Julia Hart

Erin Walsh Tell us about I’m Your Woman. I am so excited about this film!!! Fill our readers in on what it is about and what you hope they take away from it…

Julia Hart I love 70’s crime dramas, but I always found myself wanting to know what happened to the female characters in them. What they were feeling, what they were thinking. Those movies always focused on the male characters and I wanted to dive into that same world, that same time period, but from the female perspective. And those movies are often very cynical and dark. And while our movie definitely goes to dark  places, telling the story of the women and the children within that world ultimately leads to a hopeful place. I hope audiences leave feeling like they got to see the side of a story they’ve never seen before, delved into the minds of characters they haven’t gotten to before and that they leave with a feeling of hope and the importance of community.

EW Any particular inspirational pieces when you were putting together the LOOK of the film? Any films you thought necessary for Rachel to become aware of in her own research?

JH Michael Mann’s THIEF was the biggest inspiration for sure. Mostly in terms of story, but also influenced the look. Also ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, THE GETAWAY, NORMA RAE, THE GODFATHER. In terms of the look, we studied a lot of American photography from the period and thereabouts. Domestic stuff. Highways. Diners. Women. William Eggelston, Stephen Shore, Gordon Parks.

EW Tell us about your usual process. Where do you start, both in the writing process and then in the directing process. What are the seeds and how do you begin to put the parts in motion? I know this is a wide question, but I am curious, because it is a wide process- how do you break it down? Where do you begin? How do you go about organizing and being brave enough to allocate various responsibilities?

JH We always begin with an idea. Then we have LOTS of conversations about it and eventually, when we feel ready, we move to an outline. And we write a long, detailed outline. And we never get this far in the process unless we know it’s a movie we want to make together. Since I direct and Jordan produces, we don’t even bother writing something unless we’re really passionate about making it. And we have to be passionate about something we’re making because of the investment that goes into making a film. So much time. So much work. So much time away from our kids. It really has to matter to us. And that all starts with an idea.

EW We spoke a bit about your transformation from being a New Yorker to a Californian- you mentioned that feeling familiar to me of being “unable to release your shoulders from your ears” with all the energy and anxiety of city life. What changed when you moved West for you? Do you miss anything about NYC?

JH I’ve lived in California for 13 years now and it really is home. It’s where I became a writer and a director. It’s where I became a wife. Most importantly, it’s where I became a mother. It’s where I found myself. In California you have to work harder to find that, it’s vast and spread out. I loved that challenge. Of finding myself, my people and my home. I love that I can be outside, that my kids can be outside almost every day of the year. I love that we can go to the beach or the mountains or the desert in the blink of an eye. I have always loved nature and I love how it can be a part of daily life here. It makes me feel relaxed and it makes me feel whole.

EW What are some of your favorite ways to contribute, some of your favorite causes? We would love to direct our readers as to how they can be a part of the change YOU would like to see in the world…

JH Something that is deeply important to me is inclusion and representation in film. It’s important to my own work both in front of and behind the camera, but also Jordan and I spend a good amount of time mentoring and reaching out to people in the business who for reasons of race, gender or sexual orientation have not had certain opportunities. The system is broken and I feel as someone who has benefited from it, and had the privilege of my whiteness to succeed within it, that it’s my job to pay it forward. There are so many talented artists who just haven’t gotten the chance to be heard and if I can help them in that I will.

EW What really inspires you when you are trying to dream up a next project , and how do you find the time for inspiration in our current quarantine life?

JH Jordan and I always say that daytime is for current projects, and nighttime, after we put the kids to bed and we finally get to exhale and sit down, that’s when we dream about what’s next.

EW Any mentors who you have found to be instrumental?

JH My teachers. Always my teachers. I was incredibly lucky from a young age to have incredible women in all subjects at school. I still think about them all the time and feel grateful for the ways in which they taught and inspired me. They showed me what it meant to be a good, passionate adult and a hard-working and conscientious citizen. Teachers are the best. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world.

EW What is keeping you sane these days? Both physically and emotionally?

JH Space. And being outside. I love taking long walks. Or just sitting outside. So many days can go by where work keeps us at a desk or in front of a screen and it’s so important to remember to get up and go outside. Even opening a window! Fresh air is everything. And deep breaths.

EW What makes you very proud?

JH My kids. Doing literally anything. Like the first time your kid pees in the potty you jump and down and celebrate. The littlest random things become the most glorious miracles.

EW Julia, What’s Your SBJCT? What really drives and moves and motivates you?

JH Telling stories about people that haven’t been told before. There are so many underrepresented groups in film and it’s an honor to get to tell their/my/our stories.