Greta Gerwig, seen in ‘Greenberg’ and ‘Arthur,’ is giving Syracuse a glimpse of her new movie, ‘Lola Versus.’ The movie is due to hit theaters June 8, but it will open in Syracuse on June 29. ‘Lola Versus’ is an indie film written and produced by up-and-coming filmmakers Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones. Gerwig plays 29-year-old Lola, a New Yorker whose fiance ends their relationship and forces her to start over as she approaches her 30th birthday. The Daily Orange talked with Gerwig about the inner workings of the movie during a College Conference Call event with the actress.

The Daily Orange: We’ve seen you transition between mainstream films like ‘Arthur’ and smaller movies like ‘Lola Versus.’ Does the knowledge that you’re making a certain type of film, either mainstream or smaller, affect how you prepare or how you perform?

Greta Gerwig: The size of the film doesn’t affect how I prepare or how I perform. What affects it more is what the story is and what the character is, and each one differs from film to film based on the script and the filmmaker. In some ways, there can be big similarities between big movies and small movies based on the tone of the project.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. How was it received and how was the experience?

Well, I’ve never had a film at a film festival, so I was excited. I live in New York, and it was filmed in New York, so it felt very appropriate that it would premiere there. I think that the response was good. I try not to read reviews, but my sense from the audience was that they really liked it. But I think it’s unlikely that anyone would tell me that they hated it, so I probably have a skewed view.

How easy was it for you to connect with the character of Lola?

It was pretty organic for me to connect with Lola. I try not to play parts that I don’t feel a pull towards and I did feel a pull towards her. I’m very familiar with the feeling of being a mess or being confused, and I think this movie did that in a very funny and real way. That being said, I don’t connect with her particular desires, really. I don’t have any interest in planning a wedding right now or being married or anything like that. But I did connect with her feeling that she should be somewhere other than where she is. I definitely understand that.

amhider@syr.edu

Published on May 24, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Anna: amhider@syr.edu