Heather Graham is getting back to the director’s chair withChosen Family. In front of the camera, Graham’s career has seen her star in everything from Jon Favreau’s buddy comedySwingersto David Lynch and Mark Frost’s beloved mystery showTwin Peaks,The Hangovertrilogy and, more recently, in the latest adaptation of Stephen King’sThe StandandH.P. Lovecraft-basedSuitable Flesh. Behind the camera, Graham made her directorial debut with the 2018 comedyHalf Magic, which garnered generally positive reviews from critics.
WithChosen Family, Graham not only is back in the director’s chair and writing the script for the romantic comedy, but also stars as Ann, a yoga instructor looking to break free from her string of bad relationships. This leads to her dating Steve, a single father working as a contractor for her restauranteur friend. Their relationship gets off to a strong start, but starts to take a turn for the troublesome as Steve’s daughter Lilly frequently intervenes. With her dysfunctional family also leaving her with little time to herself, Ann begins to realize she has to draw the line to find her own happiness.
Every Movie Coming To Theaters In October 2024
October 2024 will see the third Terrifier movie, the return of the Smile entity, the sequel to Joker, Venom’s final movie, and more.
Alongside Graham, the ensembleChosen Familycast includesRENO 911!’s Thomas Lennon, Oscar winner Odessa Rae,Tremorsvet Michael Gross,Tulsa King’s Andrea Savageand Ella Grace Helton. With a freshly feminist approach to its formula combined with a well-rounded cast, comfortable atmosphere and some funny set pieces, Graham’s return to the directorial chair proves to be worth the six-year wait.
Ahead of the movie’s release,Screen Rantinterviewed Heather Graham to discussChosen Family, how she pulled from some of her own life for the dysfunctional family nature of the story, why now felt like the right time to return to the director’s chair, empowering her cast and crew and allowing them to run with their own creativity, and putting together the movie’s wild dance sequence.
Graham Found It Exciting To “Tell A Story That Means Something To You”
“I wanted to find the humor in dysfunctional families.”
Screen Rant: So, I must sayChosen Familyis quite the charming, cozy little rom-com. I love that you are back as both writer and director on this, and I remember when I was talking with Julia for this, she mentioned how it was somewhat inspired by your own life and your own family. Could you expound upon that from when you were putting together the script for this one?
Heather Graham: I think I wanted to tell the journey of a person who kind of grows up in a dysfunctional family and is a people pleaser, and how she tries to stop neglecting her own wants to try to help people that she’s not even really helping. So, I wanted to find the humor in dysfunctional families. I mean, it’s a mixture [of real inspiration and original story].
There’s some things I’m sure are probably inspired by real life and other stuff I made up. But yeah, I mean her character, as a sister, I think Julia did such a great job. That’s so cool she talked to you. I feel grateful she’s doing press for the movie.
So, it’s been a few years since you were in the director’s chair, what sort of inspired you to want to get back to it now?
Heather Graham: Well, it is really cool to get to tell a story that means something to you. And I guess, as a woman watching movies, I love a female-driven story, and I wanted to tell the story of this painful growth lesson I learned, in case it potentially helps anyone. Because I love watching other people’s stories that are real, and how they learned or grew through something difficult. I want to make movies that empower people and women, because I love watching that kind of stuff.
It Took Some Time For Graham To Embrace Open Collaboration
“…when I first started, I felt criticized, and then I realized these people are trying to help you.”
Since you talk about wanting to really empower people, when I spoke with John, he mentioned how one thing you really like doing is just surrounding yourself with people that you trust and love and letting them run with it. From a director’s perspective, what is it like really making sure that you allow everybody, from cast to crew, to just do what they need to do without micromanaging?
Heather Graham: I think, at first, when people come to you and go, “Hey, I think this could be better, you could do this, you could do that,” when I first started, I felt criticized, and then I realized these people are trying to help you. They actually are coming up with some better ideas, so take their ideas. And I know, as an actor, sometimes I come up with a great idea and when a director lets me do it, I feel so empowered and it makes me feel so good. I wanted to create a space where actors could come and improve the material. And it was just fun, just that everyone was excited and came up with fun improvs.
Graham Hopes To Make A Director’s Cut OfChosen Family
“….it was frustrating to lose these really funny jokes…”
So, a lot of people were talking about the improv, which I think is so much fun. Obviously, Tom is a legend in that field.
Heather Graham: Tom, oh, some of the editing I wasn’t in control. And some of the funny things that Tom and Andrea made up were unfortunately cut out because the movie was whatever long. But everybody actually came up with really fun stuff, really funny stuff.
You say you didn’t fully have control of the editing, but do you have a say on what gets cut, and what gets kept in the movie? Especially with something that has so much improv?
Heather Graham: I can give my opinion, but I don’t have total control. To be honest, there were some really funny jokes that were cut out because of different reasons having to do with the sound, or the financier, or whatever. So it was frustrating to lose these really funny jokes, but at the same point, I’m grateful I got to make the movie. There’s still a lot of funny jokes that are in there.
Do you think then that maybe those other jokes will find their way into a blooper reel at some point?
Heather Graham: I wish. I keep trying to get the footage back so that I could do a director’s cut, there’s stuff that I really want back in the movie. But yeah, it’s so fun having actors where pretty much everyone improved. Julia is hilarious, as well, everybody, the little girl. I think they all felt kind of inspired to have this atmosphere of like, “Yeah, if you have something great to throw in there, try it”. And everyone did.
