Julianne Moore on the Unique Honour of a Film Penned for Her
Julianne Moore opens up about the rare experience of starring in a film crafted just for her by director Todd Haynes, reflecting on their creative partnership and the impact it had on her career.
For most actors, having a script written with them in mind is a bit of a pipe dream. It’s not something that happens every day, even for those who’ve made a name for themselves. Julianne Moore, though, found herself in that exact spot thanks to her long-standing collaboration with director Todd Haynes. Their working relationship kicked off in the ‘90s with the film Safe, where Moore played a woman grappling with a mysterious illness. That role really put her on the map, and it was clear the pair had a creative spark worth revisiting.
Getting the Call
Years after Safe, Moore got an unexpected phone call from Haynes. She recalled,
“Oh, I was so excited. Todd had called me. You know, we had been in contact over the years after Safe. And one day, he just called me out of the blue and said, ‘Hey! It’s me. How are you? Listen, I’ve just finished a script that I kind of wrote with you in mind. Can I send it?’ And I was like, ‘Send it! Send it!’ I got it on a Saturday morning, and I read it on the subway going to the gym”.
The script was for Far From Heaven, set in the 1950s, where Moore would play a housewife whose world is turned upside down. Dennis Quaid was cast as her husband, and the story delved into themes of social expectation, gender, sexuality, and race. Haynes had a knack for poking at the taboos that sit just beneath the surface of so-called perfect societies, and Moore was instantly drawn to the project.
Taking on Far From Heaven
Moore described the feeling of reading a script written just for her:
“A funny thing happens to you when you read a script like that. You’re thrilled in your bones or something. Just the idea that there was material like that out there, and he wanted me to do it. It moved me so tremendously. And he was like, ‘Do you like it?’ I said, ‘I’m in! I am so on board with this!’ It’s an incredible honour to have something written for you that way. I’ve had a couple of parts written for me before, but I’ve never had a whole movie written for me”.
Her performance in Far From Heaven earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars, though Nicole Kidman took home the award that year. Still, the role was a standout in her career, and it wasn’t the last time she’d team up with Haynes. The two would go on to work together on I’m Not There, Wonderstruck, and May December.
A Creative Partnership
Moore has spoken openly about what makes working with Haynes so rewarding.
“I’m so honoured to be kind of in a partnership with him because he’s such a tremendous talent”,
she said, noting how their approaches to preparation and creativity mesh well on set. She also praised his eye for detail and the way he brings emotion to the screen:
“When you look at Todd’s lens, he communicates so much emotion in a shot, in a frame. So for me to work with someone like that who is so careful, so nuanced, so completed in a sense, gives me tremendous freedom to do my own emotional stuff.”
Their ongoing collaboration has become a highlight of Moore’s career, showing just how much can come from a strong creative partnership.