Interviews With "The Greatest Hits" Stars Lucy Boynton, Justin H. Min & Director Ned Benson

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[00:01:27] What?

[00:01:47] Two years ago, my boyfriend Max passed away.

[00:01:52] I can't seem to pull myself back together.

[00:01:56] Ever since the accident, certain songs literally pulled me back into the past.

[00:02:04] Hello my name is Emma Sassick and I'm with Next Best Picture.

[00:02:06] Lucy and Justin, hi I hope you're both doing well today.

[00:02:09] Hi, so nice to meet you.

[00:02:12] Very nice to meet you too. Thank you for your time.

[00:02:15] I know we only have a few minutes of it.

[00:02:17] I was so excited to have the opportunity to chat with you because I just love the message that music makes in this film.

[00:02:25] I know everybody in this world for the most part probably has those types of deep connections to music in good, bad, neutral ways.

[00:02:34] Were you able to connect to just your characters, their connections to music in your own personal lives and if so, in what ways?

[00:02:42] Yeah absolutely. I think when I first read this script I did approach it as a kind of sci-fi film.

[00:02:48] And then it was the music, Harriet's relationship with music that made me realize it in a much more human way.

[00:02:55] And I realized I have the same relationship that she does slightly less trippy in Tantra.

[00:03:01] But I use it as Ned keeps calling it a nostalgia machine.

[00:03:06] I have so many playlists that are specific to a time place in person that either introduced me to them or that I over-listened some during.

[00:03:17] And I think that was my access point for her, realizing that so much of that is subconscious.

[00:03:23] But the past has such a heavy-handed dictation on the way that I operate, present tense.

[00:03:29] So I think I tried to learn from Harriet and kind of pull back from the nostalgia and be more present tense because of it.

[00:03:37] Yeah, I also saw so many parallels in my life with David's relationship to music.

[00:03:43] I think music for me has always been either an amplification of whatever I'm currently feeling or a form of escape.

[00:03:50] And for David's journey it feels very similar. I think when he is consumed by music, especially with Egrif as his parents,

[00:03:58] he's kind of amplifying sort of the sadness and the memories related to that.

[00:04:02] And I think the moments he's taken out of that is these core memories and moments with Harriet's character,

[00:04:09] especially at the Silent Disco or the Bears in Space Party.

[00:04:13] And it allows music to become a form of escape as well.

[00:04:17] And I just love that music can do both for us.

[00:04:21] As you mentioned, there are so many great kind of like needle drops in this film.

[00:04:25] I love the Nelly Furtado, I'm like a bird moment.

[00:04:28] I would love to sing that all day long with you too if possible.

[00:04:31] And I think there's some Lana Del Rey included in there too.

[00:04:35] Do you have a song that you, I guess if you could have curated the playlist for this film

[00:04:40] that maybe you would have thrown in one of the moments that we see in the film?

[00:04:44] Ooh.

[00:04:47] That's a lot of pressure.

[00:04:49] I know that I get my hands in that soundtrack.

[00:04:51] I mean Ned, our director is such a musical, it's like a pedia.

[00:04:55] He feels like he knows every song so I would be too scared to suggest something.

[00:05:00] You wouldn't suggest it?

[00:05:01] But let me think.

[00:05:03] I love Sam Cooke.

[00:05:05] Sam Cooke is like my go-to everything for every mood.

[00:05:10] So maybe I'd inject a Sam Cooke in there.

[00:05:12] I'd probably try to get a Bonnevere song in there.

[00:05:15] Oh yeah.

[00:05:17] I like both of those pics.

[00:05:19] See, I think we can work with the musical department here.

[00:05:24] Well, I unfortunately am getting the rap but I do just want to thank you both for your time.

[00:05:28] It was a pleasure to meet with you and chat with you.

[00:05:30] Thank you so much.

[00:05:31] Thank you.

[00:05:32] What do you want to do today?

[00:05:33] All of it.

[00:05:39] Maybe it's time to start living in the present tense again.

