All Together Now
All Together Nowmay not be entirely a musical , but the Netflix film certainly search the joy that medicine wreak to a adolescent girl ’s life . When young Amber ’s ( Auli’i Cravalho ) life go falling aside , it is her love of medicine and theatre – and the mass who push her towards her pipe dream of it – that helps her come out stronger .
Director Brett Haley talk to Screen Rant about cast a gem like Cravalho as well as finding the most grounded timber potential within the already relatable write up . He also shared his initial thought on taking on his upcoming project , the Grease prequel ( and musical in and of itself ) called Summer Loving .
Like most projects in Hollywood , this film went through a few hands before you induce the gig . What form of personal stamp did you want to put on the level ?
Brett Haley : Well , I was really pull to the theme of the film . The themes of Bob Hope and the themes of coming together to help somebody , accepting help and accept sexual love . Once I saw that , and I reckon that was always ingrained in the book from the start and the script that I read , I saw an chance to base the film more in my stylus . I really wish to have film that experience authentic and grounded and reliable and human and emotional .
I also bewilder to bestow a bit of myself into the film . I made Amber a drama kidskin , which I was in gamy school , and a melodious dramaturgy dweeb and someone who daydream of going to art school day . I add up a lot of myself and who I was when I was that age into Amber and her journey . Really , I just endeavor to nail the emotional world of everything . I did n’t want it to feel stock or melodramatic . I wanted it to feel true and earn .
You really managed to trance the joyfulness and confusedness of young , and how every conclusion seems so large . How did you draw near bringing those element to life ?
Brett Haley : I was sure as shooting a lot luckier than Amber was , and I receive to follow my dreams . I think most people , specially tike , in mellow school are dreamers . They ’re thinking of what they need to do with their spirit , where they want to go to college , what they need to study and what they want to be when they " grow up . " That ’s what you ’re thinking about at that age ; I know I was . I was dream of going to film school , I was dream of being around other artists and making film and making art . And I was surround by the arts in mellow school .
To me , Amber ’s story is particularly interesting , because it is that pipe dream versus reality . She is literally trying to accomplish her dreams , but her realness is not allowing her to do so . And I imagine so many people in this country , and in the world , never even get the opportunity to go after their dreaming because of life circumstances . And I think that that ’s a really interesting and manifestly very upsetting thing . I wanted to tell a history kind of about that dream versus realness .
You have an amazing cast . What was it like to direct newer actors versus old icon like Carol Burnett , and what did you instruct from both generations ?
Carol Burnett and Auli’i Cravalho in All Together Now
Brett Haley : I find oneself it so fun . Every thespian is unlike , and I think it ’s my job as a director to realize and essay to get a sense of how good to help the player . If the actor postulate a lot of focal point or not much direction or sure type of direction ; if they can deal , " Hey , let ’s go again ! " from the monitor , or if you go back over it and they need a little bit more attention . Every actor is unlike and brings their own style to the table on set . I just sort of taste to finger that out with actors and help them through it .
No actors are the same , and certainly when you ’re process with a fable like Carol Burnett , you might recollect , " She ’s just go to do her thing . " And of course , she can . She can totally just do her thing ; you do n’t have to do anything . But Carol , like other not bad actors that I ’ve worked with , they actually love management . They love that kind of back and forward ; they love talking about it . Of course , if left to their own devices , they ’ll give you incredible clobber . But they also enjoy the collaboration .
Carol and I emphatically collaborated , very likewise to how I collaborated with Auli’i or Rhenzy or the younger actors in the film . Really , you just kind of coming it person by soul . But it all felt like a very collaborative , organic set . I approach my sets sort of like an acting coach or instructor . I love move ; I love stimulate into the material , and give the actor opportunity to test thing . I assay to get option , and we essay to have a little fun with it .
The schoolroom scenes with Fred Armisen ’s Mr. Franks feel so authentic . Can you talk to me about casting him in such a polar role ?
Brett Haley : Yeah ! Going back to my high-pitched school years , I grew up in the in the play room . And so that was a very specific time and place and feeling . My product interior designer Bruce Curtis did an amazing job literally recreating my childhood , because that ’s where I had lunch when I was in high school with my drama Quaker . I was like , " This is what it feels like . The desk is here and the drama instructor unremarkably is there , and we all form of goof and gag and peach about the gaming we ’re doing . " We all kind of worked together .
And I ’ve always see a lot of heart in Fred ’s work , even though he ’s so comic and can be so kind of strange and out there and ironical . I also see a lot of warmheartedness in his employment . In material life , he ’s a really kind , giving , warm person with a big core . And so I wanted hoi polloi to see that side of him more , and I think he ’d be the perfect drama teacher . I cerebrate Fred , in this flick , is close to what he is like in real aliveness . He ’s that kind of angelic , kind , very humble guy .
Can you talk to me about the import of the film ’s title ?
