(Cooke herself identifies as queer, but she and Coen remain married and co-parents to their children.)
How did that grow and turn into this film?
Ethan was as enthusiastic, and we both thought, That would be a really fun movie to write.
Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan in ‘Drive-Away Dolls’.Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features
I think it took us a couple of years to write it.
We didnt really have an end when we started writing.
ETHAN COEN:I mean, thats not unusual for me, working with Joel.
Tricia Cooke and Ethan Coen.Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Were just kind of like: Okay, heres the beginning of a movie.
What would happen next?
I dont know if thats how youre supposed to do it, but thats what we do.
COOKE:There was a drive-away company that I went to [in college].
It was in a strip mall.
But thats another movie, I guess.
COEN:It was kind of in two stages.
This was 20 years ago, and it just didnt happen.
So, we set it aside.
We only picked it up again a couple of years ago.
What else can we do?
How did you want to find the right tone?
COOKE:I think Jamies promiscuity kind of helped dictate what the tone would be.
We didnt want that to be gross or creepy or predatory; we wanted it to be light.
Then, what situation do we put them in?
What would be fun to watch?
COEN:The tone youre talking about is kind of implicit.
It was the starting point.
We were like, Okay,Drive-Away Dykes.Clearly, thats not an important movie.
Thats a proudly unimportant movie.
Its just a fun movie!
That was kind of a given from the very beginning.
So, that was very important to me.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Tell me about casting Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as your two romantic leads.
What was that casting process like?
COEN:They just came in to audition, and I dont even know how to describe it.
We saw in them what you see in the movie.
In each case we went, Okay, youre great.
What youre doing really makes the scenes work.
Thats what we want.
I mean, theres a lot of anxiety before you meet that person.
You meet a lot of really good actors, and theyre not bad.
Its just that theyre something less than totally exciting.
I dont know what that thing is, but it was obvious in meeting each of them.
We were drawn to that warmth.
And Margaret is kind of a free spirit and a goofball.
When we read with her, you could feel that, like, Oh, theres some Jamie energy.
And when Margaret finally came in, she had some of that energy.
That was a relief.
I love Margarets heavy Southern accent in the film.
What conversations did you have with her about that?
A little less deep South and a little more Texas.
So, we told her to listen to Tommy Lee Jones and to Ann Richards.
And then weirdly, she listened to a lot of Tommy Lee Jones.
As a matter of fact, Tommy was our first choice for the part.
We offered it to him, but he was busy.
Oh man, I would have loved to see that version.
COOKE:Hes everywhere!
COEN:I thought, Oh my God, hes everywhere.
No, you cant do that.
Im curious: You two have worked on so many films together and collaborated for so many years.
What felt different about makingDrive-Away Dollstogether?
COOKE:I was making choices like casting, set decoration, costumes, all of that.
That was a new collaboration for us.
It works in the same way as when we cut together or write together.
COEN:Itll be good working with Margaret again.
This is very different.
Its not the same character.
Its a different story, a kind of crime, private detective thing.
COEN:Pretty soon well start leaping into a thousand boring meetings.
Its a new set of stimuli, you know what I mean?
Its a whole new set of problems, and theyre all interesting.
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me!
COEN:Thank you!
[Laughs] Its a good thought experiment, isnt it?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Want more movie news?
