Ahead of the Indian TV premiere of The Kitchen, director Andrea Berloff shares what went into the making of the film with Team Viva
It is 1978 and the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighbourhood between 8th Avenue and the Hudson River known as Hell’s Kitchen. But for mob wives Kathy, Ruby and Claire, things are about to take a dramatic and radical turn. When the FBI sends their husbands to prison, the three women take the business into their own hands and what happens next is showcased in The Kitchen.
The film is a 2019 American crime film written and directed by Andrea Berloff in her directorial debut. It is based on the DC-Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
Andrea is an American screenwriter, actress, director, and producer. She is best known for writing the 2006 disaster drama film World Trade Center and co-writing the 2015 biographical drama Straight Outta Compton, which got her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Were there moments in your own life where you had to take charge because nobody else would? Did you draw on those moments?
Don’t we all? I mean, whether it’s writing and directing a big Hollywood film or whether it’s getting my dog to cooperate. (laughs) I am sure you know what I’m talking about. We’ve all had these moments where it’s, “How do I make this moment work in the way that I want to?” And I hope people can tap into that feeling.
There must have been something compelling about this project for you to not only commit to writing it but also taking it on as your directorial debut.
The comic book series was sent to me in February 2016. I was at a place where I felt like, honestly, I’ve had a lovely career and I’ve been blessed with a lot of great projects and opportunities, and I’m so grateful for all of the work I’ve gotten, but maybe I’m done achieving what I’m going to achieve. I thought this might be it. This might be the pinnacle. So, I was in a frustrating place, wondering, “What else can I hope to achieve?” This specific story came around at a time when I was asking myself such questions and I took all of that energy and put it into this screenplay.
These women are in an extreme situation, doing extreme things. What makes them relatable?
What makes them relatable is that they start from a place that I think everybody can understand, which is being in a situation where they aren’t being given the respect and the opportunity that they need and want. And I think everybody in the world knows what that feels like.
So many of these characters go through a similar thought process.
That’s right. And I think we all can relate to such characters. This film is about these women saying what they want before going out to take what they want — obviously in a very dramatic way, not necessarily the way that I would do it or someone else would do it, but in a very dramatic way that’s their own. Just being able to articulate, ‘Here’s what I want out of life,’ is powerful, and that’s half the battle sometimes... saying that loudly so that people can hear it. For me, it was, “I want to be a director,” and being able to say that out loud and not be shy about it because that’s what I wanted. It was difficult to say that at first, especially before the #MeToo movement. And I think a lot of that, like figuring out what you want to say and then figuring out how to get it, were the questions I was struggling with at the time.
What were some of the challenges in bringing this world to the screen?
What was challenging? All of it. The location work was especially complicated because so much of New York City is now gentrified and a lot of the period material is gone. It was really important to me and to my creative team that we were as authentic as possible so we had to spend a lot of time and energy in (A), finding locations that could believably be made to look like 1978 and then (B), dressing those sets, physically and with visual effects. That commitment was a guiding principle from the very beginning.
Do you feel the audience will be transported to that place and that timeline?
That’s what I am hoping for. Because I think in many ways these period pieces — and Straight Outta Compton was a period piece too — allow us to reflect on where we are right now. The year, 1978, was in many ways at the heart of the women’s movement, so it’s not accidental that this film lives there in a way, at the forefront. In 1978 it was easy for certain people to dismiss women and their movement more readily. I think, now it’s not culturally acceptable to do that, but some people still don’t respect it. I hope that looking at it through the lens of the ‘70s allows us a different perspective.
How important was it that these characters are seen as real individuals?
To me that was everything. I wasn’t interested in casting three plastic mannequins; I wanted people who felt like us, people who felt like me, that I could connect to. I want people to see themselves on that screen and to be able to ask themselves, ‘What would I do in that situation? Where’s my voice? What do I want? What box have I been put into? What stereotype do people make of me?’ And I think to do that, you’ve got to be able to see yourself on screen.
In this case, it’s three women who are portraying roles they don’t often get a chance to portray: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss as gangsters. But one of the things I’m excited about is that the audience are going to see them in ways they’ve never witnessed before. They are fierce, strong, independent, beautiful and brilliant and all of that is portrayed exceptionally on the screen.
What were you looking for, when casting the male roles?
I had to have really good actors in those roles. When I think about the three husbands cast next to the three leading women, they’re all just incredibly talented and skilled actors with long resumes: Brian d’Arcy James, James Badge Dale and Jeremy Bobb. I needed great actors, yes, but I also needed people who were game to go on this ride and to understand that this is a story about three women and as important as their roles are, they’re supporting roles. So I cast those incredible guys, and also Domhnall Gleason, Common and Bill Camp, who are incredibly strong, talented actors who bring a lot to the film.
Domhnall has said it’s first and foremost a great story and that’s what attracted him to the project.
That was our goal. His character, Gabriel, is really fun, interesting and rich. I think he had a good time playing it and it’s really clear that he’s kind of a breakout star in the film. He’s awesome in it and I can’t wait for people to see what he does.
Was there anything about the late 1970s wardrobe you and the cast loved — or, conversely, something you’d be happy to never see again?
I think the ladies are pretty clear that polyester is not very forgiving. Not a lot of stretch, and it doesn’t breathe. It’s hard to film in the middle of the summer in polyester on the street. (laughs heartily) Sarah Edwards, the costume designer, and I were very clear that we wanted clothes that were authentically ‘70s but still look cool to our modern eyes. Some of the ‘70s clothes can seem a little silly today. Sarah was also the costume designer for Ocean’s 8, and she has an incredibly sharp curatorial eye. She had such a great talent for putting together the look of our 1970s setting. The styles look amazing. I love the lapels.
(The film premieres on June 20 at 9 pm on Sony PIX.)
