Is there anything Andrea Riseborough can’t do? All it takes is a quick glance at her filmography to confirm that Riseborough consistently commits herself to daring projects that maximize her significant range. Possessor, Nancy, the Black Mirror episode “Crocodile” -- the list can go on and on, and now Riseborough adds yet another show-stopping performance to it with her SXSW 2022 film, To Leslie.
The movie is inspired by the true story of screenwriter Ryan Binaco’s mother. Riseborough headlines as the title character, a woman living in West Texas who wins the lottery and gets the chance to create a better life for her and her son, James (Owen Teague). Struggling with alcoholism, Leslie quickly burns through her winnings and winds up homeless. She hits rock bottom and needs help, but she’s burned so many bridges it becomes impossible to find someone to turn to. However, then hope comes from an unexpected source, Marc Maron’s Sweeney, a local motel clerk who’s willing to give Leslie a shot.
With To Leslie celebrating its world premiere at SXSW 2022, Riseborough and Teague took the time to chat about their experience making the movie. But before getting into the details of To Leslie, we had to put the spotlight on Riseborough’s exceptional body of work. With such an enormous list of bold, challenging projects to her name, I asked Riseborough if there’s ever been a role that's scared her to the point of thinking, “I don’t know if I can do that.” Teague laughed and said, “I’ve also wondered that.”
While I expected Riseborough to say something along the lines of tackling a character in an extremely dark headspace, she went with a broader answer that makes all the sense in the world. She said, “It terrifies me to be part of crap.” Riseborough continued:
“I am certainly terrified of crap. [Laughs] And I don’t think I’m alone in that! [Turns to Teague.] I think you would agree, right? It’s very difficult because when you’re presented with something that’s a bit crap, to put it in a more British way — if you want to make anything sound British just say ‘a bit’ before — so something’s a bit crap and it’s presented to you, you’re not then just occupying one role. You’re not doing your one job. You suddenly find yourself as co-writer. You’re taking on a lot more … But when you’re part of something and you want to have agency because, from the inside out, you just love the bones of it and you also want to produce it and you want to celebrate it and create it and be part of sharing it with the world, that’s a different feeling than taking on those roles when you haven’t really sort of signed up for them.”
When it comes to To Leslie, both Riseborough and Teague confirmed it was very much a project that they wanted to give their all to for a number of reasons, but a big one was director Michael Morris. Morris has produced and directed a significant amount of shows including Bloodline, Better Call Saul, 13 Reasons Why and so much more, but To Leslie actually marks his feature directorial debut. What was it like working with a director with so much series experience stepping into the feature realm for the first time? Riseborough began, “I think it was like seeing somebody whose wings were finally unclipped.” Teague also added, “His communication and how clear he is and this kind of understanding that he has of what he’s making, it makes my job a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable.”
Clear communication is vital from a director, but Morris’ positive influence on the To Leslie set went well beyond that. Here’s how Riseborough put it:
“I think one of the markers of knowing that you’re working with a wonderful director is really somebody who’s going to make something that’s thoughtful and funny and beautiful and full of life is that everybody wants to do well for them. Every person on set wants to do their best for whoever it is. And everybody wanted to do their best for Michael and that’s always a really good sign of heading in some sort of good direction. You never know quite where you’re going with film, but it’s definitely a good sign.”
Looking for more from Riseborough and Teague on their experience reuniting after Bloodline and playing mother and son again in To Leslie? You can catch our full conversation in the video interview at the top of this article!