🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers for Drive-Away Dolls ahead!🚨
1. Drive-Away Dolls was first announced about 17 years ago, but ended up getting stuck in pre-production. What was it that made you fall in love with the movie and want to work on it?
Margaret: I'm a huge Coen [Brothers] fan. So, when I found that Ethan Coen and Tricia Cook were going to make a movie. I was super excited to audition.
BuzzFeed: Geraldine, did you have a similar experience?
Geraldine: Pretty much yeah. I'm just a huge Coen fan. It's such a bucket list thing for any actor, and you just want to be involved in any way.
2. What did the casting process end up looking like for you both?
Margaret: The casting process was one of, like, a few auditions. Yeah, I auditioned first for Marian and made a little tape for the part, but they'd already fallen in love with Geraldine. So that didn't pan out for me. And I refuse to take no for an answer [laughs], so I tried again for Jamie. I had a callback, and I went in, and I did my best and then eventually got the part. And then I got to meet Geraldine and do rehearsals with her, and the rest was history!
Geraldine: So, I auditioned for Marian and then did a callback on Zoom with Ethan. And that already felt surreal. I remember crying after that Zoom, because I was like, I just met Ethan Coen on Zoom! And then Margaret and I did chemistry reads, we were in different coasts. So, we didn't actually meet until the rehearsals.
3. You two have such great chemistry in the film that it definitely seems like you've known each other for much longer. What were your first impressions of each other when you finally got to meet IRL?
Geraldine: I remember getting a DM from Margaret that just said, "Is this real life?" And that's how I found that Margaret was cast.
Margaret: [Laughs] I slid into her DMs, of course I slid into her DMs. Like, of course!
Geraldine: Margaret fully just followed me. And that was the beginning of a beautiful, beautiful love story. We met at rehearsals. And I think we were both, you know, really nervous, and just curious what the experience would be like.
4. And then you characters go on such a wild roadtrip together, did you do any kind of bonding outside work to prepare for that?
Geraldine: After we met, we just took, like, a long walk in the city. We walked from, like, uptown to downtown for hours, and then got lunch and we just got into it. It was very clear that we would be friends and that this would be a really great experience.
Reader, this is the moment where Margaret started to happy cry and it was a truly touching moment.
Margaret: [laughing and crying] The thing is, though, it's not not real!
5. You both mentioned being huge Coen fans, what was it like actually getting to star in an Ethan Coen movie? Was it different from your other projects?
Margaret: It was amazing. And I think, well, it's different from the other Coen movies because of Trish. She brings a whole new POV. It's my understanding, a lot of times you don't end up really thinking about these things while you're making it, but when you end up talking about it after, you do a lot more introspection on the whole process. So, now in doing so I feel like — you know Ethan and Tricia are partners — and I feel like he kind of made this movie with her, of course, but also for her. It's about a world that she lived in, and a world that she loved. And it's about who she is and who she knew. I think it's really touching. So, I think that's kind of what was different from other projects. You have Ethan Coen's sensibility and style and dialogue, but you also have Trish.
6. This film's cast is so stacked with stars like Pedro Pascal, Miley Cyrus, Matt Damon, and Colman Domingo to name a few. For the people you had scenes with, what was it like working with them?
Geraldine: Okay, so we had a Matt Damon day, which was kind of special and sacred. He was such a king. Just the nicest guy. I watched him get mistaken for Mark Wahlberg [laughs], and he handled it so beautifully and just put this woman who was so embarrassed at ease. He had such girl dad energy, and it was just so lovely. That day I'll always remember.
And then Miley, we had also a special Miley day, and I made sure that I also had a scene that day so that I'd have an excuse to be around. It was crazy. I walked into the makeup trailer and there she was, and she was even more beautiful in-person. She just had this glow. And I couldn't speak really, it was probably the most awestruck I've ever been. I'm a Hannah Montana girl through and through. Miley Cyrus has inspired me my whole life and still does.
7. And for those you didn't work with, did you ever cross paths on set?
Geraldine: With Pedro Pascal, we didn't get to meet, but I just remember walking into the trailer and seeing his severed head. I got a selfie with his head, and that's the extent of our relationship. But hopefully, it's just the beginning!
8. When I was watching the movie, I was genuinely not expecting dildos to be in the briefcase — what were your first reactions to that reveal when reading the script?
Margaret: It's hard to pinpoint, because when you're reading that script, it's wild on every page, so you're just kind of, like, trying to understand what's even happening. You know? And you're also reading this knowing you're about to audition, so you're just trying to get a sense of this thing. So, then on the filming day, we obviously know what was coming. So there's me and Geraldine sitting at that booth together, holding each other's hands. I mean, it wasn't hard to act in that moment. It's silly. It's fun.
Geraldine: Like, we knew what was in there, but we didn't know the details. Yeah, the prop masters really did — there was a lot of creativity and range shown. [Laughs] Yeah. In the dicks. So, there was a lot to take in.
9. Margaret, your character Jamie has such a thick southern accent while Marian is so prim and proper. What was your process in perfecting that accent?
Margaret: Well first, I had to figure out kind of what southern I was doing. I was listening to a lot of Ann Richards interviews. There's her keynote address, which was something that I was kind of trying to soak up. And also a little bit of Tommy Lee Jones.
10. Everything about this movie is so chaotic in the best way, and I'm sure it was just as fun behind the scenes, too. What were some of your favorite memories from set?