Helton’s “Shockingly Professional” Behavior Left Graham Floored
“…she has so many different talents.”
So, in talking about the little girl, then, I’d love to hear about the casting search for Ella. Because I rememberwhen we spoke forPlace of Bones, you talked about wanting to really ensure that your co-star there felt safe and guided, and so, since you’re the director on this one, I’d love to hear about finding her and sort of guiding her along this process.
Heather Graham: Well, she auditioned on tape, and it was interesting because the way I’d written the part, the character is really young, but it’s great, because Ella actually looks younger than she is. So, she came at it with a more mature viewpoint, but she looks really young, and at the very end of her audition, she was like, “I like this character. She’s very mischievous and she’s funny.”
It’s cool, because, on one hand, you want to have some empathy for the little girl, but also she’s kind of naughty. So, you want her to be kind of naughty. She’s shockingly professional and talented, she has so many different talents. It’s almost freakish at the young age. If you go on her Instagram, she’s competing in dance competitions, she’s running the marathon, she’s acting in things. She’s very impressive.
I’ll say out of all the auditions, though, Julie Halston, who plays the mom, there’s a scene where the mom starts singing a song, and she made up this whole song in the audition that she did, and I was dying laughing. She is so funny. I was sending it to all my friends, and then she’s in the movie, and the song is in the movie. But I mean, she is hilarious. So, it was just funny, it’s just great to get to meet all these talented people who just make you laugh.
Graham Felt “Very Lucky” To Have Gathered The Cast She Got For The Film
The Movie Even Has A Recent Oscar Winner In Its Midst
So, you’ve talked about a few different people auditioning. I remember John mentioned he auditioned as well, but for Tom, because you had directed him inHalf Magic, did you write that part for him?
Heather Graham: With Tom, I was just like, “Would he even do this? Please, would you do it?” We didn’t have a ton of money, but he was just like, “I’m there, who cares about money?” But the thing is, he’s a really talented writer and, of course, actor, comedian. I don’t know why I got so lucky that I feel like we’re friends now. I feel like I have a very cool friend. But look, I feel like if you put Andrea Savage and Thomas Lennon in a scene together, it’s going to be amazing, right?
Because they’ll just go off on, and they had so many, honestly, I wanted to make all the scenes with them like 10 minutes long. They were just so funny together. Odessa’s amazing. Odessa is actually one of my real-life best friends, and she’s a producer who produced the movie Navalny, the documentary that won the Academy Award. It was fun having her in there, because she’s also an actress, and she’s my real life best friend. So, it was fun having these brilliant comedians and then my real-life best friend, who’s also this awesome actress, who’s funny as well.
I’d love, then, to hear about working with John, really finding that grounded, romantic dynamic that you two have throughout this film?
Heather Graham: It feels very lucky that John auditioned, because it’s a kind of delicate balance with that character, where you want to love him, but also, he’s flawed. All the characters are amazing, but they have some flaws, and he made it funny and lovable, and he’s so cute, and he has a total movie star quality. You could really tell that he’s a loving dad.
He really does have daughters, and you could tell, from his audition, there’s a sweetness in the way that he plays being a loving dad, you can just tell that it’s real. And in the scene where he is like, “I haven’t really been on a date in 10 years,” the way he said that line, I really believed him. And in fact, he’s been married, I dunno, 15 years or more. He is this very genuine, sweet, loving dad and husband. And there’s something about, he’s just very lovable.
Chosen Family’s Dance Scene Turned Out Better Than Graham Expected
“It’s just a ridiculous idea and a ridiculous scene…”
I did also want to ask really quickly, the dance sequence was hysterical, and you mentioned her being in all these dancing competitions. How did you go about putting that sequence together, and how much of it was choreographed versus just on the spot?
Heather Graham: It’s funny because when I wrote the script, I thought, “Okay, well, this is the big comedy scene. I don’t know if it will turn out that way.” But on the day when we did it, everyone was like, “Oh my God, she actually is a really good dancer.” It’s just a ridiculous idea and a ridiculous scene, and all the film festivals that we’ve gone to, that’s the scene that everybody laughs the hardest at. It’s, I think, a highlight of the movie. It’s just a ridiculous scene. I’ve never really seen a scene like that in a movie before. It’s cringey funny. But yeah, Ella brought it.
AboutChosen Family
Ann (Heather Graham) is a yoga teacher struggling to achieve inner peace despite the fact her family is driving her crazy and her dating life is miserable. She doesn’t know how to say no and wants to fix everyone’s problems. In the meantime, Ann struggles to save her sister Clio (Julia Stiles) from addiction, with disastrous results. With so many expectations on her, Ann leans on her good friends Max, Frances, Roz, and Ella for support. They in turn set her up with a cute divorced dad, Steve, who has an adorable 7-year-old daughter. When Ann meets Steve’s daughter Lily, she is immediately smitten. But Lily does not feel the same, and as Steve and Ann get closer, Lily grows increasingly jealous and competitive. When Lily starts to misbehave, Ann sees that Lily can do no wrong in Steve’s eyes – she’s in the battle of her life with a 7-year-old.
Chosen Familyhits theaters and VOD on October 11.
Chosen Family
Cast
Ann, a yoga teacher struggling with family chaos and a miserable dating life, falls for Steve, a divorced dad. However, his 7-year-old daughter, Lily, grows jealous and competitive, leading to a tense battle between Ann and Lily, with Steve unaware of his daughter’s misbehavior.
