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Kelsey, I felt, was a really progressive way to look at the girlfriend role.
Scotts got so many issues, but she doesnt really enable him.
She doesnt really support the way that hes acting.
I grew up watching movies where women did the opposite.
Shes very strong and determined.
She loves him and knows that he needs to change, but isnt willing to save him.
And I just thought that that was really good.
Powley spoke to Vulture about workshopping the character with Apatow and Davidson, and spending quality with Davidsons mom.
The idea of working with the two of them was just amazing.
I read an interview with Judd where he compared you to Judi Dench and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Hesaid, She doesnt even know that she shouldnt have accepted this job.
I wanted to hear your reaction to that.Oh my God!
Thats so like,hesso good.
Obviously I shouldve taken this job.
Hes Judd fucking Apatow!
Ive always, always wanted to work with him.
Im so flattered that he said that.
Honestly, he is the most interesting, incredible director.
His way of working is so unusual.
Its so heavily improvised and its so collaborative, but hediddirect me and I loved being directed by him.
Tell me more about the improv on this film.
Had you worked that way before?No, I really hadnt.
Id done improv in a theater rehearsal space before, but never on screen.
It was really quite freeing and terrifying at the same time.
But whats written on the page is rarely, rarely what ends up being used in the film.
Then Judd has a team of writers who will be writing down a bunch of jokes on their own.
Its a very collaborative process between all of you on shaping the final journey of the scene.
Its also scary because you know, inherently, its a comedy.
Theres more pressure to be funny.
On a film set, you cant hear people laughing.
You have to be brave enough to try stuff out.
You cant be scared to fail.
That is a really, really good one, I liked it.
And thats the reason why I had to do a lot of work on the accent.
A lot more than I usually would for a really scripted movie.
I had to be so comfortable in who Kelsey was.
The way she spoke, for me as an English person, was a big jump.
I really had to know it inside out to have the freedom to make up her words.
Obviously its the same New York area.
I had it down a bit.
It was a leg up in my audition, that I could do this New York accent.
Theyve known each other for so long!
They know each other inside out, they know everything about each others families.
She obviously knows everything about his past and the trauma that he suffered.
Theyre just unbelievably close.
I kind of always imagined that maybe they acted out weddings together as little kids.
She was just a name when I signed on to the movie.
That was one of the things we decided in one of these workshops.
In that friendship group, the other guys and Scott are incredibly negative.
I read that you spent a lot of time hanging out with Petes mom during this.
Pete was living with her while we were shooting, and obviously she lives in Staten Island.
She would make us dinner.
Shes really an incredibly generous, lovely person.
Shes so unbelievably proud of her son.
She also has quite a big Staten Island accent.
Ive been such a fan of yours sinceThe Diary of a Teenage Girl.
Do you see a through line between all your characters?
Is there something you think they all have in common?I dont.
I cant tell you why I responded to each of these characters or projects.
Its just an innate thing.
Someone said to me the other day that I always align myself with emotionally strong, quite ballsy characters.
I guess, if you look at it that way, maybe that is a through line.
But thats not something that Im actively seeking out.
I will never move anywhere else.
