Movie buffs know that 2 Oscar contenders — “Harriet” and “Honey Boy” — were both produced by Daniela Taplin Lundberg.
Some may even know that she produced “The Kids Are All Right” and “Under the Silver Lake.”
But who knew that she was a Westporter?
That’s just one part of a wide-ranging interview with Forbes.com.
Daniela Taplin Lundberg
In it, Lundberg talks about her youth in LA (her father got his start in producing by taking a gamble on a young director named Martin Scorsese, and his project “Mean Streets”); her interest in stories about “triumphs of the human spirit” (including “Beasts of No Nation” and “Doris”), and the women who have helped her navigate her male-dominated world.
As for “Honey Boy” — released through a streaming service, as opposed to a theater experience — she says:
People want to be able to access entertainment in their own homes, and I relate to that well. I have 3 children, I work in New York, I live in Westport. I want to be able to have these great, extraordinary film experiences at my fingertips, if that’s a possibility. So I think there’s a way for both things to coexist.
As a filmmaker, the idea that I can serve as both is really exciting, but do I believe that the experience of “Harriet” on a big screen with 300 people in the room is going to be better than watching on my TV in my living room? Yeah, I do….
It’s really gripping. It’s really exciting. I think it’s probably better in a big group experience, if you can do that. But the first time I saw “Godfather II” was on a VHS tape in my parents’ living room [and] it didn’t make it any less a good film for me.
Meanwhile, Lundberg tells another media outlet — “06880”:
We chose to land here because the schools seemed great, and the town felt like it had a great combination of warmth and edge. You have all the touchstones of a beautiful Connecticut town (changing leaves in the fall, gorgeous shoreline, picturesque town), but then you have a wonderfully creative theater community and truly great food.
We took a shot thinking that it might be the right fit, and have been lucky enough to find truly great friends and a wonderful place to raise our three children. We’ve been here for 4 years now, and it’s really starting to feel like home.
Her next project: a film about Teddy Roosevelt, and the lessons of leadership.
(Click here for Forbes’ full interview with Daniela Taplin Lundberg. Hat tip: Tricia Freeman)
There were two other producers connected to “The Kids Are All Right” from Westport: Neil Katz and Andy Sawyer.
Looking forward to seeing “Harriet.”
Interesting to find Daniela in Westport. I worked with her uncle, I believe, the fine sculptor Robert Taplin, in fact learned welding from him, at Pomona College in the early 70s. And I believe Bob is a neighbor, up the pike in New Haven