Here, Smith opens up about breathing new life into ballet and crafting her twisty dance drama.
I think I read it in one day.
Did you have any dance background going into this?
Katalin Vermes/Amazon Studios
Not really at all.
I took a tap dance class when I was [a kid].
Other than that, I took karate and I was really into sports.
Almost more like a boxing match.
I actually think it’s very similar to shooting action sequences of fight sequences in a movie.
It’s the same thing.
Those are only interesting if the character is going through something emotionally.
The other thing I can say about it is it’s also a very technical exercise.
The crux of this story is the relationship between Kate and Marine.
What was it about that complicated female friendship that you most wanted to explore?
There’s something confusing and thrilling about that.
I was really inspired byThe Talented Mr. Ripleyas a story in some ways, too.
At the same time, that’s tangled up with very true feelings of lust and love and friendship.
It’s always a challenging thing as a filmmaker when you’re telling a story with two true protagonists.
It’s really a two-hander, and I wanted to do service to both those points of view.
How did you want to approach the film’s visual look and feel?
I wanted this movie to feel ferociously feminine.
So I was really looking for that contrast in the movie.
I’d imagine it’d be fun to explore that visually.
Yeah, I come to this world as an outsider.
Were there any tropes you wanted to avoid, or anything about the genre you particularly wanted to embrace?
I think I wanted to embrace the fun, campy aspects of the genre to some extent.
I’m not going to ask you to work too hard.
Come and enjoy this fun ride."