[00:05:51] I still listen to this album over and over.

[00:05:54] I love how music can do that.

[00:05:56] What?

[00:05:57] Pull you back to some moment in time.

[00:06:02] Just stop the car!

[00:06:06] What if I can save him?

[00:06:08] What if I can change that moment in the accident that never happens?

[00:06:12] You met someone new.

[00:06:15] How's this a bad thing?

[00:06:17] I would still listen to every record that ever existed.

[00:06:21] To save him.

[00:06:24] It feels like I'm cheating.

[00:06:31] You coming?

[00:06:35] Hello, my name is Emma Sasek and I'm with Next Best Picture.

[00:06:38] It's a pleasure to meet with you. How are you?

[00:06:40] Good. So nice to meet you, Emma.

[00:06:42] Thank you for your time today.

[00:06:44] I was so excited to have the opportunity to chat about this film because I...

[00:06:49] You always throw something creative at us.

[00:06:51] I know it's your first film.

[00:06:53] You presented it from two different aspects,

[00:06:56] but this one literally time traveling in the past.

[00:06:59] So I can tell that you like adding a certain flair to your films.

[00:07:03] Is that always kind of the goal for you?

[00:07:05] Two degree. I think it's just, you know,

[00:07:08] what works for the story and you know what feels fresh and different to me.

[00:07:14] So two degree, I guess.

[00:07:17] I know that it had been a while between those two projects.

[00:07:20] How was it stepping back into the director's chair for this one?

[00:07:24] It was awesome.

[00:07:26] This was just such an incredible experience with such a great group of collaborators,

[00:07:30] be it Searchlight, be it with my crew and just an incredible group of actors.

[00:07:36] We had a lot of fun on this one.

[00:07:38] I guess what led to a little bit of that pause?

[00:07:41] I think it was about maybe 10 years or so between Eleanor Rigby and this film.

[00:07:45] Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, after Eleanor Rigby,

[00:07:48] I started writing for other people a lot.

[00:07:51] I mean, I've mostly been a screenwriter more than a director in my career and directed

[00:07:57] a bunch of commercials and just was trying to figure out what to do next.

[00:08:02] And there were two movies.

[00:08:03] There was one in 2016 where we tried to put it together,

[00:08:06] but it fell apart.

[00:08:07] And then one in 2018, which I really got close to,

[00:08:13] but ultimately I think just the timing felt wrong for that movie in terms of

[00:08:17] me directing it.

[00:08:18] And then, you know, pick this script, which I'd written a draft of in 2009 during

[00:08:24] 2020, kind of during the pandemic and revisited it.

[00:08:28] And then once it was done, I gave it to Searchlight and they wanted to make it.

[00:08:32] So here we are.

[00:08:34] That was probably a good time because, you mean,

[00:08:36] we were all at home probably listening to music nonstop.

[00:08:40] Was that kind of the fuel for you?

[00:08:42] Is that how you would describe the setting for you during the pandemic?

[00:08:46] 100%.

[00:08:47] I think we were all isolated like Harriet to a degree in these spaces.

[00:08:52] And music was both this nostalgia machine to bring us back to the past,

[00:08:57] but also this thing that was reminding us,

[00:08:59] keeping our spirits up and reminding us to live.

[00:09:02] I just had an opportunity to very briefly chat with Lucy and Justin.

[00:09:07] And they both said to me how impactful music has been to them throughout their

[00:09:12] lives.

[00:09:13] And this film, I think, allowed them to really,

[00:09:15] I guess, recognize its role in the good moments,

[00:09:19] the difficult moments in their lives.

[00:09:21] For yourself, how did this film kind of impact that relationship that you

[00:09:25] have with music in your own personal life?

[00:09:28] I mean, I think it was almost reversed in a weird way because music has

[00:09:33] been so impactful to my life.

[00:09:36] The emotional resonance of music and certain songs or so many songs that

[00:09:42] take me back so specifically to times and periods and moments in my life

[00:09:48] was really why I wanted to make the movie.

