DGA Monthly

N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 I 2 9 Membership Screenings Q&As listed in alphabetical order by Director. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos & podcasts online at www.dga.org. DGA Screenings Q&As Director Scarlett Johansson's drama, Eleanor the Great, tells the story of witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who moves from her Florida retirement community to Manhattan to live with her daughter and grandson after losing her best friend of seventy years. She meets a group of holocaust survivors and feels compelled to tell a story about her past that takes on a dangerous life of its own. Following the DGA membership screening in New York, Johansson discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Frank Oz where she revealed what she looks for as a Director during a table read. "I love a table read. I'm looking for the pacing of the script. I'm looking for excess fat to trim. What is feeling long? What is feeling superfluous? That and the musicality of it. The chemistry of the actors, that doesn't matter because table reads are weird. Some people are good at them and some people aren't. You can't really judge an actor's performance at a table read. If I cast them, it's because they're good. So, I assume they'll have chemistry with whatever actor they're with who's also good. But the table read it's more about the pacing of the script and how it's feeling." Scarlett Johansson discusses Eleanor the Great photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Directors Scarlett Johansson (right) and Frank Oz (moderator) discuss the making of Eleanor the Great following the New York DGA screening on September 27. They've gotten the band back together in Director Rob Reiner's mockumentary, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. In the follow-up to his 1984 feature, This Is Spinal Tap, Reiner's film finds documentarian Marty DiBergi once again shadowing estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls who are reuniting after 15 years for one final show. Reiner spoke about a lesson he learned from a book by the legendary Director Frank Capra while discussing discussed the making of the film with Director Paul Feig. "A long time ago, I read this autobiography by Frank Capra who said something in it I'll never forget. 'You're asking people to pay money to sit in a darken room with strangers for two hours. You better put something up there that's worth watching.' So, I always took that in my head. I thought ya know give 'em something that they can watch and enjoy and don't overstay your welcome. That's my feeling." Rob Reiner discusses Spinal Tap II: The End Continues photo by Shane Karns Photo: Directors Rob Reiner and Paul Feig (moderator) discuss the making of Spinal Tap II: The End Continues following the Los Angeles DGA screening on September 21. Director Jay Roach's dark comedy, The Roses, tells the story of Ivy and Theo Rose, a couple with seemingly successful careers, a loving marriage and great kids. However, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentments emerge when Theo's career nosedives and Ivy's own ambitions take off. Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Roach discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Jason Reitman where he shared what he learned from Director Sydney Pollack. "I was inspired by Sydney Pollack. He was a hugely influential person in my life. He gave me the break to do Recount. He was doing Recount, got sick and he said, 'Hey, why don't you do this?' No one had ever given me a chance to do drama or politics which I really was interested in doing. But if you look at [Pollack's] films we were just talking about, Jeramiah Johnson all the way to Tootsie and Out of Africa, he didn't feel the need to stamp some visual style on it that made it uniquely his. He just served the story and that is all. If there is a story I really love, I'm going to try to not just get into it but become the benign cult leader of that story. That's gonna be the scripture. I'm gonna get everyone else to drink that potion, those rituals that go with that story." Jay Roach discusses The Roses photo by Shane Karns Photo: Directors Jay Roach (right) and Jason Reitman (moderator) discuss the making of The Roses following the Los Angeles DGA screening on September 21.

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