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Spoilers below.
Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling book Remarkably Bright Creatures was destined to become a movie. The real question was whether the friendship between Tova, a widow working as a cleaner, and Marcellus, a very chatty octopus, could come across as beautifully on-screen as it did on the page. But then Sally Field was quickly cast as Tova, followed by Lewis Pullman, who played her young friend Cameron, and the picture became clear. Field spoke with ELLE about discovering the book, working with her son, who produced the film, and the behind-the-scenes secrets she’s not willing to reveal.
Had you read the book before signing on for the movie?
It was brought to me in galleys before it had been published by a new production company called Night Owl, by Bryan Unkeless and Peter Craig. And oddly enough, the Peter Craig part of the production company is my oldest son. It’s their first project. I read the first two chapters and said, “Yes, yes, I want to do this.” Then I continued to read, and it’s such a magical and moving story about people and an homage to sea creatures, in this case, a Giant Pacific octopus.
What was it like to work with your son?
Unfortunately, he just produced it, so I didn’t get to see him as much as I would’ve liked. I was still able to use him a lot and call him and say, “How about this? Do you like…” Talking about changing when I felt something, a monologue or something needed to be fine-tuned. He was a good sounding board before I would then bring it to [director] Olivia [Newman] or whoever else. Whenever he was there on the set visiting, it was wonderful. Also, the story is a lot about a mother and her son, and all of it fit together.
I’d love to hear about the logistics of acting with Marcellus. I assume he was added in later.
Well, Lewis Pullman and I have talked about it. I’m hesitant to spoil anything by saying exactly what it was. It’s all magic. But whether there’s a total octopus there all the time or none whatsoever, all of acting is imagining. In that way, it’s nothing new.
It’s an interesting role because it starts out very solitary but then shifts when Tova becomes close with Cameron. What was it like to work with Lewis?
I was lucky enough to get to read with him. I read with several other actors for the role of Cameron, and then he walked in, and it was it. I didn’t say it, but looked at Livy, the director, like, “Okay, this is him.” Lewis and I just launched into improvisation and playing together. I simply adored working with him. He made everything work for me and made it just joyful. Even if the scenes weren’t joyful, it was just so gratifying to be with him. I don’t think there are a lot of them like Lewis. He has so much more that he hasn’t tapped into yet that he will at one point in his career. He’s really funny, but also a very serious actor and a very dramatic actor. He’s also musical. He’s hugely talented.
