Women talk filmmaker Sarah Polley says she’s still thinking about “a few things” in terms of what project she wants to tackle next, but she knows exactly how she wants to make it.
“I would try to fill my set the same way I did with [Women Talking] by working with people who have a sense of the collective, who can make room for each other and really form a community,” explains Polley to THR at the recent Palm Springs Film Festival Awards, where she was honored as Best Director for her work on the Focus Features release. “I’m done working with people who are talented but get other people into trouble. I want to work with people who really make room for other people and who have a real sense of their impact on others. That is too rare, but was very common in this film.”
When asked about an experience with defiant creatives, Polley was diplomatically reserved, admitting only that, in a general sense, “We’ve all had experiences with people whose bad behavior has been excused for the sake of their brilliance. I’m just fed up with it. Especially after seeing the work these great actors have done on this movie where there was no ego and no need for an ego to do the job, the bar is now very high for me.”
This story first appeared in the January 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
