MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL
The Kindergarten Teacher star talks coffee and Cardi B…
What’s the first thing you do when you arrive on set?
Every set works differently. You have to get the vibe of what that is. Usually, you just go straight into hair and make-up. Most projects, there’s not a second to spare… I also always drink coffee! It’s maybe alarming how much.
Are you a craft services person, or do you avoid snacking on set?
I find if I’m working really intensely and really focused on something, I forget to eat. Hours just go by. I always eat breakfast and lunch will come and I’ll be starving. I don’t really snack much.
What do you take on set with you?
It really depends on the project. For
The Honourable Woman, I had tonnes of notes and thoughts in this big binder and I would carry it with me everywhere. I would take it on set every day, even if I never referred to it. I felt like it was worth having. I probably always brought my script on The Kindergarten Teacher because I also did that kind of work where I wrote thoughts, musings and ideas, even poems, all over it. It somehow just felt nice to have it there. And like everyone else, I take my phone.
Do you use your phone on set?
Sometimes it’s nice to use, to have an ‘out’, to have a little way to dissipate energy. There are some people that say, “No phones allowed on set.” Wait, are we all children and you’re the only grown-up? Whatever works for you! Sometimes I like to listen to music.
I got really inspired by Cardi B when I was shooting one scene in particular in The Deuce second season… it just came up on my phone and I was like, “Oh yeah, that’s totally what this scene is about!” I didn’t mean for that to happen, but I had my phone and
I was scrolling through some music.
Do you ever sleep on set?
Yes, I always sleep! I’m like a real sleeper! I found that on Secretary – I would sleep for 10 minutes. I can sleep anywhere and I can sleep a lot on set. I find it really helpful. I always try to lie down at lunch and sleep at lunch – I eat really quickly and then just lie down and sleep.
Have you ever stolen anything from a film set?
No! I’d be too scared to steal something. Sometimes they’ll have a little sale or will give you stuff. I have all these egg cups from the set of Nanny McPhee
– but I didn’t steal them! And I realised I never want my characters’ costumes. When I was younger, I used to ask if I could take things, then you’d get them home and go, “Oh, this is so strange! It’s not mine!” It feels weird.
What’s the longest day that you’ve spent on set?
I remember there was this Roland Emmerich movie [White House Down] I did when my daughter was eight months old. It was very complicated scheduling because it was Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum, and they both had other projects they had to be on, so there were only a few openings where we had both of them… we worked 21 hours one day, some crazy amount of time, and I just remember sleeping and nursing my daughter when I got home, just lying there. That’s too long! That’s when people get hurt.
The Kindergarten Teacher
How did compare to the average set?
I think there was something different about it. I’ve worked with many women – as directors, as producers. But there was something particularly feminine about the way the set felt… there was support and we did not always agree, but we did really respect one another. And also it was so fast… and 104 degrees [40°C] in Brooklyn in the summer! It was feverish. JM
‘I’m a real sleeper. I can sleep anywhere, I sleep a lot on set. I fInd It really helpful’