Danielle Deadwyler: It’s a hint of it, but I had to come home to him every day, right? And he still wants side money for various things and an array of foods to eat. I need to talk about whatever the heck is interesting to him, like “Fortnite” or whatnot. I think the historical nature of “Till” was weight enough. The nature of it being a part of a continuum that persists to this day. That was a persisting load that I didn’t necessarily have to pull from a personal experience in order to do. And we’re directly coming off of it from 2020. We’re coming off of it from ‘21. We’re coming off of a couple weeks ago, when a young man who was 15 was killed in Mississippi by an officer. It’s a perpetual psychic experience, and it can hit you emotionally at all corners of time. To think about the present is just an itch that is never scratched.
Q: And in both of your films, there was a therapist made available for the cast and crew?
Dern: Yeah, which was incredible, and in our case, used daily by crew and cast. … In our case, the film addresses mental health crises among teenagers. And while we’re starting the film, the numbers are skyrocketing within this pandemic — and perhaps also the impact of social media. So raising children while also telling the story, I was just looking at what was around me every day. I remember the first day, I did a scene with my son talking about not being able to handle the anxiety that he’s going through. [Meanwhile,] my daughter was online, in school, alone in her room. And I said, “Baby, is there anything about this that you can find joy or comfort in?” And she said to me, “Well, Mom, I guess the only positive thing that’s sort of calming me is at least right now, I’m here in my room, I don’t have to be scared every day that I’m going to get shot at school.” And here I am, parenting a 16-year-old in crisis thinking, “This is a horrific epidemic of cultural anxiety.” And that’s when the lines are blurred. You’re not searching for understanding. We’re all in it.
Deadwyler: We had someone every day. I mean, crew would have emotional breakdowns — just moments of utter and complete crying. And people would have to take moments to step away. It wouldn’t always even be a traumatic scene, it would just be literally conversation, and then the waterworks start. So people would just step away and have a conversation with the therapist. It’s a simple, easy, beautiful thing. People can maintain some sense of wellness as we intentionally move through challenges together.