Chloë Sevigny Gets In-Depth About New Film ‘Love & Friendship’ and Her Desire to Direct

Sandra Miska

Chloë Sevigny, the actress and fashionista who was once called the coolest girl in the world by The New Yorker, shows a different side of herself in her latest film, Whit Stillman’s “Love & Friendship.” In this adaptation of the novella “Lady Susan” by Jane Austen, Sevigny plays Alicia Johnson, the American best friend of the scheming title character played by Kate Beckinsale.

Sevigny first came to prominence with her role in the controversial 1995 indie film “Kids.” She went on to earn an Oscar nomination in 2000 for her role as Lana Tisdel, the girlfriend of transgender man Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry.” After years of cultivating a name for herself in both indie and mainstream cinema, Sevigny turned her sights to television in 2006 and played polygamous wife Nicki Grant on the HBO series “Big Love” for five seasons, a role that earned her a Golden Globe. She has also had recurring roles on “American Horror Story,” “The Mindy Project” and the current Netflix series “Bloodline,” as well as the lead role in the British episodic drama “Hit & Miss.”

Sevigny also has a background in modeling and is known for her unique personal style. She has collaborated with her close friend Tara Subkoff on the fashion line Imitation of Christ. Subkoff also directed Sevigny is 2015’s “#Horror.”

Entertainment Voice recently spoke with Sevigny about “Love & Friendship,” her career and what the future holds.
You previously worked with Whit Stillman and Kate Beckinsale in the [1998] film “The Last Days of Disco.” What’s unique about working with them and how was this experience making “Love & Friendship” different or similar from that experience?

I think that Whit has a very unique voice . . . and he’s very concerned with language and not so concerned with transitions and other parts of storytelling. He really wants to just get down to the nitty-gritty of the dialogue and not all directors are like that.

I think that Kate has such a command of the language. Not that other actresses don’t, but she’s just always really super prepared and never skips a line or misses a word. It makes you feel very safe to work with the two of them knowing that you’re going to be taken care of as far as somebody taking care of you to make you feel safer bouncing off of, you know what I mean?

Were you always a big fan of Jane Austen?
Actually, I wasn’t.  I was more of a Brontë Sisters girl or Edith Wharton. I love Edith Wharton, being American. I just never got into the whole Austen thing. I think that I thought maybe that I wouldn’t like it because it seemed, I don’t know . . . the romance of it, I thought it wouldn’t be dark enough. I wasn’t as interested in these more kind of comedic, sweeping, romantic drama type books, you know? But I went back and started reading her and I, of course, watched tons of Austen adaptations and was listening to a lot of audio to prepare for “Love & Friendship,” and I found a love and appreciation for her.

How do you think this film compares to the more romantic [Austen Adaptations]?
It’s more of a funny romp and it’s so witty and the dialogue is so [fast]. It moves along at such a quick clip I think you have to watch it twice to get all the jokes. And also, since everybody plays it so straight, it’s funnier, and I just think there’s so much that plays into society today, and I think any young people could find something that they relate to. I think the whole relationship between Lady Susan and her daughter is so rich, and I love that there’s a movie that’s exploring that because lots of movies don’t.

In your real life, do you think you’re more like Alicia, the friend who hangs back and observes? Or, are you more of a schemer like Lady Susan?
I’m definitely more of an Alicia. I’m definitely more of the one who’s kind of advising her friend but also, you know, telling her like it is. I think Lady Susan is so strong-willed and I think Alicia really is in awe of her chutzpah and the way she navigates through life, but she’s also not afraid to tell it like it is. I have a lot of friendships like that with friends of mine whose personalities are a lot bigger than mine and I appreciate them because they’re so gutsy. But at the same time, I can give them a different perspective.

The fashion was quite unique in this film. What do you think of the costumes in “Love & Friendship” and how were they different? Do you prefer them to more modern costumes?
I love costumes, always. I feel like costumes help you build into the character and find out who she is. I love whenever a designer has a particular point of view and they’re trying to say something through the costumes. Of course, being in the corsets and the volume of the dresses really affected the way you moved throughout a room and how you carried yourself so that helped so much, just to be in that time period and float around in those floaty gowns. It’s always been a fantasy of mine to do a period drama like that and I hope to do more.

