Drive-Away Dolls Stars: “It was a safe place to get excited!”

These two actors of course know comedy by heart. The daughter of Four Weddings and Funeral star Andie MacDowell, Qualley is a 29-year-old from Montana who many will remember for playing one of Charles Manson’s hippie sidekicks in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood .

Australian actress Viswanathan, meanwhile, had a blast in the 2018 American sex comedy Blockers, about three girls contemplating losing their virginity.

Yet neither of them have ever made anything resembling Drive-Away Dolls. Co-written and directed by Ethan Coen – without his brother Joel, his co-director of classics such as Miller’s Crossing, Fargo and No Country for Old Men – it marks a new direction for this Coen Brother.

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His co-writer is Tricia Cooke, the Coens’ longtime editor, who has been his wife since 1993. Cooke is a lesbian—the unconventional couple still married, had two children, and now have separated partners; she based this 1999 story on her years spent frequenting lesbian bars.

The story sees two roommates, free-spirited Jamie and stuck-up Marian, take a wild trip to Florida. Unbeknownst to them, the car they have been assigned to drive to Tallahassee contains a briefcase containing a wanted cargo that a group of violent criminals want to recover.

What’s in the matter? Well, that’s a major spoiler, but suffice it to say that neither Qualley nor her co-star had seen the content before the day of filming. “They let us have this real reaction,” Viswanathan teases. “And it was a lot to take in.”

Working with Coen and Cooke was pure harmony, says Qualley, who notes how in sync they were. “I feel like they shared a North Star that was very clear to both of them,” the actress adds. “They wrote it together. They created the whole thing together. But I will say that sometimes they had different notes on how to achieve the same end result. It’s really nice. Ethan is a very dry man. And so sometimes Ethan would say something and I would try to [Cooke] to get your grade. And a little clarity on the situation.”

With a perfect script, there was no room for improvisation either, adds Viswanathan. “Usually with comedies you try to make jokes in the scene and that’s when you improvise and try to come up with something new. But we didn’t need to do that here.

“I think the script is so brilliant and perfect. And the dialogue is so specific and melodic and aimed at something tonal, so I think anything we tried wouldn’t have sounded right. It would have been difficult to equal that.”

Oddly enough, Coen and Cooke have already written two other lesbian B films to complete a loose trilogy. “From what I’ve gathered – and I’ve gathered quite a bit – they’re quite different,” Qualley says. “The stories are not related. The common thread is that they are lesbian stories. Or that they have a lesbian character at the helm.” Unfortunately, with different characters headlining these scripts, it looks like Jamie and Marian won’t be returning to screens anytime soon.

But back to the important things: sex. While most lesbian films tend to focus on the trauma of coming out, Drive-Away Dolls is an exuberant celebration of queer culture. There are visits to bars like The Butter Churn and She Shed and – yes – sex rampages that Qualley and Viswanathan had to fake.

As is customary these days, an intimacy coordinator – Chelsea Pace – was on set to make sure the actresses felt comfortable. Not that she made much of an impression, it seems.

“I don’t even remember her to be honest! I think so. I’m sure we did. I don’t remember her! She had short hair…she was great. She was a real sweetheart!” Qualley laughed, forgetfully. “It was all so PC, all of it. PC and PG in a way. It was like icing on the cake to have an intimacy coordinator, but it would be fine either way. There’s a respectful group that does respectful work. With respect. The… sex scenes that I participate in are a bit like… they’re not cheap thrills.”

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While the film stars Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal and Beanie Feldstein, the real diva on set was Ricky, the chihuahua who played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical – the touring version of the films starring Reese Witherspoon as the protagonist. get Her.

“Our first scene with Beanie Feldstein,” Viswanathan explains, “she had to be crying hysterically, while the little chihuahua barks and yips and jumps. And this dog was so well behaved…but he doesn’t bark at good time. And then the coach had to say: “Bruiser, where is Elle? Where is she ? “And then the dog started to go away!”

At least Qualley had no problem getting into character. She could draw inspiration from her own wild road trip with a friend, when she got pulled over by a cop for speeding. “I realized I didn’t have my license with me in the car.”

Before she knew what was happening, her friend slipped into her seat. “She said, ‘I got it.’ The cop comes and knocks on the RV door. She gets up. She’s sexy. She’s a model. She’s wearing a tank top – British, blonde. The police let her get away with a warning. “I escaped unscathed,” Qualley laughs. “I sat in the passenger seat, completely relieved. We had all kinds of stuff in that van. It was a long time ago ! Anyway…road trips, baby. Am I right ?”

Drive-Away Dolls opens in theaters on Friday, March 15. Check out more of our movie coverage or visit our TV guide and streaming guide to find out what’s on.

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