precision comedic timing and star quality to a script by Joan Carr-Wiggin. The story, about the human condition, has just the right amount of humor and sadness. Expect well-written dialogue, entertaining histrionics and surprisingly moving situations.
Writer Director Joan Carr-Wiggin opened up to Examiner Dorri Olds during an exclusive interview yesterday.
Dorri Olds: What inspired you to write this movie?
Joan Carr-Wiggin: A desire to create a really good part for a woman, there are so few. I really like the character Madelyn and how she helps Lucy to understand that finding a man does not solve all of your problems. I’ve been married for 30 years so I know that even a good man can’t fix everything.
Would you work with Marcia Gay Harden again?
Who would not want to work with her? She’s so generous on set with all of the young actors. It was great to witness her teaching them with instructions like, “Steal the scene from me.” Watching her with Leonor Watling was like seeing a mom and daughter team.
How was it working with Aiden Quinn?
Aiden is a dream and he’d worked with Marcia before so they were natural together — no directing required.
How long did it take to shoot the film?
Twenty-five days and no rehearsal.
Wow. Did you ask the actors to adlib?
I always need actors to play what’s written. It’s okay for them to add things but I never want anything cut from the script.
How did you choose Leonor Watling?
I loved her in “My Mother Likes Women” and wrote the part for her but wasn’t even sure she spoke English. Channel hopping one night, I Googled her. She played a comatose woman in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Talk to Her.” There were many scenes of sponge baths — very European. For our movie, we put clothes on her and woke her up. [Laughs]
How are you able to finance your films?
My husband is the producer and we work out of Canada where there are better tax incentives. We also have wonderful private investors. My husband is very persuasive.
What’s your next project?
This summer I’ll be filming, “Happily Ever After.” We’re just about to start casting, wish me luck.
Luck? Is it difficult to find good actors?
It’s not hard to find them but tough to land them with our budget. We need people like Aiden [Quinn] and Marcia [Gay Harden] who are wonderful actors and willing to work for less money.
Opening March 15, 2013 at Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). Rated R. 115 minutes. Currently on VOD/iTunes/Amazon Prime
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