Kate Mara Talks Treating Tim Robinson Movie Like a Drama

Kate Mara was unacquainted with Tim Robinson’s brand of comedy when filmmaker Andrew DeYoung offered her the chance to star opposite the maestro of cringe in Friendship. Mara plays Tami Waterman, a loving mother, self-employed florist and cancer survivor who’s dangerously close to becoming Craig Waterman’s (Robinson) walkaway wife. Tami hasn’t been given the attentiveness she deserves from her tone-deaf husband, and the issue is magnified when Craig forms a fast friendship with their new local weatherman neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd).

Craig ultimately jeopardizes his new relationship, first by going too far during a casual boxing match, and then eating a bar of soap as a form of self-punishment in front of Austin and his other friends. This is the kind of unconventional humor that DeYoung’s feature directorial debut possesses in spades, but Mara still treated the unusual black comedy as seriously as she would any other role or genre.

“Even though it is funny and the desired effect is laughter, I don’t think you can necessarily get the desired effect if you haven’t done the [character] work.,” Mara tells The Hollywood Reporter in support of Friendship’s May 23 wide theatrical release. 

Mara recently wrapped production on Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard, and for the first time in their respective careers, she stars alongside her little sister, Rooney Mara. The real-life sisters who are two years apart play twin sisters in the film, and in hindsight, Mara is glad they waited as long as they did.

“We’ve been looking for something to do together for a while. The first hurdle was finding a filmmaker that we both like, and while we like a lot of the same things, we both had an equal excitement about working with Werner,” Mara says. “We’re playing total equals who speak in unison and do everything the same. They dream the same in the film, and they’re so in sync. We could have never imagined finding two roles in a film where we’re literally equals in so many ways, and it was just so perfect.”

Mara has received a fair number of questions recently about 2015’s Fantastic Four, namely because the troubled production’s tenth anniversary is this coming August, and there’s a new iteration, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, hitting theaters the month prior. Mara’s eventful experience throughout 2014 and 2015 provided the ultimate silver lining, as she connected with her co-star and now-husband, Jamie Bell. Thus, she has no qualms about seeing the new take on Marvel’s first family, especially being an avid moviegoer.

“The movie that’s coming out doesn’t really bring things up, good or bad,” Mara shares. “I love going to the movies. It’s my favorite thing to do, especially with my husband Jamie [Bell] and our kids. [The Fantastic Four: First Steps is] totally different than ours [2015’s Fantastic Four], so why not? I really love the cast. I love Pedro Pascal. Yeah, I would totally see the new Marvel.”

Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Mara also discusses the themes of Friendship, before reflecting on her experiences with David Fincher and the late James Foley on the House of Cards set.

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Did Friendship begin with an email like most things?

It was such a nice, unexpected offer from Andy [DeYoung]. We’d never met before, and we FaceTimed. I loved his script so much, and he is just the loveliest person. I wasn’t really familiar with Tim [Robinson] at the time. I hadn’t seen his show [I Think You Should Leave], and then I very quickly watched every episode and thought, “Wow, I have to work with this person.” So it was a very exciting, very unexpected offer.

Where does Craig Waterman end and Tim Robinson begin? Does he have a lot of that peculiar energy to him already?

I don’t know Tim well, but no. From my experience, he’s just a normal, nice family guy who wants to get home to see his wife and kid. He just happens to be an absolutely hysterical comedic genius. It’s actually very unexpected, I would say.

At a certain point into adulthood, there’s an assumption that it’s harder for men to make friends than it is for women, but does it actually go both ways? Is it hard for both?

Yeah, probably. As adults, we are more self-conscious, and as kids on the playground, we’ll ask, “Will you be my friend?” without even thinking. There’s no shame in it. So it does take more effort as adults to cultivate new friendships. I’m not able to speak to the male friendship aspect of it, but based on my relationships with my girlfriends versus the men in my life, such as my husband’s friends or my brothers’ friends, it definitely looks very different.

Friendship was inspired by an instance where Andy was rebuffed by a potential friend. Have you been in that spot as well?

