TORONTO 鈥� Oscar-nominated Montreal director Jean-Marc Vall茅e never thought he鈥檇 work in television. Now, he adores it.
After helming HBO鈥檚 hit series Big Little Lies and the new southern gothic mystery Sharp Objects, he says he 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� wants to continue working with the network.
鈥淚 feel I鈥檓 part of the family and I want to keep developing the relationship,鈥� Vallee said in a recent phone interview.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about people, and when you find your people, you just don鈥檛 want to change. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 introducing to my American friends all my French-Canadian people that I鈥檝e found and that I鈥檝e been working with so many years now.鈥�
Vall茅e was referring to the Montreal team he used on both Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, an eight-episode series premi猫ring tonight on HBO sa国际传媒.
Five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams stars in Sharp Objects as Camille Preaker, an alcoholic reporter who returns to her Missouri hometown to write about the murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. Patricia Clarkson plays Camille鈥檚 chillingly judgmental mother with whom she clashes as she battles mental-health issues. The cast also
includes Chris Messina of The Mindy Project as a detective, up-and-comer Eliza Scanlen as Camille鈥檚 younger half-sister and Elizabeth Perkins as a town gossip.
As with Big Little Lies, Vall茅e insisted HBO allow him to edit the series and do post-production in his Quebec hometown with his local team. Montreal cinematographer Yves Belanger, who got an Emmy nomination for his work on Big Little Lies, also lent his skills to Sharp Objects.
HBO also let Vall茅e make each series like a film, shooting the entire project before cutting, rather than going episode by episode as is often the case.
鈥淸HBO] are the best partners ever,鈥� said Vall茅e, who won a directing trophy for Big Little Lies at last year鈥檚 Emmys, where several of his Montreal team were also up for hardware.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e so creative, they鈥檙e aiming for great content and 鈥� we鈥檙e looking for the same thing. We want to tell great stories and they鈥檝e developed this sandbox where they鈥檙e inviting feature film people 鈥� from actors, actresses, writers, directors 鈥� to come and play.鈥�
Yet TV was never a goal for Vall茅e, whose 2005 coming-of-age Quebec drama C.R.A.Z.Y. led to a string of high-profile films 鈥� from Dallas Buyers Club to Wild and Demolition.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 thinking I was going to do that in my film career,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was aiming to make feature films.鈥�
But then Adams invited him to helm Sharp Objects and Reese Witherspoon pointed him toward Big Little Lies.
鈥淚 said: 鈥榃ait a minute 鈥� if these actresses want to do that, I want to follow them,鈥� 鈥� Vall茅e recalled. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see any difference except that [TV] is longer and we have more time to explore and develop these characters.鈥�
Should there be a second season of Sharp Objects, Vall茅e said he鈥檇 love to direct 鈥� but only if it were far down the line.
At the moment, he鈥檚 planning to take a six-month break before moving on to direct two films.
鈥淭V series, two back to back 鈥� physically it鈥檚 a marathon,鈥� Vall茅e said. 鈥淪o two marathons back to back, I鈥檓 exhausted right now, and I sure don鈥檛 want to run another one.
鈥淪o that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 happy to go back to the feature film world. I鈥檒l have only a 40-day shoot and that will be, like, so easy,鈥� he added with a laugh.