Margaret: My favorite thing to do is just goof around and you know, I've got Geraldine there so I just wanted to have a good time with her. You know? Soak up that sun while I could! We had all kinds of antics on set. We'd, like, play pretend in between acting. So, we'd come to each other's trailers and, like, I would do "73 Questions with Vogue." You know what I mean? But she'd be Dua Lipa or I'd be Justin Bieber or Kristen Stewart. That's what we would do in our free time on set.
Geraldine: Those videos can never see the light of day! [Laughs] The goofs, the goofs and gags were abound. To the point where I was like, "Margaret...stop."
Margaret: [Laughs] I had a habit of just torturing her.
Geraldine: And Ethan, was like, "Okay, and that's enough giggling and action!" Like, we were just having the time of our lives.
Margaret: You know, I think that's what movies are supposed to feel like. There's a lot of hard work and your hours are crazy. You're off at some location, you're staying at a hotel or whatever. You're really, like, on this group project together. And when you can kind of put everything aside, leave your cellphone in the trailer, and just dive into what the vibe is...it's like feeling like a little kid again. You know what I mean? It's a real bottled up kind of crazy, circusy feeling. And when you love your costar, it's really special.
11. You had a few scenes with Beanie Feldstein, too, what was it like getting to work with her?
Geraldine: Sweet little Bean! We had a couple of scenes with Bean, and she's just so fun to be around. And just this character, I feel like this is probably my favorite Beanie role. She really just slays it, and it's so fun to watch, as well. And the outfit alone. I mean, it's adorable!
Margaret: She's got the suspender look, too! Between the cop look and the suspender look, I'm just kind of like [nodding and smirking], "Yeah!"
Geraldine: It's adorable. It's so, so cute
Margaret: Instantly iconic.
Geraldine: We were watching the scene where she's having to take down a wall dildo while hysterically sobbing, and behind the camera they're trying to make the dog bark behind her. She's also, like, trying to do the scene and, like, say her lines... My respect went up greatly. She was in a tough spot, but she killed it.
12. This is a little off topic, but Geraldine, I just saw an interview where you said Taylor Swift gave you her purse. How did that all go down?
Margaret: You know, when Geraldine did this interview, she added in a layer that I'm not sure was there. In the Geraldine encounter, Taylor's there and Geraldine says, "I like your bag." Okay, so what was so amazing about this encounter was that, you know, Geraldine and Taylor are meeting, Jack [Antonoff, Margaret's husband]'s introducing them. And Geraldine is like, "Oh, I like your purse." And Taylor's like, "Do you want it?" To kind of speak to the themes in this movie — and what is so iconic and legendary about Geraldine — is that everyone else would have been like, "Oh, God, no! No." And Geraldine, when she recounted the story on the talk show, she said that Taylor started emptying the contents and Geraldine was going, "Oh, really?" But I don't know if the "Really?" was there. I think it was more "Do you want it?" and Geraldine was like, [slowly nodding] "Yeah." [Laughing]
Geraldine: No! Margaret that's not true! There was a "What?" there was a "Huh?" There was a "Really?"
Margaret: [Hysterically laughing] I like to imagine, "Do you want it?" And Geraldine going [nodding slowly] "Yeah."
[Both laughing]
Geraldine: I would like to add, I was six orange wines deep as well.
Margaret: It was just beautiful. Like all of the pleasantries, all of the conditioned reactions that women do, like, "Oh, I like your bag!" "Oh, this?" That was gone. It was gone from Taylor's side. She just came in with "Do you want it?" And then it was gone from Geraldine's side. She was like, "Yep, here we go." You're getting serious? I'm getting serious. You're offering this bag? I want that bag. [Laughs]
13. Have you seen Taylor since this all went down?
Geraldine: When I ran into Taylor again after that, I was wearing the bag.
Margaret: Ah! [Laughs]
Geraldine: And she was like, "See? It looks so much better on you." And then she was like, "You know what? In that moment, I knew we would always be honest with each other."
BuzzFeed: I love that you guys are bonded forever now.
Geraldine: We're bonded forever. And it is my favorite bag!
14. Did either of you end up taking anything from set after filming wrapped?
Margaret: I'm a big "take a little thing."
Geraldine: You took the map right?
Margaret: I took the map. Ethan gave me a little squishy banana that I really enjoyed. Like one of those little "distract yourself" things. Geraldine, I think took all of her wardrobe. I think Geraldine was like, much like with her interacting with Taylor Swift. She was like, "Yeah, this is mine now."
Geraldine: I love free stuff! I LOVE free stuff! [Laughs]
Margaret: Like, "Yeah, I'm gonna take all this. Yep. Yeah, these pants. They're mine."
Geraldine: Oh my god...it's true.
15. Finally, this is such a female-centric movie, especially with both of your characters getting the happy ending they deserve. What do you hope viewers will take from seeing Drive-Away Dolls?
Margaret: I think there's, like, a couple things. I think the the big takeaway is that I hope people have fun, right? Like, this movie doesn't ask much of you — it's 84 minutes. I hope people go to the theater, and they just enjoy themselves and have a cute little night. Right? I think it's fun and silly.
But then, if you take it one step further. I like the idea of teenage girls seeing this movie, or girls coming into their sexuality, because I think there is not much out there with young girls being goofy with sex. You know? Like, there are just so many parts about coming into your sexuality that are embarrassing and shameful and scary, and I think that a lot of the media kind of encourages that. You know what I mean? This is just a real departure from those kinds of movies, and it's just ridiculous! It's shameless. I just like the idea of younger girls or women in their 20s seeing this.
