On this episode of “Notes on a Scene,” star of ‘The Photograph' Issa Rae and writer-director Stella Meghie take us through Mae (Issa Rae) and Michael’s (Lakeith Stanfield) first date.
Stella explains crafting this intimate scene through Issa’s ad-libbed lines, the chemistry felt through their flirtatious banter, and how it set a romantic tone that carried through the film.
- I love hip-hop, sothere's certain thingsI would like to thinkof as bars in the movie.- Bars.- And it's like that line of what ifwe're just who we are in the,around in the moment.- Try that again.- Let's try that again.- To fumble that's bars.- Hi, I'm Stella Meghie,the writer, director, of The Photograph.- And I am Issa Rae, one of theactresses in The Photograph,and this is Notes on a Scene.- I like Kanye,- Yeah.- but I'm just concerned thathe don't care about music no more.- He does not,- He don't care about us.- That's a valid.He does not care about us, anymore.He cares about interior design,like when did he get into that?Like I'm not tryna buyKanye pillows [laughs],you know?- [Stella] I wrote ThePhotograph about five years ago,it started off kind of withan idea you wouldn't think of.It was my grandmotherkind of being reunitedwith a daughter she hadnot seen in over 30 years,and I was experiencingwhat she was experiencing.And ended up flipping that intokind of more romantic love.As things started pickingup to get it made,I'd just done an episodeof Insecure with Issa.And we seemed to like each other.- I really liked her.She was like a trash personbut I really liked her.- Like Issa was hard to deal with,but she was fun to drink with.So there was a compromise.No I got to see the nuancesof all her performances,and so when we were gettingclose to green light,she was the first person I thought ofand sent it to you.- I was like "Oh",and read it immediately.- You're a fast reader.- Thank you so much, that's a compliment.And was honored that shethought about me for it.I was like "Oh where isthe best friend character,'cause she's probably,[laughs]thinking of me for that."- [Stella] The scene thatwe're breaking down is,kind of your first date with Lakeith,or Michael as he is called in this movie.We shot it at Indochine in New York City,we were really looking forsomething that felt layered,and storied.- I was eyeing the food the whole time,and we do this thing thatwill show you all the dishes.- The food is good there.You didn't go eat there?- No we didn't go eat there.- We can go when we go back to New York.- False promises.- Yeah, It's funny 'cause with Indochine,I was looking for the placeand my production designer'kept telling me about this place,and I 'kept being like,I don't think it's right.And he was like "Please,let's just go see it."And when I walked in, it wasthe color palette of our film.Like, these jewel tones,these dark greens,and the deep [bleep].- You see the lightsright here?- The lights,everything about it is so rich.Even the plants and they kindof added to the pastoral vibesof kind of connecting to Louisiana.It was kind of based on areal date that I've had.It was this really great booth date,and I just kept thinking of this booth.And you guys reallygetting to know each other,and being kind of reallyclose in proximity.I mean I loved the back booth,and even though puttingyou back there didn't addkind of depth behind you,we had this amazing, you know,this amazing mirror back here.- [Issa] I remember moving a lot,of just like, "No, it'snot right here, It's here."- [Stella] We tried it a few,- [Issa] Back to this spot.- [Stella] yeah.And it was like amazingbecause I wanted you guys,the restaurant to feel busy.But I wanted y'all to feel likeyou were alone, and intimate,and only could see eachother in the moment.I really wanted to start creepingin on their conversation,so there's a long dolly track,that just pushed slowly in.Past all the patrons in the restaurant.- Drake.- Drake, okay.See Drake for me,Drake is like the homie,you know, he's like a friendat school who you know and.- Who knows us.- [Stella] You guys were ad-libbing,'cause the scene wasn'treally supposed to start'till the camera stopped- Oh yeah, yeah we were ad-libbing.- And you made up this funad-lib about Kanye pillows,and interior designthat I ended up keeping.- It was very much liketrue to our actual lives,I wasn't really acting there.Because I'm a Drake stanand Lakeith is a Kendrick stan so.- It was a real battle.- I thought that was kind ofa fun way to show chemistry,'cause sometimes when you're on dates,you connect by arguinga little bit, you know?- That's very true,that flirtatious banter.- Which is a little immature.But you're trying to be flirtatious,you're trying to like connectand have fun with each other,and a little debate can be very fun.- Just no, hear me out,I just, you make me feel guilty.[laughs]'cause I can't- I hope so.- I just feel like everybodycan't be a change in the world,everybody can't do that.It's too ambitious.- [Stella] As the date progresses,it's meant to get a little bit closer.So right now, you know,it went from, kind of, that wideto this like closer shot of Lakeith,where he's really getting in.- [Issa] His eyes, lookat his piercing ass eyes.- [Stella] Lakeith'seyes are very soulful,you can get caught up in them.- Oh you do.- I believe anything he sayswhen he tells me it.- 100% lying ass.[laughs]- He's not a liarin this movie.- Okay, you're right.