Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao reflected on her creative journey and experience as a neurodivergent filmmaker during an intimate session at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday morning.
The Chinese-born filmmaker, who premiered her highly
anticipated drama Hamnet on Saturday alongside stars Paul
Mescal, Jessie Buckley, and producers Steven Spielberg and Sam
Mendes, spoke openly about her process while revisiting her past works from
Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) and The Rider (2017) to Nomadland
(2020) and Marvel’s Eternals (2021).
“I’ve always wondered why I never quite fit in,” Zhao
shared. “Being neurodivergent means I process so much small talk is hard for
me. I’m constantly reading people, thinking about what they might be feeling,
what their expression or outfit means. I can’t turn that off.”
Once she understood how her mind worked, Zhao began to see
it as an advantage rather than a limitation. “I realized I’m good at
recognizing patterns it helps on set. When something feels off with an actor, I
sense it immediately. And if they trust me enough to drop the mask, that’s when
true authenticity happens,” she said.
Zhao laughed about how this heightened sensitivity sometimes
makes everyday interactions difficult: “If someone smiles but they’re sad, I
instantly want to know what’s wrong not everyone wants that conversation!”
Calling her neurodivergence a “superpower,” Zhao reflected
on how modern life can be overwhelming. “Sometimes I wonder am I different, or
is the world just too fast, too bright, too loud? I’ve learned to create
environments, on and off camera, that work for how I function.”
Currently in London promoting Hamnet which stars
Mescal as William Shakespeare and Buckley as Agnes, his grieving
wife Zhao’s film left audiences deeply moved at its festival premiere.
The filmmaker also discussed her love for fantasy and
mythology, which drew her to direct Marvel’s Eternals (2021). “When I
was a kid, I wanted to be a manga artist,” she revealed. “I used to draw every
day, so Eternals was the only film I storyboarded I had fun drawing
those big manga-style eyes!”
Zhao described Eternals as an emotional outpouring
following years of travel and filmmaking. “I had so much inside me all these
observations about humanity, East and West, different cultures. It felt like a
volcano that had to erupt and that eruption became Eternals.”
She also shared a nostalgic glimpse into her Beijing
childhood, recalling how her family was allowed to watch one Western film per
week. Her first? The Terminator (1984). “Then Ghost and Sister
Act,” she laughed. “Quite the education.”
Subscribe by Email
Follow Updates Articles from This Blog via Email
No Comments