This story about Oscar nominee Todd Field and “Tár” first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
It took 16 years for Tár director and screenwriter Todd Field to return to movie theaters and to the awards race after his last film, 2006’s “Little Children,” but it was worth the wait. His sterling portrait of a renowned conductor’s fall from grace nabbed six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director, and sparked endless theories and hot takes that attempted to unpack its mysteries.
You’re three for three when it comes to Oscar nominations for the screenplays of your feature films. How do you process that kind of reception for your work?
I don’t know that you do. I think anybody that sets out to write a script is just thinking about writing a script. The first time is surreal and magical and impossible to believe. The second time, you say, “That’s amazing. I didn’t think that was gonna happen again.” And then the third time, you try to get as quiet as you can, as much as that’s possible during this period of time and really try to be present.
“In the Bedroom” and “Little Children” were both prominent adaptations. Has being nominated for original screenplay been a different experience for you?
In the other two instances, I was sharing those scripts with other artists. This time is different in that I’m alone. Sometimes that’s more lonely, but it’s different as you always wonder if you’re going to have a chance to write your own thing. It’s very difficult to convince people to pay you to write something original without a pitch. Focus [Features] were absolutely out of their minds, giving me that sort of freedom. It was kind of horrifying, because I knew that probably they were going to be terribly disappointed and think that somehow I’d rip them off.
It seems like they’ve probably gotten their money’s worth, but what do I know?
When somebody pays you that kind of respect and gives you that kind of space, you’re desperate to try to earn it. The one caveat I had before I handed in the script, I called [Focus executives] Peter [Kujawski] and Kiska (Higgs) and I said, “Look, guys, I have a feeling you’re really going to hate it. It’s a really dangerous piece of material and you’re not going to want to make it, but I have to finish it. Just know that, when you decide that you don’t like it, I’ll write something else for you, so you feel like I didn’t rip you guys off. It’s just something I need to get out of my system.” And Peter said, “OK.”
With that sales pitch, what else could he say? What is it about Lydia Tár that resonates with people?
Well, I know why she interests me. I can’t speak to anyone else. She is a jumble of contradictions. Lydia can be kind, she can be cruel, she can be capricious, she can be disciplined, she can be completely, unreasonably impulsive, she can be contradictory, she can be a hypocrite, she can be all these things, you know. In short, she’s a human being.
I think what Cate Blanchett has done with Lydia, in the tiniest, most exquisite way that only someone of her skill can do, is allowed you to lean in. Allowed you to question how you’re feeling about the character, and, potentially, be drawn in enough where you ultimately complete the film. That’s the idea. The idea is that this is not an equational narrative. You either engage with it or you do not, and if you engage with it, then you own it. It belongs to you completely. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done, it doesn’t matter what Cate’s done, it’s utterly yours. And it was built for you.
It’s funny you say that, because 20 years ago you told The New York Times, “Once a film is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the viewer.” It seems like you’re getting that in spades with “Tár.” How has it been watching the wildly divergent and emotional responses to your film?
Your first question asked how I felt about the Oscars, but this is the real question. That is why you do this. This is something that is beyond your wildest expectations. Cate and I talked about this early on. We wanted a loud conversation in the culture, but neither one of us would have ever had the hubris to expect this loud a conversation. This is absolutely beyond our wildest dreams.
Read more from the Down to the Wire issue here.
