Interview: Laura Dern and writer-director Florian Zeller (The Son)

Actress Laura Dern and writer/director Florian Zeller talk about their film, “The Son,” co-starring Hugh Jackman.

Video Content: Florian Zeller and Laura Dern (2023)

SIDEWALKS host Lori Rosales talks to actress Laura Dern and director / screenwriter Florian Zeller about the making of the film, “The Son,” which is based on one of Zeller’s play, “Le Fils (The Son).” Zeller tells us about the transition of his play as a film and Dern preparing to play the character of Kate Miller.

Please note: This online version of the interview is different than how it appeared on the TV episode. The promotional film clips have been removed.

Mini-Biographies:

Born in Los Angeles, California, Laura Dern is an actress, who has been recognized by the industry with several awards, including Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild. Some of award-winning performances are playing Katherine Harris in the TV film “Recount,” Amy Jellicoe in the TV series “Enlightened,” Renata Klein in TV’s “Big Little Lies,” and Nora Fanshaw in the film “Marriage Story.” She gained international recognition playing Dr. Ellie Sattler in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. Dern’s extensive film library also include “Mask,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” “Rambling Rose,” “99 Homes,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Little Women,” “Trial by Fire,” “Year of the Dog,” “Wild,” and “The Fault in Our Stars.”

Born in Paris, France, Florian Zeller is a novelist, playwright, director, and screenwriter. He wrote his first novel, “Artificial Snow,” at age 22. Some of his plays include “The Father,” “The Truth,” “The Height of the Storm,” “The Mother” and “Le Fils (The Son).” Based on his play, Zeller’s first film, “The Father,” received six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with Zeller co-winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Starring Hugh Jackman, Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Hugh Quarshie, and Anthony Hopkins, “The Son” is another film that’s based on one of his plays and is a prequel to 2020’s “The Father.” Zeller won the Prix Interallié for his 2004 novel, “The Fascination of Evil.”

Official Sites:

Website: The Son
IMDB: Laura Dern | Florian Zeller

About the Film:

THE SON centers on Peter (Jackman), whose hectic life with his infant and new partner Beth (Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Dern) appears with their son Nicholas (McGrath), who is now a teenager. The young man has been missing from school for months and is troubled, distant, and angry. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have liked his own father to have taken care of him while juggling work, his and Beth’s new son, and the offer of his dream position in Washington. However, by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto the Nicholas in the present.