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Julia Louis-Dreyfus struggled through hilarious scenes with the legendary Jeannie Berlin whilst filming You Hurt My Feelings.
Nicole Holofcener, director of Enough Said and co-writer of 2022’s The Last Duel, penned and directed the new comedy-drama which stars Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as middle-aged married couple Beth and Don.
Berlin portrays Beth’s deadpan mother Georgia, who indirectly provides support when Beth overhears Don admitting she hated his wife’s new book.
“She’s in this movie called The Heartbreak Kid, 1972,” Holofcener said of the Hollywood veteran.
“And that made me want to make movies. It’s brilliant, and I idolized Jeannie so it was one of those moments I was like, ‘Wow! I can’t believe this is happening.’”
Much of the film was improvised in rehearsals, including an incidental moment between Beth and Georgia involving an unexpected Broadway show.
“The whole thing about the Beetlejuice play is improvised,” the director revealed. “It was improvised in our rehearsal.
“She just nailed it, this playbill was on the counter, and she was like, ‘What beetle?’
“I don’t think the audience laughs as much, the coverage isn’t as good. And people wonder if she has dementia and if they should laugh.
“But we were on the floor. She just has great comic timing.”
Although the film is largely a comedy, Holofcener subtly explores the darkness driving Beth’s writing career, including the verbal abuse she experienced as a child that inspired her memoir.
“I wasn’t ever going to explore it more,” she said. “But I felt like it’s a really serious thing.
“And I hope that as the movie progresses you see the damage that it caused her. And maybe why she’s so insecure.
“People don’t take verbal or emotional abuse as seriously,” the filmmaker continued.
“And I guess I was making fun of it and taking it really seriously at the same time.
“I feel like, maybe, it’s a joke in the beginning. But you’re moved by it, and it informs the character in a deeper way.”
This detail may have been partly inspired by Holofcener’s own experience as a child, as Beth’s overly-supportive approach to parenting their son Eliot adds even more tension as the film goes on.
“It’s funny, because my mother was, I would say, a very critical person but also very supportive,” she shared.
“So, it’s this mix of wanting to get her approval, but then there’s too much approval so I don’t believe her sometimes. It’s tricky, and it’s tricky being a parent pulling that off.”
You Hurt My Feelings is available to stream on Prime Video now.