[00:09:51] So yes, it enhanced even further.

[00:09:54] But to really share it with this group of people and kind of trade

[00:09:58] lists and trade music and discuss music through character and story was

[00:10:03] really fun.

[00:10:05] Oh, you have to tell me about the playlist now.

[00:10:07] Now I have to know about all of these playlists.

[00:10:10] Well, I think, yeah, in pre-production,

[00:10:12] I shared a playlist for each character with each of the actors.

[00:10:16] And then we had kind of had an overall playlist for the movie that

[00:10:19] we would, on every day on the call sheet,

[00:10:22] there would be a specific song that would kind of guide the mood of

[00:10:25] the scene.

[00:10:27] But really, I think we kind of had this dialogue and music with Lucy

[00:10:31] Justin, David and Austin, where we were kind of defining the characters

[00:10:37] through the music in their lives and then defining them within the

[00:10:40] movie and then having the music also help the storytelling as well.

[00:10:44] So like if you lyrically pay attention to what the songs are

[00:10:48] saying in each scene, like they are helping tell the story.

[00:10:53] Yeah, I certainly enjoyed the Nelly Frittato.

[00:10:56] I'm like a bird moment and kind of giving both Lucy and Justin's

[00:11:00] character that moment of freedom that I feel like they both so

[00:11:04] desperately needed in that film because too many struggles going

[00:11:09] on in their lives.

[00:11:11] And then of course all of those certain scenes that she shares

[00:11:14] with her boyfriend in the past since music obviously is such

[00:11:18] an important part of this film.

[00:11:21] How I guess how did you go about picking certain songs or I guess

[00:11:26] maybe creating a list of what would be most appropriate for

[00:11:30] X, Y and Z scenes?

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[00:12:45] Yeah, so I worked really closely with Mary Ramos

[00:12:48] who acted as our music supervisor and then DJ Harvey

[00:12:51] as a musical consultant.

[00:12:53] And then Ryan Lott who did the score

[00:12:55] and then wrote the song with Nelly Furtado.

[00:12:58] That's in the end of the movie,

[00:13:00] but we really wanted to find music that represented

[00:13:03] each of these characters, but also again was lyrically,

[00:13:07] you know, doing the storytelling and giving subtext

[00:13:10] and creating the right mood,

[00:13:12] but also an eclectic soundtrack that represented

[00:13:16] both the past, the present and, you know,

[00:13:19] felt dynamic for lack of a better.

[00:13:22] Since you obviously crafted it

[00:13:24] for these individual characters,

[00:13:26] what would your playlist as director, writer,

[00:13:29] what would all of those kinds of things consist of?

[00:13:32] I mean, a lot of it's in the movie.

[00:13:35] But yeah, I mean personally,

[00:13:37] there are just so many different songs and albums

[00:13:40] that are huge for me.

[00:13:42] You know, I think when I think of Fleetwood Mac

[00:13:44] or I think of my parents,

[00:13:46] when I think of Avalon by Roxy Music,

[00:13:48] my mom, when I think of Tribe Called Coest,

[00:13:52] Midnight Marauders, that's like high school for me.

[00:13:54] Kid A Radiohead is college, you know,

[00:13:57] Outcast, Thangkonia, they played the steps

[00:14:00] my last week in college.

[00:14:02] There are so many different moments and songs

[00:14:06] that just, I think, are time travel mechanisms

[00:14:09] to like different punctuation marks in my life.

[00:14:12] I just spent the weekend at Coachella

[00:14:15] because I live and work in the Palm Springs area.

[00:14:18] So that's one of my job perks.

[00:14:20] I get to go and cover it.

[00:14:22] So this entire weekend has been filled with music for me.

[00:14:24] So this is like a very perfect way

[00:14:26] to kind of tap off that weekend.

[00:14:28] Do you get to go to these kinds of festivals?

[00:14:30] Is that part of your music loving self too?

[00:14:33] Yeah, I mean, one of the scenes in the movie

[00:14:36] was inspired by going to see Jamie XX at Outside Lions

[00:14:39] with my life.

