Rachel Morrison, Director of 'Love of Your Life', on Margaret Qualley in 'Wild Range', Battling COVID-19 and Subverting Romantic Drama Expectations: 'Finding Herself Is Enough'

Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for 'Love of Your Life,' now streaming on Prime Video. When Rachel Morrison read the screenplay for 'Love of Your Life,' she was hooked. Written by Julia Cox, author of 'Nyad,' the story follows Maya, a 20-year-old ER nurse living in Boston with few family members in touch with her […]

Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for "Love of Your Life," now streaming on Prime Video.

When Rachel Morrison read the script for Love of Your Life, she was hooked.

Written by "Niad" author Julia Cox, the story follows Maya, a 20-year-old ER nurse living in Boston who doesn't have much of a family. When she meets the shy but charming Charlie, the two begin to build a life together - until a tragedy during the COVID-19 pandemic causes it to fall apart. Maya escapes her pain by traveling the world, first to Portugal, then to London and Japan, but an unexpected love forces her to face her past and realize that there may be more than one love in her life. RELATED STORIES CAA's Rog Sutherland on how 'La Bola Negra' should lead to market optimism at a time when 'there's more money out there' Music industry moves: Mahneesh Sunny joins Hybe Americas

"Obviously, I was drawn to the script, but I didn't immediately think it was my next project," Morrison tells Variety over Zoom. "This is really true, this is a good piece of writing and I want to talk about it with this writer."

Morrison and Cox really connected. "There was a deep sense of mutual respect, but also, for this script that was incredibly well-received and flew off the page, he wasn't precious about it," Morrison says. "The more I sat with it, the more it got under my skin."

The same was true of the film's cast, an all-star ensemble led by Margaret Qualley as Maya and including Gabriel Basu as Charlie. Aaron Pierre as Felix, a handsome stranger she meets abroad. Patrick Schwarzenegger as his best friend Jason; and Catherine Keener performing the scene of the robbery as Ruth, Charlie's mother.

"We have great supporting actors, and I think that's because it really spoke to them," Morrison says.

Below, the director talks more with Variety about working with Qualley, bringing the COVID-19 pandemic on screen and why they didn't come with an obvious ending.

Two things stood out to me. One is that, unfortunately, it's rare to have features where the female characters are particularly layered and complex and flawed and messy and don't somehow boil down to a plot engine, but actually have a lot of nuance and growth in the script. And I thought it was really exciting to see a character who can make really questionable decisions, but you still root for him.

And then I think the reason I'm interested in the intersection between love and loss is because it's personal to me. I am someone who grew out of a very significant early loss that really transformed me. And I went through the same chaotic turmoil that Maya's character did, where you're trying to make sense of your life after something so devastating, and you're navigating the world without engaging in it. These guardrails go up because you never want to get hurt again, and it's a real process to get them down. So I think I saw myself in Maya and the script and I felt like I could add to that. The more I sat with it, the more I realized how personal it was and therefore how true I wanted to say it.

Margaret had read the script—I mean, a lot of actresses had read the script and put their hands up. A few names stood out, especially Margaret, where I knew she could be a true ally and partner in this. As the person who has to narrate the whole story, it's very important that your actor wants to be there and really understand the movie you're trying to make. We sat down and really talked about it and it was clear that we both wanted to make a movie. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and part of what I'm a fan of is the wild range he has. His choice of characters is sometimes from one thing to another, just these really bold characters. And I was excited that I don't feel loud, I've seen—maybe in "The Maid" on TV—a really down-to-earth, relatable performance that I knew she was capable of. And I was excited to see what the girl-next-door version could be.

The biggest goal was to have variety between them. Each character had characteristics as scripted, and actually when we were casting the roles, they started to inform each other. Aaron is maybe a little more stoic than his character was written, which then allowed Gabe to have this kinetic, golden retriever. Energy and then, obviously, doing the chemistry with Margaret and Patrick also reads, and we make sure that each of their chemistry is palpable, but unique to them. And certainly Gabe brought a different quality to Margaret than Aaron and Patrick, and you could feel it throughout the film.

