Laura Dern came back to the New York Film Festival with a Marriage Story of her own.
In 2019, Dern premiered Noah Baumbach’s film Marriage Story, about a couple whose relationship is falling apart, at the NYFF. In that film, Dern played lawyer Nora Fanshaw, who fights for Scarlett Johansson’s Nicole, who is divorcing her husband, Charlie, played by Adam Driver. The film won Dern an Oscar for best supporting actress. And on Friday night, she’s debuted Bradley Cooper‘s third feature film, Is This Thing On?, a similar tale, though much more humorous.
On the red carpet, Dern spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about what it was like to be a part of the central couple now. “It’s amazing. I think what Bradley longed to do is discover what it is to find your way to self so that you can even know how to engage in [a] true relationship. Many of us catch up to that years into a relationship or years into our own living,” she said. “So that’s what I particularly loved about the movie’s journey.”
In Is This Thing On?, Dern is married to Will Arnett‘s Alex, who turns to performing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Cellar in the West Village to cope with their relationship crumbling. Arnett spoke to THR about building his on-screen dynamic with the actress. “I had the benefit of knowing Laura a little bit before, which is great. And so we got to know each other and I think that we have in a lot of ways some shared sensibilities,” he said. “We spent a long time talking about this film before we started shooting and really getting ourselves in a place of understanding who these people are and where they’re at in their relationship.”
Arnett and Cooper, who also co-wrote the screenplay together, have also been friends for more than two decades. Through their collaboration, Arnett learned there’s “no limit to what he can do” and called Cooper, “An incredible artist. And I don’t even know if I fully appreciated it until we went through this.”
Similarly, Dern also praised Cooper’s leadership. The actress not only premiered Is This Thing On? at the 63rd annual New York Film Festival, but also Jay Kelly, which reunited her with her Marriage Story boss, Baumbach.
“To be here at these sorts of opening days of the festival with Noah Baumbach and then close the festival with Bradley, two filmmakers who are such dear friends and George [Clooney] and Adam [Sandler] and Will. I mean, these are now family members. So, it’s an incredible thing to get to find family in the work that we love.”
In addition to her upcoming films, last month it was reported that Big Little Lies season three was finally moving forward with Francesca Sloane on board to write the first episode.
Dern gushed to THR about reuniting with co-stars Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz. “It’s incredible, just like this, to be with your dearest friends and you’re making stuff together,” she said. “We on Big Little Lies are besties. We love each other so much. So, to get to just spend all that time together, let alone be at play and be telling stories and playing characters we love. I’m partial to my character because I just love her so much — [she’s] traumatizing and fantastic. So, that’s an incredible gift.”
