With writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter now playing in selected theaters and streaming on Netflix, I recently spoke to Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson about making Gyllenhaal’s fantastic feature debut. Based on the novel The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, the film is about a woman on holiday (Colman) that becomes obsessed with another woman (Johnson) and her daughter, who are staying at the same resort with their extended family. Unnerved by their relationship, Colman’s character becomes overwhelmed by her own memories of early motherhood and the choices she made, as well as their consequences. The film also stars Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Dominczyk, Alba Rohrwacher, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Panos Koronis, Robyn Elwell, Ellie Blake, and Athena Martin. The Lost Daughter was produced by Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, and Charles Dorfman.

During the interview, Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson talked about working with Maggie Gyllenhaal on her directorial debut, the unique way she gave direction on set, how The Lost Daughter deals with issues that are rarely seen in movies, the way they each like to prepare for a big scene, and more. In addition, Colman talks about playing PC Doris Thatcher from Hot Fuzz and what someone should watch if they’ve never seen her work before.

Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson The Lost Daughter
Image via Netflix

RELATED: Maggie Gyllenhaal on Writing and Directing ‘The Lost Daughter’ and the Way Elena Ferrante’s Writing Inspired Her to Tell This Story

Watch what Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson had to say in the player above and below is a list of everything we talked about. Finally, if you want to see a film sure to be up for awards come Oscar season, push play on The Lost Daughter on Netflix. Gyllenhaal did a fantastic job and I'm extremely confident she'll be directing again soon.

Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson

  • If someone has never seen anything he’s done, what should they watch and why?
  • Does Colman miss playing PC Doris Thatcher from Hot Fuzz?
  • How the film talks about issues that people that are rarely seen in movies.
  • What was it like working with Maggie Gyllenhaal on her directorial debut?
  • How Gyllenhaal would whisper things to them on set when giving direction.
  • How do each like to prepare for filming a big scene?
  • I put on Twitter to send me questions and many people asked me to ask about Johnson giving Colman a tattoo.
The Lost Daughter Olivia Colman
Image via Netflix