Photo: Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
NomadlanddirectorChloé Zhaobrought her inspirations with her to the 93rdAcademy AwardsSunday.
On E!’s red carpet ahead of the annual awards ceremony, Zhao, 39, posed with Charlene Swankie and Linda May, two of the real “nomads” whom she features in theFrances McDormand-led movie.
May told the hosts it was “surreal” to be on the red carpet. “[It’s] nothing that I ever expected would happen to me,” she said as Swankie added, “What she said!”
“And I’m not an actor,” Swankie continued. “It’s not my acting that’s Oscar-worthy, it’s my nomadic lifestyle that is Oscar-worthy.”
Zhao then opened up about how spending time with the nomads changed her perspective on filmmaking.
“I feel like sometimes filmmaking can be a quite lonely and transient existence — we go from movies to movies to movies,” she said. “And having been with a lot of nomads who also live a transient life, but there’s also a great sense of community that they built for themselves that you feel like you’re part of something bigger. And I try to see things the same way.”
Frances McDormand and Chloé Zhao on the set ofNomadland.Joshua James Richards
In addition to Swankie and May, Zhao also focused on Bob Wells, another real nomad from Bruder’s book.
“I put a camera on them — my phone sometimes — and then just started chatting with them to see how they are with it,” she previouslytold PEOPLE. “And when that made sense, it was just about listening to their stories and then writing the characters for them.”
“They each have a talent in connecting with the person in front of them and that’s really what great performance is, when you’re reacting and you’re connecting, and they were able to do that in front of the camera, which is pretty incredible,” added Zhao.
RELATED VIDEO: Oscar Nominee Chloé Zhao Says Making ‘Nomadland’ Was “a Gift” and Praises Star Frances McDormand’s Openness and Vulnerability
Swankie also discussed the movie with PEOPLE, revealing that she nearly said no to Zhao when she asked if she would participate due to an impending surgery. Six Oscar nominations later, however, she said the reception toNomadlandhas been “remarkable.”
“It’s pretty remarkable for me, too,” Swankie said. “It’s going to be a treasure for my kids, for sure. My little granddaughter is 12 and she’s in local community theater now, so now she’s out bragging about Grandma.”
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As for May, she said she was more on board from the start: “Well, it’s my philosophy, if you ever get invited to a party, say yes,” she said. “I just like saying, ‘Let’s try that.’ I’m always for trying new and different.”
“The way we talk, the way we connected with each other, Chloe just got it,” she continued. “She just really understood what we were about and how we lived. She just took all the parts out of the book and put them in the movie. All the experiences, the true life things that she picked out, she just had such a great eye for everything.”
The 93rd Academy Awards are airing live on Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.
source: people.com
