Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Bleeding Love, Clara McGregor, Ewan McGregor, exclusive, interview, Vertical Entertainment

Bleeding Love: Westenberg on Directing McGregor Father-Daughter Film

Director Emma Westenberg spoke to Bleeding Cool about her theatrical debut in Vertical's Bleeding Love, stars Clara & Ewan McGregor & more.

When Emma Westenberg came upon the opportunity to direct her first feature, Vertical Entertainment's Bleeding Love, few could ever dream of casting the star from their favorite film as her lead, but that's what happened with Moulin Rouge's Ewan McGregor. It also couldn't hurt to be friends with his daughter, the film's writer and co-star Clara McGregor. Co-written by Ruby Caster and Vera Bulder (who also co-stars), Bleeding Love follows a father (Ewan McGregor) who hopes to reconnect with his estranged child as they embark on an impromptu road trip with his now-adult daughter (Clara McGregor) after she has a near-fatal drug overdose. He is planning to take her to rehab – though she doesn't know that. Westenberg spoke to Bleeding Cool about how she landed the opportunity, the organic chemistry from the real-life father and daughter, casting, and her biggest influences.

Why Bleeding Love: A Labor of Love Between a Father and Daughter

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Bleeding Love?'
Westenberg: The chance to work with Ewan and Clara. I truly grew into my love for cinema by watching Ewan's films, and he's such an iconic actor. I've known Clara for a few years and enjoyed getting to know her. I also enjoyed starting to work with her on this project and then working with her on set. Her skills and versatility blew me away as an actress and storyteller.

What was the script from Clara, Ruby, and Vera that appealed to you, and can you tell me how you worked it creatively into Ewan and Clara's dynamic?
Ruby, Clara, and Vera came up with the story and then started developing this script. It was with the idea of having Ewan and Clara as the father and a daughter; they went out after finishing that. Then, they went out to different directors to pitch their take on it and see who they would like best or who would fit their vision best. So that's how I got involved.

How do you break down Ewan and Clara's dynamic in their scenes, and how does their real relationship help their chemistry during filming?
The characters in the story are, of course, fictional. We discussed a lot of the arcs of the characters, their journey, where they come from, and where they were going. Ewan and Clara come to set, very dialed into their characters as the professional actors that they are. Sometimes, we would use improv, and we would use little bits and pieces in between the scenes. You see, that dynamic comes to life, and it helps, of course, they're real father and daughter. It's added a layer of authenticity to the characters.

How did the casting come about? Was it a mix of friends and family? Was there an open process?
We did like a combination of long-term collaborations, and the actress [Bulder], who plays the sex worker, is also one of the producers. She and I started working together on projects about ten years ago; she's in my short films and music videos, so she's in the movie. We also had an incredible casting director, Angelique Midthunder, who was set in New Mexico, where we filmed everything. It was a combination of people we had worked with before and then people we cast.

Was there any sequence that was kind of more difficult than others?
It's a road trip movie, so we filmed a lot in the car, which is technically quite a challenge. It's a lot of resetting and "You should have seen," and then the sun suddenly is on the other side. Technically, that is a bit of a challenge and time-consuming. That was one of the bigger things. It was also cold at night. Having all the characters in their abnormal little outfits was freezing. There was another challenge at some point after three days of filming, and it turned out we had lost the material from one whole shooting day. It got misplaced somehow and was gone entirely, which was nerve-wracking. Luckily, they found the card back a couple of days later. That was a relief, but these things can happen.

How do you compare 'Bleeding Love' to your other work?
I never made a real movie before. I had worked in TV as episodes, and then you work with a story and a crew and cast that already exists. You can also be very creative with shorter-form stuff, but it's a short amount. What was different was that I could make this my own and choose what the crew would look like and what the cost would look like. It felt personal, and it was also my first movie.

How would you describe working with Ewan in general? Did he do anything specific that helped you out in your first film?
He's a very collaborative actor. He thinks about the story but also is open to everybody's ideas. At the same time has a clear idea for a role as well. Working with him was lovely; he's so great on screen. I would watch him on my monitor, and he's incredible.

Do you have a favorite sequence or scene?
I liked so many of the scenes for different reasons. I enjoyed the scenes where they get into it emotionally because those are so dynamic. We would workshop the Fergusons when they have big fights in the hotel. In the hotel, we would workshop these scenes, try to figure out where it flowed and where it felt so awkward, and try different things. To get such an explosive scene at the end was rewarding.

Are there other genres of work you hope to do in the future?
Yeah, 100%. I want to work in all different types of genres. One of my favorite filmmakers, [Rainer Werner] Fassbinder, the German director, said he wants to build a house out of movies. They're all very different, and that's what I want to do as well. Make a horror movie and a musical. This is, of course, a drama movie. I get into the different genres because they offer many other possibilities as a filmmaker.

Who are the most influential filmmakers that inspired you?
I love Fassbinder and the French director François Truffaut. He also has made a lot of different movies that are always very character-driven and fun. I also love 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001) directed by Baz Luhrmann. It's always been one of my all-time favorite movies. It was incredible. I like Bennett Miller, who makes great character-driven work, and [Martin] Scorsese. I'm a big fan of his, and he makes a wide variety of movies. I also enjoy the work of German director Maren Ade, who directed 'Toni Erdmann.' She does wonderful work.

Bleeding Love is available in theaters in the UK and on digital in the US.

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