[00:14:41] So yeah, I love going to a music festival

[00:14:43] every once in a while.

[00:14:45] It's the communal aspect and the collective aspect

[00:14:47] of watching music with other people,

[00:14:50] I think is such an awesome cultural experience.

[00:14:53] And I think that's the sort of connective tissue

[00:14:57] that music has for people as a medium.

[00:15:00] It's like we share these songs

[00:15:02] and we share stories through these songs about our lives.

[00:15:06] And I think that's the emotional power

[00:15:08] that music has on us.

[00:15:10] Yeah, actually speaking of Jamie XX,

[00:15:12] I saw him yesterday very briefly.

[00:15:14] So he's there. He's still rocking out.

[00:15:17] Yep, he is. He's awesome.

[00:15:20] You know, I kind of like how both with Eleanor Brigby

[00:15:23] and with this film you really dive into the personal romances

[00:15:28] and relationships that people have with each other

[00:15:31] and, you know, the ups and downs,

[00:15:34] people kind of reflecting on those good and bad moments.

[00:15:38] What is it about that aspect of human nature

[00:15:40] that is so either compelling to tell in films

[00:15:43] or something that really seems to inspire you

[00:15:46] to at least with these two films

[00:15:49] kind of tackle that type of story?

[00:15:52] I'm really interested in just relationships

[00:15:57] and sort of like who we have become through those relationships

[00:16:01] and how we define ourselves through relationships.

[00:16:04] And I think this movie really was about our capacity

[00:16:09] to hold more than one love in our hearts.

[00:16:12] I think, you know, I think we're all defined by

[00:16:15] our past relationships, which are then allow us into our later relationships.

[00:16:20] And I think it was this sort of idea that Harriet could carry Max

[00:16:25] in her heart and could accept David into her heart

[00:16:29] while at the same time like being able to move forward

[00:16:33] in her life and be open to experience beyond the past

[00:16:38] for lack of a better word, if that makes any sense.

[00:16:41] Yeah, I do have to say the ending kind of surprised me

[00:16:44] a little bit in terms of her decision to,

[00:16:47] I guess kind of walk away from that big moment

[00:16:50] that started everything for them.

[00:16:52] I guess my regular movie brain was thinking,

[00:16:55] you know, she's going to be able to figure out

[00:16:58] how to grieve this relationship

[00:17:00] and move on knowing that the past happened

[00:17:04] and that she can make time for a new love in her life

[00:17:08] and to just move on.

[00:17:10] But that kind of took me a little bit by surprise.

[00:17:13] I guess for you, since I get the opportunity to ask,

[00:17:17] why make that kind of big shift for her in that monumental moment?

[00:17:23] Well, I think she had to make this choice either to save Max's life

[00:17:29] and really save David in her own lives as well

[00:17:33] because I think they were trapped in this vicious cycle

[00:17:36] of the past having so much hold over them.

[00:17:39] So really it was about being able to let go of that

[00:17:42] in order for each of them to move on

[00:17:45] and for each of them to live.

[00:17:47] So it was this beautiful gift and sacrifice

[00:17:50] that they made together.

[00:17:53] I mean, they're in those scenes without any spoilers.

[00:17:56] There are a lot of discussions happening

[00:17:59] towards the end of the movie about if you did this

[00:18:03] or if you did that.

[00:18:04] I think it's really this kind of gift

[00:18:07] at the madrye moment where they're all kind of sacrificing

[00:18:10] something that they love in order to allow the person

[00:18:14] who they love to move on.

[00:18:17] You just never really know what will happen in the future.

[00:18:20] What will happen because of those past decisions.

[00:18:23] And I do kind of love the way you end this film on that.

[00:18:27] Well, what now?

[00:18:29] What could possibly happen with this that they were given?

[00:18:31] That was a very, very cool touch.

[00:18:34] Thanks.

[00:18:35] I mean, I think it's just this idea of being open to experience

[00:18:38] and re-engaging in the unknown,

[00:18:40] which she had isolated herself from the majority of the movies.

