What's more real or gratifying than a genuine connection between two people? Director Sophie Hyde investigates the bond between two people, the stigma of female pleasure, and the topic of sex work in her charming dramedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Among the more dour and heavy films of Sundance Film Festival, Leo Grande serves as a breath of fresh air, effusive with charm and charisma. With Leo Grande coming to streaming this weekend on Hulu, take a look back at our interview with Hyde and the stars of her film for a deeper look into the story behind the screen.
Written by Katy Brand, Leo Grande tells the story of Nancy (Emma Thompson), a retired schoolteacher, who has spent all of her life sexually unsatisfied. Determined to do something about it, she hires a young sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) to help her. Beyond the big O, Nancy simply wants to explore the sexual avenues she's never gotten to walk down in her life, and along the way, she and Leo form a surprising connection that leaves them both changed.
Thompson and McCormack have tremendous chemistry together, bantering back and forth as Nancy and Leo slowly grow comfortable with each other. Although the story focuses a lot on Nancy's life, particularly her love life and her complicated relationship with her kids, we slowly get to know Leo and his feelings about his family and also his feelings about sex work.
We had a chance to speak with Sophie Hyde, Emma Thompson, and Daryl McCormack about the film at Sundance. During the conversation, we talked about what drew Hyde to direct the project, what Thompson and McCormack found attractive about their characters, how Thompson faced scenes with nudity on her own, what advice McCormack got from real sex workers for his role, and more. Additionally, the trio detailed their extensive nude rehearsal (yes, they were all nude) and filming schedule during COVID and how that changed their experience on this set.
Watch what Sophie Hyde, Emma Thompson, and Daryl McCormack had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about.
- What is Good Luck to You, Leo Grande about for someone going in blind, and what inspired Hyde to work on the film?
- What drew Thompson and McCormack to their respective roles and what did they learn from the movie?
- What was it like for Hyde to direct these Thompson and McCormack in a room together with their level of chemistry?
- What were they searching for when it comes to casting Leo Grande?
- What did they discuss going into the filming of the project?
- What was did McCormack learn from speaking with sex workers in the industry?
- What does Thompson hope for women who might feel a kinship to Nancy's struggle?
- What does Nancy say that is taboo?
- How did Hyde tackle filming in one hotel room for the majority of the film? How did they approach blocking, lighting, locations?
- How did they approach the scenes where Thompson and McCormack were going to be naked?
- How did McCormack explore embracing Leo's confidence and youthful ideas?
- What was the process of dealing with the COVID restrictions during filming? Were there any benefits?
- Was there any improvisation with the script?