Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, Drive Away Dolls is a comedy caper follows Jamie [Margaret Qualley], an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian [Geraldine Viswanathan] who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.
As Drive Away Dolls speeds into Australian cinemas on February 22, Nick L’Barrow had an incredible chat with the film’s iconic director and co-writer, Ethan Coen (one of half of the filmmaking duo the Coen Brothers), and co-writer (and long time editing collaborator of the Coen Brothers) Tricia Cooke about their writing process, the love of 1980s B-movies, and how much serious though goes into choosing the right dildo.
Nick: Ethan! Tricia! It’s a pleasure to meet you both. How are you today?
Tricia Cooke: Good! How are you?
Ethan Coen: Pleasure to meet you!
Nick: I’m very well. Thanks for asking! I’m excited to chat about Drive Away Dolls today, and Tricia I want to start with you – I’ve heard from many filmmakers that a film is made three different times. Once when writing the script, once when you’re filming it, and then finally, one more time in the edit. How has your decades of experience as an editor helped hone your filmmaking skills when it came to putting Drive Away Dolls together?
Tricia Cooke: Well, I think when we were writing it, knowing how you’re going to transition from scene to scene is very important. Knowing what you need in a scene and what you don’t need in a scene, especially in a movie like this which is very fast paced.
So, as an editor, I think just structurally and kind of pace wise, it really kind of helped inform what we were writing. When would we go to the next scene? What would be fun? Thinking about all the transitions. I think those are my strengths when I’m writing something. Certainly [the] structure in the story and pace, more so than the dialogue. But I give it my best shot!
Nick: It’s interesting you mention the writing process, because if I’m correct Ethan, I read that Joel’s and your writing process would be to write a scene, then follow the story in a way that interests you both. Did you have a similar process this time around with the Drive Away Dolls script?
Ethan Coen: Yeah, writing was completely the same, except it was with a different person! Me and Joel, we talk through each scene, back and forth. Talk the dialogue back and forth. And then go, “Okay, what would happen next?” We don’t outline. We don’t know where the story is going. We just go, “Okay, here’s the beginning of the story. What does that imply for what happens next?” We just kind of pursue that line, as opposed to knowing that line from the get go.
It’s kind of true when you said a story is made three times, when you write it, shoot it, cut it. But like Tricia was saying, you’re kinda cutting it when you’re writing it. And you’re kind of shooting it while you’re writing it. I mean, if you’re lucky enough, like me and Joel, we get to make the whole movie. You’re thinking about all those things as you write and as you shoot.
Nick: I love the distinct visual aesthetic and editing style of the film. It’s such a love letter to 70s and 80s B-movies. What were the discussions between you both like when it came to bringing that visual language to life? And were there any specific films that you reference in the film?
Ethan Coen: There’s one very specific one!
Tricia Cooke: Visually, Poison Ivy was—there’s a shot we reference.
Ethan Coen: It’s just ridiculous [laughs]. We thought we really had to do that.
Tricia Cooke: I mean, there were other things we were influenced by, like Kiss Me Deadly when we were writing it and stylistically. We had long conversations with Ari [Wegner, cinematographer] about how, you know, any idea that comes to mind has got to be fun and playful. It just seems like it would work in this wacky thing. Like, let’s go for it.
Ethan Coen: The good thing about those movies is they were weirdly formulaic movies in a way, but they were weirdly free. They didn’t give a shit! They did whatever they wanted.
Tricia Cooke: They would just put the camera wherever. And we’re a homage to B-movies, but I mean, we were far more calculated [laughs]. Not like a Russ Meyer movie, or any of those B-movies where they have to make it in 10 days or whatever.
Ethan Coen: We’re the uptight Russ Meyer!
Nick: That’s hilarious! One of the common elements in your previous work, Ethan, is having these really inept criminal characters. I’m curious to know what the fascination behind writing these characters is like for you, and whether the process of creating these characters has changed at all over the years?
Ethan Coen: I don’t know if it’s a fascination. Well, if it’s a drama, it’s got bad guys or bad guys, or good women or bad women. And if they’re super competent, they just seem boring. It’s more interesting, or it’s human even. You know, larger than life is not interesting, smaller than life gets kind of fun.
Tricia Cooke: Yeah, and I mean, being able to poke fun, at especially men, is always fun!
Ethan Coen: The dumbo’s are always men.
Nick: CJ Wilson and Joel Slotnick are fantastic at being the goons in this film! I want to ask about the inclusion of author Henry James in this film. I wasn’t too aware of his work and life going into the film, but the intentional focus on him made me go a read up about him. And I found there were a lot of interesting parallels with Marian. How did Henry James end up becoming quite a significant part of the story?
Ethan Coen: I think it was just a way to say Marian [Geraldine Viswanathan] is a really serious person. You know, Henry James was a notoriously serious and writer, although he isn’t really.
Tricia Cooke: But his books are very dense. And you now, it was kind of a way to create that odd couple distinction. Jamie [Margaret Qualley] doesn’t read at all, and Marian reads Henry James. Books that are 1000 pages thick!
But there are parallels, you know, because Henry James was, they say, a closeted gay man. And you know, The Europeans specifically was a bit of an odd couple story as well. So that works well as a reference for their story. For the Marian and Jamie story.
Nick: I’ll wrap up on this question – I laughed my arse off at the visual gag of the “wall dildo”. It’s such a great cutaway to that shot. I’m curious to know how much thought goes into what dildo you’re going to have on the wall in that scene to make that joke really hit.
Ethan Coen: There was a lot of serious thought about the “wall dildo”, believe me!
Tricia Cooke: We did write the “wall dildo” thinking that’ll be a funny bit randomly, because not many people have wall dildos! Not yet!
Ethan Coen: Yeah, not that we know of! There was something else you added – what the fuck was it? Oh yeah, the basement party! You [Tricia] said there’s gonna be a basement party. And I said, “What the fuck is basement party?” That’s the fun of doing this story, you can just make shit up and then it’s a thing!
Tricia Cooke: Or like how all the soccer team is going to be queer. Like, how absurd it that? But, it’s super fun!
Ethan Coen: It sets you free. This kind of story sets you free.
Thank you so much to Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke for their time, and to Universal Pictures for organising the interview. Drive Away Dolls is in cinemas February 22.