Yeah, for sure. There’s also so many times when that happens and you don’t even know that it’s happened. I guess they call it ghosting these days. So I’ve definitely had that before where you’re like, “Oh, I wish that really cool person would want to be my friend.” But, yeah, as an adult, it feels so much worse when it’s not reciprocated. That’s why the movie really gets you.

I’ve also been questioning whether friendship break-ups hurt more than romantic ones, and in the long run, I think it’s the former. You hope for the best when you go into a romantic relationship, but deep down, you know that the odds aren’t in your favor. Do you find that the loss of a friendship stings more in the long-term?

Yeah, I think you’re right. It’s easier to stay friends with people for long periods of time than it is to have long-term romantic relationships with people. So, yeah, it probably is more painful when you have to tell a friend that they’ve hurt you or [vice versa].

Friendships just don’t have those same pressures or expectations as trying to find your “one true love.”

Yeah, you can have many friends if you’re that kind of person. But if you’re the kind of person that only has a handful of close friends, it’s probably even more painful.

Knowing that Friendship is an offbeat comedy, do you have to rationalize character details as much as you normally would? Do you have to figure out what Tami ever saw in Craig, or why she has an unusual form of affection with her son? Does it ultimately matter when the goal of this movie is to be strangely funny?

I approached it like I would approach any role or genre. I approached it in the same way that I would approach a really serious drama. I think the job is made so much easier when you’ve already explored the character’s relationships with everybody in the movie and answered questions like, “Why is she with this person? Why does she have this relationship with her kid? Why is she a florist?” Even though it is funny and the desired effect is laughter, I don’t think you can necessarily get the desired effect if you haven’t done the work. So that’s how Andy and I approached my character.

Craig forces Tami to go on this subterranean exploration, and as they’re arguing in the tunnels, he tells her he’ll catch up to her. So she reluctantly agrees, but not before giving him this very pointed look in red light. What was she silently communicating there? 

“You motherfucker.” Something like that.

Be careful what you wish for.

Yes, exactly. There’s so many things there. We did that [close-up] a few times, and I thought something different every time.

On conventional comedies, actors break from time to time, and those outtakes usually end up in the credits. With Friendship being a more of an off-kilter comedy, what would the blooper reel look like?

I want to see one! There’s got to be one. I should ask if there’s going to be one, because that’s the most fun to see those moments. There were so many of those moments for me and my experience on it. A lot of it was that scene between Tami and [Tami and Craig’s] son, Steven, played by Jack [Dylan] Grazer. Craig is talking about the new Marvel, and [Tami and Steven] kiss on the lips. It was really hard to get through that scene without laughing. Andy always let the cameras roll, and he would never just cut right away when the scene was over. So there was always really funny stuff that would happen as the scene went on, and I found it very challenging [not to break]. 

Even the opening scene of the movie when Tami and Craig are in group therapy was really funny as well, probably because it’s meant to be so serious. It’s a group therapy about being a cancer survivor or having cancer, and you really have to come at it from a very vulnerable place. A lot of it is not actually in the movie, but the things that [Andy] had the group leader saying were so hysterical. She was also improvising a lot, and she was so good. I remember going from almost crying to then laughing in that scene, and it was just so much fun.

Did the party scene also have a lot of laughter?

Oh my God, yes. Conner O’Malley is so fucking funny. He was saying the funniest stuff. They could only use so much of it in the movie, but it was so fun to wait to see what crazy thing was going to come up next every time. So that scene was also hysterical, and Josh Segarra, who plays [Tami’s ex] Devon, was also so good. I didn’t have to say much in those scenes. I just had to watch what was happening and try to stay in character. So those are the hardest scenes to do because you want to watch it like an audience member, and you want to laugh when you feel one coming.

Moments ago, you referenced the phrase, “the new Marvel,” and there’s a new one coming out in July that’s supposed to be nuts. Is any part of you curious about The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Or was that itch scratched ten years ago? 

