Greta Gerwig, Mike Leigh and the skill of building believable characters
Despite being one of cinema’s biggest names right now, Greta Gerwig owes everything to her independent roots. She learned the art of filmmaking by starring in many low-budget mumblecore movies like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Baghead, and soon demonstrated her abilities as a screenwriter, too.
Soon after, Gerwig graduated to solo directorial work in 2017 with Lady Bird, which earned several Oscar nominations. The film was a heartfelt and comedic endeavour into the trials and tribulations of living in a town where you don’t feel like you belong, longing for escape and the chance to go, as the protagonist puts it, “where culture is”. Exploring female friendships, first times, family, class, and growing up, Lady Bird captured the hearts of many viewers and helped to establish Gerwig as a brilliant directorial talent.
She followed the film with Little Women, an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved book, which earned various Oscar nominations, winning one for ‘Best Costume Design’. The director transfixed Hollywood with her next release, however, creating a global phenomenon with Barbie. The film was 2023’s most-talked-about movie, with Margot Robbie playing the titular character who leaves the female paradise of Barbie Land and travels into the patriarchal real world.
Although Gerwig is now a colossal filmmaker, her influences haven’t changed. She has looked to many foreign and cult directors, such as Jacques Demy and Mike Leigh, while crafting her films. The latter has greatly influenced the way Gerwig approaches characters, encouraging her to think about how important it is to richly develop each one, even if they’re just a small part of the film.
The British filmmaker began making Play for Today episodes in the 1970s, finding particular acclaim with Abigail’s Party. He began to find more acclaim as a feature filmmaker with features like Meantime, a bleak tale on the struggles of a working-class family living in Thatcher-era England, and the offbeat family tale Life is Sweet. He rose to further prominence with the nihilistic Naked and the emotional Secrets and Lies, asserting himself as one of Britain’s most important filmmakers.
Leigh accurately captures the state of working-class England through his warm but often complicated portraits of families or lone individuals, giving each character a distinctive personality. He never simply lets characters fade into the background—each one has something to say and something to add, even if it’s small. To put it simply, Leigh knows how to make an impact with his characters.
Talking to Interview Magazine, Gerwig acknowledged this as a great source of inspiration. In reference to Lady Bird, she said: “In a way, I was influenced by the British director Mike Leigh. He often has characters who come in for a very brief amount of time, and you don’t know completely what’s going on with them, but you get a sense of a whole human there.”
Thus, Gerwig made sure to spend time with each actor to ensure that they knew their character and could give it enough life and importance. “I also wanted it to feel like every single character in the film mattered, even the ones who only had a couple of scenes. So I had at least one conversation with everyone, where we would talk, and they would give me their ideas, and we’d build something that had a backstory, so that nothing felt sketched.”