That was my next question. Would you do another film like that and get back into the corset?
For sure, I hope so. I think that people think of me, maybe, as more contemporary, but I’d like to do more period pieces.

You’ve done such a wide range of films. Do you have a favorite genre?
I like fantasy, which I’ve never done. I made a short film recently that’s going to Cannes, which is [about] magical realism. I’d like to be in movies that are like that – [take place] in another realm.

What’s the film called?
My film’s called “Kitty.” It’s a short film.

I’m a big fan of “Big Love” and your character. Do you miss working on that show?
I miss working on that TV show. I miss that character. I loved my co-stars and everybody in the project so much it was just so rewarding and that character was so complex. I’m working on this other show “Bloodline” right now that’s on Netflix and that’s been pretty great. I feel like the acting is a real different style of acting than what you see on TV a lot. It’s really naturalistic. Of course, working with Ben Mendelsohn and Kyle Chandler . . . they’re both so easy and cool on set and their performances are very nuanced and that’s been really freeing to be able to act in that kind of environment and in that kind of style on a TV show.

What was you favorite storyline or episode of “Big Love”?
Oh, my god, that’s so hard . . . my favorite. I feel like [Nicki] was such a great character because she got to bridge both the worlds – the modern world and the life on the [FLDS] compound. It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite one.

You played the girlfriend of a transgender man in “Boys Don’t Cry” and a trans woman in “Hit & Miss.” What were those experiences like and what attracted you to those roles? Did you learn anything about yourself and/or the trans community?
I mean, they’re both so different . . . . With “Hit & Miss,” I did a lot of research, meeting a lot of women who had transitioned and [trans men] and read a lot of books. I think what was most astounding was that these people were so sure of a certain thing. I’m always questioning myself but there was so much conviction, “I know,” “I am,” or “I should be this or that.” It was really astounding that one would have so much self-awareness. And you can’t deny when someone is like, “This is who I am. I have to be this.” How can anybody disagree?

You were so funny on “The Mindy Project.” What was that experience like?
That was really challenging. My agent represents the boy on that show [Chris Messina], Mindy’s love interest . . . . And they were last minute trying to find somebody to play his wife and I was in L.A., and she was like, “Would you mind going over there and doing it?” I always thought Mindy Kaling was super cool and I think it’s great that she has her own show; So I thought Mindy has her show and how great that there’s a show that revolves around this woman. So I went and did it and they kept asking me back and it was just terrifying because there’s so much improvisation, which I didn’t really know and I feel like that’s such a certain muscle that I don’t really have. It’s scary to walk into an ensemble cast like that and have the confidence just to be like, “Blah!” You know? It was pretty terrifying, but they were so nice, obviously, and so welcoming. They kept asking me back. I love Mindy but it was scary as all hell to do.

You have such a unique vision and sense of style. You just directed a short film that’s going to Cannes. Are you looking to do more directing?
Yeah, I think I would like to do features. I’d like to continue acting. I think I’ve been acting now for 20-something years doing a lot of great parts, smaller and occasionally the bigger parts, but I’d like to have something to do that’s more of my own. That’s why I did the short film – to show it to people to hopefully raise money to do a feature.

Anything else in the works you’d like to talk about?
I have a couple other movies in the can that are eventually coming out. One I did with my best friend Natasha Lyonne called “Antibirth,” and I just wrapped one where Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys plays my husband called “Golden Exit.” I did another movie recently called “The Dinner” where I played Richard Gere’s ex-wife, which was really fun. I got to work two days with Richard Gere and he’s such a movie star and so amazing. You think of guys from that generation, there aren’t movie stars like that anymore, or they’re not on the same level. I don’t know, he was around me and I was like, “Oh my god, he’s a movie star.” [Laughs] And so handsome and charming.

We spoke with Tara Subkoff back in the fall and she talked about your friendship and creative partnership. Do you guys have any plans to collaborate anytime soon again?

I hope so. She’s having a baby so that’s her big thing right now. She’s due any day now so I’m going to be out in L.A. hopefully helping her with that a little bit. But she’s always had so many ideas, and she’s so brilliant so I hope she would ask me to do something again. Hopefully, I’ll have a bigger part next time.

“Love & Friendship” opens in select theaters on May 13 and nationwide on May 26.