I love going to the movies. It’s my favorite thing to do, especially with my husband Jamie [Bell] and our kids. We have an 11-year-old. So I’m sure we’ll go, especially for a movie like that where you want to see it on a big screen with an audience and popcorn. Absolutely. It’s totally different than ours [2015’s Fantastic Four], so why not? I really love the cast. I love Pedro Pascal. Yeah, I would totally see the new Marvel. (Laughs.)

That movie worked out for you and Jamie, so it makes sense why you don’t mind revisiting the material.

Yeah, the movie that’s coming out doesn’t really bring things up, good or bad. It’s a totally different movie, and I’m just such a movie fanatic. I love supporting movies by actually going to see them in the theater, and I find that to be an exciting thing for people. Also, the more movies people see in the theater, the better it is for our business. I am so excited that Friendship is in the theaters right now and that people are actually going. It’ll be great when it’s streaming as well, because even more people can see it, but the experience of going to a theater to me is one of the greatest things in life. There’s nothing like having that communal experience and sharing energy with total strangers, whether it’s a comedy or a drama. When I went and saw Anora at The Vista here in L.A., people who’ve never met were crying next to each other. And seeing Friendship with a bunch of strangers at [TIFF’s] midnight screening, everyone was in hysterics about all these ridiculous things. I really find it to be so meaningful and so healing. So I’m just such an advocate for going to the theaters and whatever gets you to go there.

You recently shot a Werner Herzog movie called Bucking Fastard.

The best title of all time!

It’s also the first time you and your sister Rooney have ever acted together. Were you both reluctant to do something all these years in case people got too hung up on your real-life familial dynamic?

Interestingly, no. We’ve been looking for something to do together for a while, and we have been sent things that were interesting. Playing sisters or not wasn’t actually important to us. We wrapped [Bucking Fastard] a couple weeks ago, and it now makes so much sense that this was the one that was waiting for us. We read Werner’s email that asked us to be in it, and we’re both such massive fans of his. So the first hurdle was finding a filmmaker that we both like, and while we like a lot of the same things, we both had an equal excitement about working with Werner. 

And then it’s just hysterical that we’re playing total equals who speak in unison and do everything the same. They dream the same in the film, and they’re so in sync. We could have never imagined finding two roles in a film where we’re literally equals in so many ways, and it was just so perfect. So there was no hesitation after we met Werner, and it was so obvious that we needed to do it.

Kurt and Wyatt Russell recently worked together after years and years of saying no to father-son offers. It took a long time for Wyatt to feel comfortable with the idea of their familial relationship taking center stage.

I didn’t really worry about that with my sister. There’s so many actors in our family. My husband is an actor, and sometimes, we’re offered things to do together. So I understand that thought, and it’s definitely crossed my mind on potential things with Jamie. But it didn’t come into play with my sister and this movie, specifically.

I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole, and I found a video where you and Oscar Isaac were singing a song together in 2011. What’s the backstory there?

We were in a movie called 10 Years, and we played love Interests. In the movie, his character writes a song for my character, and he actually wrote the song for the movie and my character. I love Oscar, and I’ve known him forever. So we sang that song for fun when the movie came out, and that was it. I like to sing, and he’s a great singer, so we were just having fun. He’s the best.

A few days ago, I wrote you a question that was along the lines of, “After doing 127 takes of staring at a laptop for David Fincher, was it jarring to return to the standard way of working when the next House of Cards director arrived on set?” Well, the next director happened to be James Foley, who passed away just yesterday. What do you remember about James at the time? (Note: This interview was conducted on May 9.)

James had the most infectious joy and positivity every take. Even if every take was a disaster or he wanted you to do it again in a different way, he would always come in with this excitement and a positive reaction. It was actually really jarring at first because you’re like, “Wait, take one couldn’t have been that good.” And like you said, I was used to doing 30 takes of me just sitting and looking at a computer. So it was really hard to adjust to that energy after working with Fincher, but after a few days, you do get used to the [new] way you’re going to make something. I love Fincher’s energy too, and he has a lot of positive reactions as well, but it was just a very different vibe. So James Foley had the most infectious joy, and he was such a lovely, lovely human.

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Friendship is now playing in movie theaters nationwide.