Brett Haley : It ’s based on a book visit Sort Of Like A Rock Star , and it was a hard thing because we were gon na call the film [ that ] . It ’s a majuscule title ; I still love that title . I think there was always a trivial bit of mix-up that that title maybe coif up expectations for a more musical movie than it is . That it ’s literally about being a rock star , even though it does n’t intend they ’re a rock star . It ’s like , " You ’re a rock’n’roll star , man . " But people just see the form of address - and know my oeuvre from Hearts Beat Loud and thing like that - would have retrieve , " Oh , this is about a striation , or about a miss who want to be in a band . " Then they ’d watch the movie and go , " Wait , that ’s not what this is . These do n’t go together . "
Especially on Netflix , you want the tile something that you select . You want to ensure that the form of address and the vibration of the motion picture jibe with the movie itself . You desire the audience to clack on it and go , " Yes , this is what I signed up for , and I ’m happy to be watching it . " I remember Netflix does such an amazing line of work promote their films , with their trailer and their bill sticker . They ’ve really done a keen job .
That title was something that I feel really comprehend the musical element . Obviously , All Together Now has got a musical background . There ’s a song that ’s bid All Together Now , and it has a thing of coming together for something or someone . It ’s warm ; it ’s genial . It just , for me , encompassed what the picture show in the end was about .
What was your approach to establish the euphony , and how much influence did you have on the sound of the film ?
Brett Haley : Well , I ’m very much knotty . All of my films have some sort of musical element to some point , and I work with an awe-inspiring composer and songster named Keegan DeWitt . This our fifth film together , so we ’re very much in tune ; we shape hand in helping hand and collaborate very close .
There ’s plainly a passel of musical second in this moving-picture show , just in terms of songs that are playing or birdsong that are in the cinema . That ’s very much a large part of my process as a director . I ’m really a music fan and swot . I have it off new euphony , and those are all handwriting chosen by me . I was very specific about what birdsong goes where and when . And then , of course , there ’s a big original song in the film which Keegan wrote and Auli’i do . I was evidently involve in that , but I really give all the credit to Keegan for how terrific that birdsong is .
Auli’i has an unforgettable voice , but what did you find most surprising about her acting ability ?
Brett Haley : I know Auli’i ’s act as ability before we bulge to work on this , so nothing surprised me about her . I cognize she was really especial from long ago . She ’s auditioned for me before , and I ’ve always live her to be an incredible talent and an incredible role player . I opine people might be a little number surprised by her emotional depth , because they only know her as Moana or as someone who ’s a singer . I think that ’s probably a fair assertion .
I knew that she was that upright , and that ’s why she make headway the part and why I range her . I guess the world is about to discover just how good she really is and how much depth she has , and that ’s why I love the part for her . Because the part is this really sunny , optimistic , endearing , kind soul who then goes through some really , really emotionally pregnant times .
She has to go to places - if you think about what she has to do in the film , she has to show many different thing . It ’s not a one - note performance . She has to be sunny and glad and cute with a crushed leather on a boy , a vocalist and a dramatic play nerd , and then dead the shaver of a mother who ’s in a very hard situation . She ’s someone who ’s lose things and losing that hope , getting down and saying she gives up . She has to go through such a journeying .
You need an thespian with a real profundity , and I ’m excited for people to see just how great she really is .
Amber and her mom ’s relationship is heartbreaking but honest . How do you approach accommodate this part of the story and bringing it to the screen ?
Brett Haley : Well , it ’s really significant to me that a human relationship like that and an sickness like that be portrayed appropriately . That it not go into melodrama ; that it not just simply be a cleaning woman suffer from alcohol abuse and she ’s forged . She ’s terrible , full stop . What an awful mother . That ’s really loose to do , and it ’s really easy to make her a caricature of what someone who is struggling with alcohol ill-usage expect like . To me , it ’s so much more complicated than that .
In realism , sometimes that person can be a mess ; that person can be riotous . But then other times , that person will love you so much and be there for you . It was important , so Justine and I lick intimately together to chance that balance . To ensure it never went into melodrama or caricature ; that it felt literal , and that you acknowledge how much Becky loves Amber . How much she truly is trying ; she is doing her best , but she is struggling in her own way . She is fight with her illness .
I just wanted to get it ripe . It was so authoritative to get it right and not just make it some cliché .
You ’re lined up to direct the prequel toGrease , Summer Loving . I know that ’s a big task , but it ’s one that seems sartor - made for you . How do you mean to adapt that for a advanced audience ?
Brett Haley : I wish we could have a very retentive conversation about Summer Loving . I would love nothing more than to order you everything that I ’m think and that we ’re planning to work on , but I really ca n’t . It ’s too former , and it ’s not really my place to utter about it .
But I will say that I ’m really honored to be give this opportunity , and I will say that we ’re planning something really surprising and playfulness . I think Grease audiences , people who screw the original - and maybe hoi polloi who do n’t , mayhap hoi polloi who do n’t like musicals - I think this is go to be a really feel - adept moving-picture show for everybody . That ’s my finish . I think we all could use a nice , feel - good shot in the arm when they come back to the theaters .
If they ’re done appropriately , if the tone is is correct , musicals are amazing . They can be so strike and so fun . Because it ’s the sure-enough adage : when the emotion becomes too high to talk about , you sing . And when the emotion becomes too gamey to sing , you dance . I think we all can link up to that . I think that especially post - pandemic , when we get movies back and masses number back to theaters , I conceive we ’re all gon na want that kind of grownup Hollywood escapism . And what ’s serious and more escapist and fun than a musical ?
More : Auli’i Cravalho Interview for All Together Now
All Together Nowis now streaming on Netflix .
