11:41 PDT 15/03/2021
by
Rebecca Ford
“It’s really great,” says the writer-director of ‘Promising Young Woman’s five Oscar nominations.
Emerald Fennell made her directorial debut with Promising young woman, and on Monday she earned her first Oscar nomination, becoming one of only seven women to ever receive a nomination in the directing category. The UK-based writer-director also earned merit for screenplay and best picture.
She jumped with the phone THR shortly after the nominations were announced to talk a little more about the film’s five nominations (including a Best Actress nomination for star Carey Mulligan) and her plans for the next one.
What did you do when the nominations were announced?
I was going to watch it, but I did not know that there was sunlight happening in America, which means the announcements were an hour earlier than I knew. I was actually on a Zoom meeting with someone, and then my phone started ringing and my husband burst in and said, ‘It’s on!’ So I had to leave the meeting incredibly embarrassed with the words’ I’m so sorry. I have to go. I think I might have just been nominated for an Oscar. ‘(Laughs.) It’s really once-in-a-lifetime wonderful. the first part, for I did not wait for that hour of pure terror.
Have you heard of Carey Mulligan and other members of your cast and team?
Yes! Everyone who worked on this movie is so amazing, and everyone honestly ventured into it. They gave it a try because they were hoping it could be something. So, today, when that happened, I just feel very grateful and proud. We made the film within 23 days – I’m just as grateful to them. Carey and I screamed, sobbed and jumped. Fred Thoraval, the incredible editor, works abroad, and he was asleep, so I called him and woke him up and said, ‘I’m sorry, but you really have to wake up because you’d been nominated for an Oscar.’ I wish I could see everyone. It’s hard not to congratulate people personally.
How does it feel to be nominated in the directing category with Chloe Zhao – the first time two women have ever been nominated in the category?
Chloe is so amazing and that movie is so spectacular, and being nominated with her and everyone in the category is just absolutely amazing. But there were also so many female directors this year who made such beautiful, brilliant, challenging, different films. And that is why I feel honored to be able to meet and talk to all these women during this journey.
It was your debut in the directorial role. Do you know what you want to direct next?
I think after this I do not know what to do! I think I should just get some kind of disturbing drug addiction and a harem of boyfriends. I do not know what to do except to go completely crazy (laughs.). No, I just wrote the following thing. I will not do it for anyone until it is finished, and then someone will hopefully like it, and I will be able to make it. I miss people and working with people. The fact that this film hopefully made it possible to make another one is therefore exciting.