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She may have chosen to stay behind the camera these past few years, but Greta Gerwig has recently made an exception for the new Netflix dramedy White Noise. Written and directed by her partner Noah Baumbach, the film tells the story of an American suburban family who suddenly needs to evacuate after a nearby chemical leak.
The film marks Gerwig’s return to the big screen following her Oscar nominations for her work on the Saoirse Ronan starrer Lady Bird and more recently, Little Women. And as it turns out, there’s a perfectly good explanation for why fans are not seeing Gerwig onscreen all that much anymore.
Greta Gerwig Went From Breakout Star To Directing
Most would agree that Gerwig’s breakout moment came in Baumbach’s 2010 dramedy Greenberg where Ben Stiller plays the titular character. The film essentially revolves around Stiller’s character, a failed musician who agrees to housesit for his brother. This is how he comes to meet Gerwig works as an assistant for his brother and his family.
Baumbach first noticed Gerwig in Joe Swanberg’s Hannah Takes the Stairs. But since he knew they did improv in the film, Baumbach wasn’t sure how Gerwig would do if she had to stick to the script.
“Clearly she had talent, but they’re all making these lines up, and I didn’t know how much of that was her doing herself. Could she do this with scripted stuff?” he said. But then, Gerwig auditioned and Baumbach was blown away. “She’d memorized the whole thing,” the director recalled.
Since then, Gerwig went on to do a few more films. And then, in 2017, she wrote and directed Lady Bird with Ronan playing the titular role. The dramedy, which tells the coming-of-age story of a 17-year-old artistic girl in Sacramento, went on to score five Oscar nominations, including best directing and best original screenplay nods for Gerwig.
Just a couple of years later, Gerwig also delivered her take on the classic Little Women, presenting a cast that includes Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Emma Watson. The film secured a best adapted screenplay nod for Gerwig (although she was completely snubbed for best director).
Since then, many assumed that Gerwig would simply continue to write and direct movies. But then, she made her way back onscreen in Baumbach’s White Noise.
Stepping Back In Front Of The Screen Has Been ‘Terrifying’ For The Actress/Filmmaker
Now, Gerwig may have naturally gravitated toward filmmaking in recent years but as it turns out too, acting gives her anxiety, so much so that starring in White Noise felt quite daunting.
“Acting, you feel like you’ve opened your chest, and all of a sudden, your heart is just beating out for everyone [to see],” she explained.
“And that’s a quite uniquely terrifying experience, which I hadn’t had for a while. Doing it with Noah, that’s the best version of it. So, it was a good return, even though this is terrifying.”
Gerwig also admitted that she only agreed to do the movie because she didn’t think that Baumbach would go through with making it.
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“He had started writing it in earnest when we were in lockdown in New York for the pandemic. I was so excited about him adapting it, and then he said, ‘Well, who should play Babette?’ And I said, ‘Me,’” she recalled.
Looking back, however, Gerwig thinks she was only half-serious when she suggested herself for the role. “But I think I really only said it because everything felt unlikely,” she confessed.
“It felt unlikely that we’d ever even leave the apartment again with ease. It felt like a safe thing to say. Then that thing that felt safe to say because it was fantasy became reality because Noah continued to write it.”
What’s Next For Greta Gerwig After White Noise?
After White Noise, Gerwig is returning to work behind the camera. Up next for the Oscar nominee is the highly anticipated Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie (as the titular character) and Ryan Gosling. Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach and directed the film as well.
And while the job is something that’s more up her alley, the idea of tackling a well-known brand got Gerwig a bit anxious too.
“It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying. I think that was a big part of it, like: ‘Oh, no, Barbie,’” she explained while speaking on the At Your Service podcast with Dua Lipa “It felt like vertigo, starting to write it, like: ‘Where do you even begin, and what would be the story?’”
But then, the idea of taking on something like this really appealed to Gerwig too. “And I think it was that feeling I had was knowing that it would be really interesting terror,” she continued.
“Usually that’s where the best stuff is, where you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender’ — then you’re like, ‘I should probably do it.’”
And while details about the film are largely being kept under wraps, Robbie, who also serves as the executive producer, knew from the start that Gerwig is the perfect director to helm it.
“People generally hear Barbie and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’” Robbie said. “And then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…’”
