Frances McDormand has always had a wandering spirit.
In her 40s, the “Nomadland” star made a promise to her husband, filmmaker Joel Coen (of the Coen brothers): When she turned 65, she would change her name to Fern, leave in a trailer and start smoking Lucky Strikes and drink Wild Turkey.
Now, at 63, his plans look a little different, although the open road still beckons.
“I’m not going to drink Wild Turkey – I’m a lot more sophisticated in my tastes now. It’s the Casamigos tequila from end to end, ”says McDormand. “But I invested in a van and I intend to drive around the country in March to visit my friends on the East Coast,” on the way to Canada, where she will record another project this summer.
As for Fern, McDormand’s restless alter ego is now the name of his character in “Nomadland” (on IMAX screens now, in theaters and broadcasting Friday on Hulu), the silent and deep exploration of life on the banks of Chloé Zhao. The film follows a recent widow named Fern (McDormand), who loses her job at the factory during an economic crisis and lives in her van. She embarks on a journey through the American West, arranging odd jobs and staying in camps, where she meets other nomads.
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Nominated for four Golden Globes, including best drama, “Nomadland” has emerged as one of the first Oscar favorites for best film, having won almost all critics and festival awards since its debut at the Venice Film Festival last September.
McDormand is irritated by the so-called “word A” (awards), but says he is “bursting with pride” with the film. Although less flashy and more meditative than other competitors this season, she believes she is exploited in a newfound empathy brought about by the pandemic.
“One of the most rewarding things is that we are offering catharsis to the public,” says McDormand. “People are not just looking at their navels, but they are actually looking out of their little lives and wondering how they can make a difference in the bigger world.”
Zhao adds: “You don’t have to pack everything up and hit the road like Fern. But this pandemic has forced us to slow down and look at some of the bigger things we’ve been chasing. Are these really the things that matter?”
Real nomads ‘didn’t know I was an actor’
“Nomadland” is based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction book about van life, which was given to McDormand by his production partner, Peter Spears. The actress has long been attracted to contemporary American stories – winning Oscars for “Fargo” in 1996 and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in 2017 – but says she “wanted to take risks” with “Nomadland”, which shows her acting and working alongside real life nomads.
McDormand contacted Zhao about the collaboration in the fall of 2017, days after seeing the debut of filmmaker “The Rider” at the Toronto Film Festival, a modern western that also features non-professional actors.
“I realized for a moment that there was an email from Frances McDormand in my inbox,” said Zhao, who again watched “Fargo” just before reading Bruder’s book. “I’ve always been attracted to the road from a young man’s perspective, but being able to step into the shoes of people who are rediscovering themselves on the road in the twilight of their years was a very interesting experience that I wanted to have. “
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The duo filmed “Nomadland” over four months in late 2018 with a skeletal crew: traveling in vans, staying in motels and chasing the sunset for the breathtaking “magic hour” scenes from the film. McDormand had no problem mixing with the nomads, partly because Zhao already knew them before filming.
“The bases have been laid,” says McDormand. “Most people love to tell their stories, if you’re willing to listen.”
It helped that many of McDormand’s co-stars had no idea that she is a Hollywood star: Swankie, one of the film’s most endearing nomads, “didn’t know I was an actor. She just thought I was another woman on the road, so she trusted me as another van resident. “
Bob Wells, another nomad, was also unfamiliar with McDormand before filming an emotional scene in which Fern remembers her late husband, Bo.
Then, “he told me privately that it meant a lot to me to tell this story and that everything would be fine,” said McDormand. “And I said, ‘Bob, I just want you to know that my husband’s name is Joel, he is alive and well, he makes movies and I go home with him after that.’ Bob said, “Oh. How did you do that? I really believed you.” And I said, “This is my job, Bob! It’s what I do for a living! Isn’t it weird?” “
There was a job that she “didn’t like at all”
Fern takes on many temporary jobs throughout the film – cleaning toilets in a South Dakota national park, working on sugar beet harvesting in North Dakota – some of which were more enjoyable to shoot than others.
“I am a very, very good cleaner – I always have been, ask anyone in my life – so that was easy,” says McDormand. “Picking beets that I didn’t like because it’s really hard work.” She also liked to pack boxes at an Amazon warehouse in Nevada: “I love repetitive jobs like that. Would I like to do this all the time? No.”
McDormand, who lives in the isolated seaside town of Bolinas, California, says he has always adhered to a “less is more” philosophy when it comes to possessions. The experience of doing “Nomadland” only highlighted these beliefs
“I’m trying to practice being less attracted to brilliant things,” says Shens. “I have enough to last the rest of my life and I don’t need a single other. We always live small and keep our expenses low, so I’m practicing this as much as possible and trying to spread the word.”
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This article was originally published in USA TODAY: ‘Nomadland’: Frances McDormand worked at Amazon for her new film