- I remember in the edit room,going back and forthwith my editor, Shannon,of that moment where he's like,building up the courageto get closer to you,and wanting to see you bothin the frame as that happened.And he kind of says the wrong thing,and then we kind of pop out.- It's just I always say the same thingthat I've said to another woman, you know.- Are there a lot of other women?- No, there's a lot of first dates.- Yeah, I'm terrible at first dates.- Why?- Well I just don't know whether to bevulnerable, aloof, funny.- Why don't you just be yourself?- I don't know who that is.- [Stella] I mean this partis one of my favorite things.You're like trying to presentthe best version of yourself on a date,and figure out also whatwill kind of captivate him,and he was like just be yourself.And it was such a simple thing to say,but it was such a moment whereyou said the most honest thing.Like, who is that?- Yeah.- [Stella] And that'swhy we're really close on you here.I think those little momentsare when you realize,oh he's kind of seeing me.- For Mae to not know who she is,and to kind of just have this word vomitof self deprecation with insecurities.- [Stella] Yeah, andhe's so secure in his...- In his discomfort,he's very very.- He's secure in his flaws.- Exactly.- I don't know maybeI'm just a collection ofrum dresses and henday wylie prints.- [whispers] I don't think so.- You know I love hip-hip,so there's certain things- And it's like that line of,what if we're just who we arein the, around, in the moment.- Try that again.- Let's try that again.- Fumble, that's bars.Hey, when if we're just ah.- You ever wonder if we're justif we're just who we'rearound in the moment?- Not if we think that it'simportant that we pay attentionto who we surround ourselves with then.- True.- [Stella] There's such a fine linewhen you're doing romance.Of like, what sounds profoundand what sounds corny.But I was, the way thatyou ended up saying,like what if we're just aroundwho we are in the moment.It was so soulful, like I was like "Oh".And you felt veryvulnerable when you said it.- What?- Wondering if it's not tooearly in the night to kiss you.- [Stella] This was one ofmy favorite scenes to shoot.- [Issa] Same, this wasthe big kiss moment.- This was the big moment,we had to get it right.We scheduled the whole day for this scene.I had a whole playlist going,do you remember?- I don't.- I brought my speaker,I had a playlist going.There was probably Drake on it.- There was, I do remember now.Okay, yes, it was a good playlist.- And it's one day on setI've ever worn heals in my whole life.- Because you knew aphotographer was coming.- Well that is true.We did get a fire photo on this day.- We did.- [Stella] I wanted to kind of dress upand be in the energy of the date,and just wanted to kind ofget in the mood with you guys,and create the atmosphereI wanted it to feel like on screen.- I remember just feelingreally excited to shoot this,because this was kind of the meatof a lot of their initial chemistry.This was also one of the lighter scenesin the film.You know, of just Meghangetting to be herselfand expressing someone who sees her,in a way that she's not used to.And obviously having just lost her mother,it felt like the firsttime that her mother wasn'tso present on her mind.- There was drafts where youspoke about your mother in it,and I purposely was like "I don't thinkthat is the mood I want here."I want this scene toreally build the connectionin the present of showing you twofalling in love.I debated it back and forth,but in the end I felt like ifyou talked about your motherthe scene would take on a heaviness.That would make it impossible,as good as Lakeith is as an actor,to make a turn and kiss you.- Your mom dead, cool.- This is pretty early,this was like week one or two.- [Stella] I think it was theend of week one we shot this.I mean you guys had greatchemistry from the first read.After I talked to Lakeith,and I felt like he was really Michael,we flew down and saw you in Louisianawhere you were shooting,and this was the scenewe read together to seeif we felt like this was all a match.As soon as he started talking.- Even then, when we were doing the test,obviously improv was allowed,and we were going back and forthwith these tangents about music,and everything he brought up I was like,"Yeah I really do want totalk about this, yeah okay.""Okay, we can keep going."- Yeah you guys were passionate about it.Oh this is that moment wherehe leans in and kisses you.I remember the energy on set was just,it was just it was [laughs].You have to rewind.I tried to do the heart, and it wasn't me.- This gives me anxiety,when people leave their markers uncapped.It's drying.- Is it dry?- I had a teacher that did that,and I was like [bleep]that's why you can't teach.Because you out here doing this.- [Stella] Oh this is really intimate,rewinding backwards ofyou guys kissing, okay.When you guys finally kissed,it was electric.Everyone on set, Iremember Will was behind usand he was like "Oh thisis a trailer moment".And it definitely didend up in the trailer,you could kind of feel the electricity.The moment that I think is the bestis this moment right here.When, because this was ad-lib.- It was, sure was.- It wasn't too early.- Oh, [laughs] I see.- It wasn't too early,and that was like thebest ad-lib ever that,you know, you could onlycome up with on the spot.- I'm Stella Meghie, the writer,director of The Photograph.- And I'm Issa Rae, one of theactresses in The Photograph.- The actress in The Photograph.Thanks so much for watching ourepisode of Notes on a Scene.