Francesca Gregorini Chats About “Emanuel”
Francesca Gregorini, director of Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes, recently spoke with Variety about the casting and tone of the story. To refresh your memory, the film is about Emanuel (Scodelario), a troubled 17-year-old girl who babysits her new neighbour Linda’s “baby,” which is actually a very life-like doll. She goes along with the delusion while befriending Linda (Jessica Biel), who happens to be the spitting image of Emanuel’s late mother. Besides Kaya and Jessica Biel, four new castings have been released. Alfred Molina and Frances O’Connor will portray Emanuel’s father and stepmother, Jimmi Simpson will portray her co-worker at a medical supply store, and Aneurin Barnard will play her love interest.
Gregorini on the film: “I consider it a psychological drama-thriller, with comedic elements. … It deals with death, salvation and redemption, as well as the lengths we’ll go to to deny our own mortality. It’s about the secrets we tell ourselves and keep from each other, and how intricate those lies are.”
Gregorini on the casting process: “sit down and talk to the actors to get a sense of who they are. For me, the hunt is to find whose essence is closest to the character. The town has a plethora of young girls and Kaya’s essence resonated as the essence of the character I wrote. That’s how I cast Rooney Mara in [Gregorini's first film] ‘Tanner Hall.’”
The film starts production this month in LA. Kaya has tweeted that filming will last for two months.