[00:18:44] So really it was about stepping out into that

[00:18:47] and being open to whatever the future holds for her.

[00:18:51] With the final few minutes that I have,

[00:18:53] I would love to just kind of know working with Lucy,

[00:18:57] Justin and David for this film.

[00:18:59] I mean, that was the core team and Austin as well.

[00:19:02] How was that process like either casting them?

[00:19:05] Did you maybe already have a few of these actors in mind going into

[00:19:09] the project?

[00:19:10] I guess if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about that process.

[00:19:13] Yeah, for sure.

[00:19:14] They were all on the radar.

[00:19:16] You know, I was introduced to each of them actually.

[00:19:19] Actually, I met Lucy first and had an amazing meeting with them

[00:19:22] and just, you know, on the initial,

[00:19:26] her walk into the coffee shop that we met,

[00:19:28] I felt, oh, this is Harriet.

[00:19:32] And we, you know, then we talked about the script and, you know,

[00:19:35] the character and really just felt that we jived as people.

[00:19:39] So that was really exciting.

[00:19:41] And then same thing, you know,

[00:19:43] I met Justin on a zoom for the first time and we had this kind of like

[00:19:46] deep vulnerable conversation and he just had a lot of the qualities

[00:19:49] that I felt David or I wanted David to embody.

[00:19:52] Again, just another great actor, great person.

[00:19:55] David Cornswet had worked with me for a long time.

[00:19:58] I think it was a great person.

[00:20:00] David Cornswet had worked with Lucy before.

[00:20:03] So there's this kind of nice preexisting relationship that I think lent

[00:20:07] itself to the max Harriet dynamic and having a past.

[00:20:11] And they'd actually played boyfriend and girlfriend before in the

[00:20:13] politicians.

[00:20:14] About that that helped,

[00:20:17] but also David extraordinary actor,

[00:20:20] another extraordinary person.

[00:20:22] And then the Moore's character,

[00:20:24] I think it was a great,

[00:20:26] a little bit on Larry Levin who's a DJ with the Paradise garage in

[00:20:29] the 80s in New York.

[00:20:30] One of my favorite DJs.

[00:20:32] And then DJ Harvey, you know,

[00:20:34] who's, who's a current DJ is I think one of the best DJs in the

[00:20:37] world just has the most phenomenal music.

[00:20:40] Tacey worked as a consultant on the movie.

[00:20:43] So meeting Austin, who just has charisma,

[00:20:46] like coming out of his eyes.

[00:20:48] You know, he's just the loveliest person.

[00:20:52] He really felt right for that.

[00:20:54] And the four of them, we just had so much fun together.

[00:20:56] I couldn't have asked for a better group of,

[00:20:59] of young up and coming,

[00:21:01] like extraordinarily talented actors,

[00:21:03] but also like extraordinarily good people with great hearts.

[00:21:07] So I think part of that was really what this movie was about.

[00:21:12] That's really lovely to hear. Yeah.

[00:21:14] I think everybody, you know,

[00:21:15] just filled those roles so wonderfully.

[00:21:17] I am getting the wrap,

[00:21:19] but I do want to thank you very much for your time today,

[00:21:22] and that it was a pleasure to chat with you.

[00:21:24] Thanks so much.

[00:21:25] It was such a pleasure to meet you.

[00:21:26] And thanks for taking the time.

[00:21:27] Of course. Have a good day.

[00:21:29] Thank you so much for listening to MS.

[00:21:31] Assix interviews with the stars from the film,

[00:21:34] the greatest hits Lucy pointed,

[00:21:36] Justin H men and the film's writer and director,

[00:21:38] that debts in here on the next best picture podcast.

[00:21:42] The greatest hits is now available to stream on Hulu.

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[00:22:18] Bye.

[00:22:48] Hey there. I'm Hannah and I'm Audrey.

[00:22:59] We are a sister filmmaking duo and co-host of sleepover cinema,

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