Celebrity Interview: Director Bart Freundlich, Stars Julianne Moore and Abby Quinn Talk After The Wedding

Julianne Moore and Abby Quinn stars of the indie drama After the Wedding along with director Bart Freundlich recently participated in the media day for the film that is receiving raves for its emotional performances and brilliant directing.

The single roundtable with Ms. Moore, Ms. Quinn and Mr. Freundlich was lively as a full room of media directed questions to the trio.

Below represent the questions asked by this media.


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Janet Walker: There are palpable emotions in these scenes, every character has these moment of palpable energy, you just feel the emotion jumping off the screen at you, for each of you, Ms. Moore and Ms. Quinn, if you could describe your process in getting there and for Bart, can you describe how you got them to get there?

Abby Quinn: I think for me, it was in one of the auditions scenes. So, I knew about a month before hand how much crying I would actually have to do and I knew right away and was pretty freaked out as I hadn’t done a movie that required this much emotion, I guess, at least crying.

I think preparing. I prepared with an acting coach. And I had a couple for weeks with Julie and Bart. I met them at their house the first time and we read through all the scenes and they really put me at ease. Because, Julie told me to use it as a guideline, when it does say to cry, because the emotion might not come there, and you can’t force it because no good work is going to come from that and I think hearing that and just a release all the anxiety I had coming into to it. Luckily it happened for me.

Julianne Moore: Plus, your mom has red hair.

Abby Quinn: True, my mom looks a lot like Julianne. And I had play list of music that I listened to and that always really helps me.


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Bart Freundlich: And we also had, it’s funny as a director and writer you I know, I know from working with so many great actors, they don’t want results, they don’t want to hear just get to here, but at the same time, as a director, you’re not an acting coach, you’re hopefully hiring the person and they’re bringing an ability to the table and sometimes you do want those results but I understand starting out thinking about the results could hamper you from getting to that place.

But we had a moment, remember, where you it was the scene, where it is silent, where it is implied that Oscar and Theresa are telling her about Michelle being her mother and there was no dialogue, we didn’t cut any of that out, we did it silently, and she is supposed to get up and run out of the room and we kept going and going and going and going and Abby was upset visibly, by getting up and then I said, I have one more idea and then we got out of the room, and I said, I don’t really have another idea I just want you to cry. And she is like okay, and just stay there and cry and you can get up. And she’s like okay, and tear, and I said, great and I said wasn’t that brilliant direction and she said, I don’t know what happened, but it somehow worked.

Abby Quinn: I totally forgot about that. It was probably just so stressful, but it worked.

Bart Freundlich: That’s an example of being comfortable enough with someone. I couldn’t have said that to you or shouldn’t have said that to you in the first big scene in the early scenes we shot where she is saying to Theresa in the office, I don’t want you to die and I didn’t know you well enough to know, you can get pushed over the edge with something like that if a director is asking you for a result like that and you can’t deliver it in the moment and it un oh I’m failing with that so it was a result of how integrated you were into our family.


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What’s Next . . .

Janet Walker: So, what’s next for all of you?

Bart Freundlich: We’re waiting for Abby to come up with something.

Abby Quinn: Maybe I can direct you?

Bart Freundlich: What is next? I’m writing so that’s boring. No, it’s great, but its longer. There are some things I’m looking at, it’s interesting doing this adaptation, because it opened me up to the idea of finding a way to personalize someone else’s story which can be nice also because you’re not just left with a total blank page to start with but I’m also working on finishing up a couple of things that I’ve had for a long, long time that I’m readdressing right now.

Julianne Moore: I’m doing a series for Apple, called Lisey’s Story, based on Stephen Kings book of the same name. Pablo Larrain is directing. So, we start shooting that in New York in a couple of months and I’m super exciting. It’s a story of a marriage there is a very strong kind of horror/fantasy element to it.

Abby Quinn: I’m auditioning a lot. I’ve done in theater all my life and so it is coming back. Hopefully, I can do some theater. Oh yes, and music

Julianne Moore: She’s a star this one.

Bart Freundlich: She’s brilliant musician. she’s really talented.


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Studio Machine Verses Streaming . . .

Janet Walker: Do you find any difference between working for a studio, or Netflix or Apple, any of the streaming services verses the standard studio machine?

Julianne Moore: This Apple thing is just started, so I don’t know, I think, I don’t know, I think as long as you find great creative partners wherever you are, if you find people who are interested in telling these stories then you will be in great shape, if you are in a partnership with people who are interested in only profit than it is going to be problematic artistically, but I haven’t had that I have some really, really great partners and collaborators, on the studio level and independent level and hopefully with the streamer too. Check from 25.00 forward.

Throughout the thirty minutes and multiple media Ms. Moore reveled she formed “Creative Coalition for Every Town for Gun Safety. I’ve been doing it for about four years,” she said, “Every town is aligned with Moms Demand Action We demand action, cultural legislation round gun violence.”

She also explained the importance of narrative for her in choosing roles, and she also spoke how director Robert Altman shaped her consciousness as an actor. We also found out the Abby Quinn, and who both Mr. Freundlich and Ms. Moore praise her for her musical gifts, wrote the final credit song in the movie.

After the Wedding in in theaters everywhere. See it. A powerful drama of life and choices.