“I remember getting a DM from Margaret that just said, ‘Is this real life?’
And that’s how I found that Margaret was cast.”
Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers forDrive-Away Dollsahead!
1.Drive-Away Dollswas firstannouncedabout 17 years ago, but ended up getting stuck in pre-production.
What was it that made you fall in love with the movie and want to work on it?
Margaret:I’m a huge Coen [Brothers] fan.
So, when I found that Ethan Coen and Tricia Cook were going to make a movie.
I was super excited to audition.
BuzzFeed: Geraldine, did you have a similar experience?
Geraldine:Pretty much yeah.
I’m just a huge Coen fan.
2.What did the casting process end up looking like for you both?
Margaret:The casting process was one of, like, a few auditions.
So that didn’t pan out for me.
And I refuse to take no for an answer [laughs], so I tried again for Jamie.
And then I got to meet Geraldine and do rehearsals with her, and the rest was history!
Geraldine:So, I auditioned for Marian and then did a callback on Zoom with Ethan.
And that already felt surreal.
So, we didn’t actually meet until the rehearsals.
What were your first impressions of each other when you finally got to meet IRL?
Geraldine:I remember getting a DM from Margaret that just said, “Is this real life?”
And that’s how I found that Margaret was cast.
Margaret:[Laughs]I slid into her DMs, of course I slid into her DMs.
Like, of course!
Geraldine:Margaret fully just followed me.
And that was the beginning of a beautiful, beautiful love story.
We met at rehearsals.
Geraldine:After we met, we just took, like, a long walk in the city.
It was very clear that we would be friends and that this would be a really great experience.
Reader, this is the moment where Margaret started to happy cry and it was a truly touching moment.
Margaret:[laughing and crying] The thing is, though, it’s not not real!
Was it different from your other projects?
Margaret:It was amazing.
And I think, well, it’s different from the other Coen movies because of Trish.
She brings a whole new POV.
It’s about a world that she lived in, and a world that she loved.
And it’s about who she is and who she knew.
I think it’s really touching.
So, I think that’s kind of what was different from other projects.
You have Ethan Coen’s sensibility and style and dialogue, but you also have Trish.
For the people you had scenes with, what was it like working with them?
Geraldine:Okay, so we had a Matt Damon day, which was kind of special and sacred.
He was such a king.
Just the nicest guy.
He had such girl dad energy, and it was just so lovely.
That day I’ll always remember.
I walked into the makeup trailer and there she was, and she was even more beautiful in-person.
She just had this glow.
And I couldn’t speak really, it was probably the most awestruck I’ve ever been.
I’m aHannah Montanagirl through and through.
Miley Cyrus has inspired me my whole life and still does.
7.And for those you didn’t work with, did you ever cross paths on set?
I got a selfie with his head, and that’s the extent of our relationship.
But hopefully, it’s just the beginning!
So, then on the filming day, we obviously know what was coming.
So there’s me and Geraldine sitting at that booth together, holding each other’s hands.
I mean, it wasn’t hard to act in that moment.
Geraldine:Like, we knew what was in there, but we didn’t know the details.
Yeah, the prop masters really did there was a lot of creativity and range shown.
[Laughs] Yeah.
So, there was a lot to take in.
What was your process in perfecting that accent?
Margaret:Well first, I had to figure out kind of what southern I was doing.
I was listening to a lot of Ann Richards interviews.
There’s her keynote address, which was something that I was kind of trying to soak up.
And also a little bit of Tommy Lee Jones.
What were some of your favorite memories from set?
Soak up that sun while I could!
We had all kinds of antics on set.
We’d, like, play pretend in between acting.
You know what I mean?
But she’d be Dua Lipa or I’d be Justin Bieber or Kristen Stewart.
That’s what we would do in our free time on set.
Geraldine:Those videos can never see the light of day!
[Laughs] The goofs, the goofs and gags were abound.
To the point where I was like, “Margaret…stop.”
Margaret:[Laughs] I had a habit of just torturing her.
Geraldine:And Ethan, was like, “Okay, and that’s enough giggling and action!”
Like, we were just having the time of our lives.
Margaret:You know, I think that’s what movies are supposed to feel like.
There’s a lot of hard work and your hours are crazy.
You’re off at some location, you’re staying at a hotel or whatever.
You’re really, like, on this group project together.
You know what I mean?
It’s a real bottled up kind of crazy, circusy feeling.
And when you love your costar, it’s really special.
Geraldine: Sweet little Bean!
We had a couple of scenes with Bean, and she’s just so fun to be around.
And just this character, I feel like this is probably my favorite Beanie role.
She really just slays it, and it’s so fun to watch, as well.
And the outfit alone.
I mean, it’s adorable!
Margaret:She’s got the suspender look, too!
It’s so, so cute
Margaret:Instantly iconic.
She was in a tough spot, but she killed it.
How did that all go down?
In the Geraldine encounter, Taylor’s there and Geraldine says, “I like your bag.”
And Geraldine is like, “Oh, I like your purse.”
And Taylor’s like, “Do you want it?”
But I don’t know if the “Really?”
I think it was more “Do you want it?”
and Geraldine was like, [slowly nodding] “Yeah.”
[Laughing]
Geraldine:No!
Margaret that’s not true!
There was a “What?”
there was a “Huh?”
There was a “Really?”
Margaret:[Hysterically laughing] I like to imagine, “Do you want it?”
And Geraldine going [nodding slowly] “Yeah.”
Margaret:It was just beautiful.
“Oh, this?”
It was gone from Taylor’s side.
She just came in with “Do you want it?”
And then it was gone from Geraldine’s side.
She was like, “Yep, here we go.”
You’re getting serious?
I’m getting serious.
You’re offering this bag?
I want that bag.
[Laughs]
13.Have you seen Taylor since this all went down?
Geraldine:When I ran into Taylor again after that, I was wearing the bag.
[Laughs]
Geraldine:And she was like, “See?
It looks so much better on you.”
And then she was like, “You know what?
In that moment, I knew we would always be honest with each other.”
BuzzFeed:I love that you guys are bonded forever now.
Geraldine:We’re bonded forever.
And it is my favorite bag!
14.Did either of you end up taking anything from set after filming wrapped?
Margaret:I’m a big “take a little thing.”
Geraldine:You took the map right?
Margaret:I took the map.
Ethan gave me a little squishy banana that I really enjoyed.
Like one of those little “distract yourself” things.
Geraldine, I think took all of her wardrobe.
I think Geraldine was like, much like with her interacting with Taylor Swift.
She was like, “Yeah, this is mine now.”
Geraldine:I love free stuff!
I LOVE free stuff!
[Laughs]
Margaret:Like, “Yeah, I’m gonna take all this.
Yeah, these pants.
They’re mine.”
Geraldine:Oh my god…it’s true.
What do you hope viewers will take from seeingDrive-Away Dolls?
Margaret:I think there’s, like, a couple things.
I think the the big takeaway is that I hope people have fun, right?
Like, this movie doesn’t ask much of you it’s 84 minutes.
I hope people go to the theater, and they just enjoy themselves and have a cute little night.
I think it’s fun and silly.
But then, if you take it one step further.
You know what I mean?
This is just a real departure from those kinds of movies, and it’s just ridiculous!
I just like the idea of younger girls or women in their 20s seeing this.
