Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon talk His Three Daughters

welcome both to the show thank you for having us you two play sisters you have young mothers caring for an ailing father on his deathbed what do you think are the big themes in the film oh my goodness uh I think it's the roles we play in our families how it's very easy to default to those roles when we go home and how incapable we are of seeing the people who are right in front of us he's gone no no we would have called if something like that happened I don't know it's just weird he sitting there there's a lot of tension and built up emotions that feels like the this the starting place and the Heart of the film as well as what it means to preemptively grief for someone that's passing and the roles we play clearly there's an issue with the three of us I didn't even know it was between us regardless she lives here you live far away it makes sense me to be the one to step out for a while he's going to die and you will not be here and you'll never forgive me I'm sorry I don't want you to leave I want the three of us to figure something out some way that we can do what we can to get along at least for now I thought we were just fine you and I that was a surprise Katie I was mad I got angry allow me to say things okay I was scared in a small cramp New York apartment on film it felt more like a theater piece in many ways I think audiences now love you in the Gilded Age and see you in this big world Heavens what a vision the whole audience will be looking at you you are sweet how do you contrast that to what you were able to do here well I think it does unfold like a theater piece in that it's very language forward and again we told the story in order which is very that's what you do in the theater and rarely in TV and film but it it couldn't be captured this way in the theater because what Aza has also done is he has he used the space as a metaphor for you know the characters they start off almost as stereotypes it's the way the sisters are occurring to each other and then as the sister's point of view gets complicated so does the audience's point of view it's so tightly structured it's so beautifully and specifically written and that's what makes it an an extraordinary film and your performance is so naturalistic I mean again my sons and I love you in W division we think of you as a Marvel character but in this it's very like spare and stripped down were there a lot of rehearsals yes we had rehearsals we had about 3 days we had a few days of us getting to figure out the Rhythm and the musicality of the language and how we all worked as a unit and also kept our own space and before every job I do I try to get in the head space of the director I'm working with by just watching films that have made Impressions on them if even if they're not direct references for the the actual piece I I mean I hope to always have some sort of grounded honesty even in these uh Larger than Life Marvel films I think that's always a goal of mine is to figure out how to constantly ground these characters in some real emotions I think Lizzie can't help but tell the truth in everything she does and I think that's why you're work in the Marvel universe resonates so strongly with people because I've done it and it's really hard to imagine those settings we are an unusual couple you know oh I don't think that was ever in question I always believe everything you do and to be in the Pres come across as a real person even while you're playing in anything she's doing and to watch her watch her elucidate those monologues in in this piece it was just like you know spinning light out of air and I mentioned the apartment and the fact that it's shot on film I think of all these like frankly Woody Allen movies where I'm like there's no New York apartment that looks like that something very realistic it's a rent control apartment on the Lower East Side is that right yes from the beginning I've understood I was in your place it's your place too I know it you know it but you live here you were on the lease that's a second time you mentioned this Le what is that what what are you trying to say and you brought it up too outside so what's up with this nothing just the fact when he dies this becomes your place oh and you think that's what I want that I give about the place sorry let's let's just keep our voices down and do you think the fact that it was shot on film like what do you what did you take away when you went into those screening sessions when you're actively shooting on film you have to be very deliberate with how you're covering a scene and so it actually creates these limitations and this structure of how you're going to shoot um in a really freeing way it was all incredibly intentional and um and specific to how we were telling the story it sounds like a wonderful project to be a part of it was really special lizie KY thank you both for your thoughtful conversation for your thoughtful careers appreciate you being here thank you appreciate it the film his three daughters is out today in Select theaters and on Netflix beginning September 20th