The most important scene in Todd Haynes’ “May Dec” was unrehearsed and had very few takes. A psychological drama about an actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), who delves into the world of Gracie (Julianne Moore), an older woman who decades before created a sensational scandal by initiating a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy. May December” creates considerable friction over Elizabeth’s desire to study Gracie to play her in a film. That tension comes to a head when the two women are together in Gracie’s bathroom and Gracie shows Elizabeth her makeup routine. Surprisingly intimate, the single-shot scene finds the two characters metaphorically merging into one, Gracie delicately applying lipstick to Elizabeth so they look similar.
“It’s a moment where they’re both trying to get really close to each other and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Moore says, sitting on a couch in a Sunset Strip hotel with her co-star. “He feels seductive. He also feels dangerous.”
Portman nods in agreement, their relationship much warmer than that of her characters in the film that chronicles a tense power struggle between the actress and the reluctant subject. It was a project Portman (who also serves as a producer) had wanted to do, sending Samy Burch’s script to director Haynes, hoping it would spark something in him too.
“I had always dreamed of working with Todd,” he says. “I am a huge admirer of his: his brain, his vision, his way of seeing the world. She had sent him things before that he had not accepted. But I thought it would be a brilliant mind to make this come to life.”
She and Moore knew each other (they had a particularly good time at a Stevie Wonder concert in London) but had never worked together, largely because of the way Hollywood operates. “It is very rare to have two female roles [in the same film] that are not related to each other,” says Portman. Moore chimes in and adds with a laugh, “Usually it’s a family dynamic or they’re in love with each other.”
On the surface, the fragile and defensive Gracie recalls Moore’s indelible previous collaborations with Haynes on “Safe” and “Far From Heaven,” the Oscar-winning film that portrays sheltered women trapped in a rarefied bubble. But Moore doesn’t see his characters that way.
A pivotal scene in “May December” finds the two main characters metaphorically merging into one.
(François Duhamel / Netflix)
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘bubble’ because I don’t think they’re there alone,” Moore says. “I think Todd and I are interested in culture, society and identity. We are interested in people who respond to the world they are born into: how they succumb to it, how they react against it, or how it shapes them. Sometimes I wonder if there really is any identity or if it’s just culture. Like who are you? It is almost impossible to define yourself without something opposite.”
For Portman, who won an Academy Award playing a disturbingly compromised dancer in “Black Swan,” Elizabeth presents another opportunity to investigate an artist who goes to extremes to achieve greatness. When asked if this is coincidence or intentional, Portman responds: “Performance has been central to my curiosity: how it relates to identity and how it relates to self, the public and the private. I’m sure that being a public person from a very young age influenced my interest in it. It’s something I come back to a lot.”
“May Dec” is filled with reflections on self-deception, especially with Gracie, who has started a family with Joe (Charles Melton), clinging to the belief that her former illicit affair is now a healthy, happy marriage. Moore loved Burch’s script, but initially had a hard time getting into the character’s mindset.
“But then I realized that she is someone who has bought into this narrative of being a princess. She feels like she was rescued from her life by her prince, but her prince was 13 years old. To do that, you have to elevate that prince so that she will be your man when he is a boy, and so she will remain a girl.” As a result, Moore decided that Gracie needed a lisp. “Many people who have a lisp are not children; they simply have problems with their speech,” she says. “But we associate it with a childlike quality.”
It also gave Portman something physical that Elizabeth could imitate as she begins to become her subject. “That’s the genius of Julie,” Portman says, “and the generosity of her. she did not do it have think about it [for me] —She could have just said, ‘Good luck!’”
Both actresses have played real people, so they have experience with the type of transformation Elizabeth is attempting. So how accurate is the film’s portrayal of her vampire feasting on Gracie’s essence?
“You’re looking at someone’s heart, but you’re also using their emotions and their history as raw material,” Portman suggests. “I think all artists have that question of ‘What is it, ethically, to take someone’s feelings and turn them into entertainment?’ Obviously, I don’t think most actors’ processes cross the lines that Elizabeth’s do. But it is very close to questions of journalism and documentary: when does representing someone change the course of their life? Which is deeply rooted in the story of this film: Gracie and Joe’s lives were completely changed by being portrayed. It’s almost impossible to make someone the subject of a story without impacting their lives. The impact one has depends, obviously, on each individual.”
During the conversation, Portman and Moore frequently exchange praise, clearly pleased to finally be teaming up. As much as their characters hide behind masks, these two are unreserved in their praise. “[Gracie] “I couldn’t be further from Julie,” Portman insists. “There’s nothing that sets Julie apart more than simply being considerate and empathetic to everyone around her, and this character has No empathy.” He turns to his co-star: “I said, ‘Oh, this must be very happy,’ because it’s the complete opposite of who you are.”
Moore considers it for a moment. “Well, you’re playing, right? So it’s a pleasure to play,” he replies before looking at me. “That’s where Natalie and I are very similar: I think we take our jobs very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously. It is easy for us to participate in this work in a playful way, because ought be.” Moore’s eyes widen and become excited. “They were making a movie. He should be cheerful.”
