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Now, in terms of how the contemporary art world is gonna look at us?
I have no idea.
And Im thinking,We just took your world and kinda threw a Molotov cocktail onto it.
But the local-news people all loved it.
They let us shoot in their studios.
And I was thinking,Have you read the script?
And it is its own world, and it is its own sort of language.
And it is its own lexicon.
Theres no question about it.
But I like going into a world and learning the language of it.
The language is like a costume for the characters, this thing that props them up before their fall.
Well, I wrote that there was something about it that felt like medieval street theater.
Or are they people who deserve to die?
They deserve to die.
And then I thought,Okay, this is gonna be funny.
So I really started to lean into the satire of it.
Camp and kitsch became our friend.
And it was very much appreciated on this end of things.
So I think were pretty accurate about what people are doing.
Did you have a favorite death scene to direct?I think my favorite one to direct wasToni Collette.
Was she cast beforeHereditary?
She was already on our list.
She was definitely somebody we were going to, butHereditarywas out and was obviously great for her.
Theyre always gonna be there.
Were like little ants running around in them.
Out here, theres just a weird, electric energy, which felt really good for this film.
You and Jake Gyllenhaal now have these two really unique collaborations and characters youve made together.
Did you write the part of Morf for him from the beginning?I did.
I wrote this specifically for Jake.
And I wrote Renees part for Renee.
So how much of that embodiment the physical details, the body language was just Jake?
What was on the page?
We picked the Mini Cooper Clubman.
He has a flip phone; he wanted a flip phone.
Oh, right, I remember that.
That was such a choice.He decided, one day I use a flip phone.
And I go, Really?
And he goes, I like tradition, and my characters a traditionalist.
And I said, Okay!
Because now hes done two movies set within the L.A. art world that are pretty critical of it.
I know he likes contemporary art.
So, as were talking, the film is out tomorrow on Netflix.
I mean, look atRoma.
Whos going to put the money up to make a black-and-white film in Spanish?
Who is going to put the money up to make a mixed-genre film likeVelvet Buzzsaw?
And to be honest, Netflix is front and center, and thats really what it boils down to.
But for people who are making things, Netflix is just like an oasis.