First of all was the desire to film in real locations. People have different methodologies, but it was almost a non-starter for me. I really wanted to go into the spaces where this movie existed and not try to create them on the soundstage. And there are other directors who would probably veer toward a musical stage version, and so I applaud Amazon MGM for really letting me do that, because that's not really the case with other movies. Going to two cities is really unusual, let alone four.

And then, I can't turn off the DP in me, which I think is actually a real asset to my cinematographers because I've been searching since the beginning. Even before the DP is on, I look at how the location interacts with the light, how I can block a scene in a space to move the camera that way. So it's kind of rooted in the way I visualize things, maybe even from the page. And then [cinematographer] Todd [Banhazi], we had such a lovely collaboration. He's amazing but he kind of lights up the world and then lets me exist, which I like to work on.

I think the most important thing for us was to get it right. Because this is not just a pandemic, but the same pandemic as experienced by first responders. And so we did a lot of consulting, both myself and Margaret, with nurses and doctors and just the medical profession during that time and the various phases of it. And of course its lasting effects. But I think we're just looking for little things that we can all relate to, even like "Tiger King," wiping food with Clorox. The goal was really to recreate it in a way that felt both like yesterday and a lifetime ago, but that everyone could fully relate to. And don't make it exciting. I think that's the thing about the whole film — I'm always trying to make it a grounded, relatable version of itself and not a cinematic version of itself. So it is never extreme, but always recognizable.

Margaret had very good instincts. You have this character who spends a lot of the movie not actively grieving—it's shown in other ways, but he doesn't actually let go of the emotion. He's obviously feeling everything and hurt, but he doesn't quite know how to express it. On the day, there are always things that happen to good actors that they feel and there is a reaction that is not even a show, it is from the body, the heart and the soul. As Margaret was trying to get the words to Ruth over the phone, it was actually written that she took everything out and then lost it - but she couldn't find the words. And I think he was right. It was a much more honest portrayal of what Maya was going through. I think my approach is that you go in with a plan, but you're always looking to pivot or react to what's in front of you and not what you imagine. You have to be open to it, otherwise I think you can really stifle the process.

You just mentioned the other thing that drew me to this script, is that we're taking these genres that have a set of expectations and completely subverting them. It was very much by design that the audience thought he was going back to Jason for a moment and then realized he was going to Ruth. And that's because the genre is set up for a romantic ending all the time. And I'm deeply grateful and excited that this movie doesn't end like that and is really more about him finding his way back to life and himself. The hope now is that she's open to all the possibilities in front of her - and maybe one day she'll find the right person again and maybe still have kids and everything - but we don't spell it out or spell it out for people and know that just finding yourself is enough.

I mean, I'm someone who comes from a time when dramas were in the theater. I made this film knowing it was destined for Prime, [but] I made it for the theatrical experience anyway. I don't know that I'd shoot it any differently because of the platform, but I've definitely encouraged anyone and everyone to see it in theaters while they can, because I think there's something very immersive about that experience for some reason. There's something very special about sharing an emotional experience between an engaged audience, something we don't understand as much anymore because most movies in theaters these days are either horror or action. The idea of ​​everyone having a good cry together is rare. But, thankfully, I think it plays very well on Prime as well. And one thing we learned just through the testing process is that—shocker—men feel more comfortable at home. And so, it might actually play better for the male gender to really let it go in the comfort and privacy of their own home.

I'm into earthy science fiction. I'm always looking for a way to hide the drama because I want to make films for the theater if possible. Because unless you have Nolan or maybe Coogler, we can't get audiences into drama anymore. I mean, even when you look at most of these movies, like Arrival or Blade Runner or Don, a lot of them are just simple [stories]. Star Wars is a father-son story, but it's in space, and that's why people are excited to see it in theaters. So a bucket would be a big, global sci-fi drama. And I guess there's another version where I make something smaller in the A24/Neon space, where, because I'm not making it for a lot of money, it's on display because it can be. But in a smaller space, my goal right now is to do something that's undeniably theatrical and something I haven't done before. I'm always trying to push myself and challenge myself, so filming is at the top of my game to start over as a director. This is to continue to grow and evolve. So whatever is least expected of me is probably what I will do in the future.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.