GRETA GERWIG

The double Oscar nominee for Lady Bird, 36, is getting Oscar buzz again for Little Women (in theaters Dec. 25). Gerwig directed the new movie, based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott about the March sisters—Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen)—in 1860s New England.

What about this 150-year-old story speaks to us today? I thought there was an opportunity to bring out what’s still fresh and wonderful about the book—all of these big, inappropriate and ambitious ideas that these girls had—and then also give Louisa May Alcott an ending she might have liked. She never wanted Jo to get married.

Your approach is to look back at their childhood through the

lens of adulthood. I wanted to start the movie in the thick of it when they’re adults, all separated from each other. [Their] childhood is this snow globe that they want to get back into, but it’s also something they want to figure out in order to move forward in their adult lives.

You had Alcott’s astrological chart done. What do you have in common with her? We have a few things in common: being strong-willed, artistically inclined. But her chart was a lot lonelier than mine. She was more of a lone wolf. I think in some ways I wanted to try to keep her company. But she was, as all great artists are, ahead of her time.

You and partner Noah Baumbach are co-writing a Barbie film. How does that sit

with your feminist sensibilities? Get ready—it does. Margot Robbie [who plays Barbie] is such an amazing actor and producer, and she has a very specific idea of how to come at this. Barbie’s on board to do something radical.