Everybody clicked in a way that was magical.
We wrote a script and shared it with some incredible people and made it.
[chuckle] It’s that easy.
Smukler: We worked with a disability consultant.
We worked with this woman, Elaine Hall, and we all got very comfortable.
That was really important for the whole crew and everybody to hear.
[Overall,] there wasn’t any challenges.
It was important that the chemistry all felt real.
I remember getting on a call with you [Smukler].
We filmed this around this time last year, maybe October of 2021.
I read it in the summer.
Every single time that a new person was cast, I was like, “What?
Another amazing actor?”
It was a really easy “yes” to doing this.
Did you have a lot of communication with your kind of real-life counterpart in building the character?
Shipka: Christina and I didn’t chat too much.
She is very much an inspiration for the character, and I drew a lot from her strength.
That was an important anchor for my character.
It was [abot] taking the soul.
Smukler: That was a conscious decision that we both talked about.
It was important to me that it was a launch off and that Kiernan could make it her own.
Bea’s inner monologue
What was it like for you filming the hospital scenes?
Shipka: It was fun.
It was an exciting challenge.
It was important for me to verify that the true distilled version of Bea was heard in those snippets.
That’s totally key to the movie.
We wanted to ensure that it was right and perfect.
[There was] a lot of, “Can I do it again?”
[chuckle] To check that that it really hit.
I love that we meet her in that way.
It’s really original.
Smukler: I feel like we did a version of the voice-over even before we started shooting?
Shipka: Yeah, we did.
Honestly, I had a ton of time to zero in and make it good.
This movie is really about love.
Smukler: It’s this multi-generational family that is full of life and there’s dysfunction.
The truth is, none of us are perfect.
then that’s a great thing.
That’s a really beautiful journey for her.
That is the ultimate message.
“Wildflower” held its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
General release information has yet to be announced.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
