Q&A with Michelle Danner (The Italians)

The actor-director discusses family dynamics, balancing dual roles, and finding universal themes in culturally specific stories

Read our review of The Italians and explore more film coverage at Anderson Vision

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Anderson Vision: What drew you to tell this story now?

Michelle Danner: Lisa Phillips Visca approached me with a play called The Italians about a family that was a little crazy but at the core they loved each other, and with what’s happening in the world right now more than ever we need those heartfelt comedies that uplift us and bring us together.

Anderson Vision: How did directing yourself alter your usual acting process?

Michelle Danner: I made a pact with myself at the start of production to not be overwhelmed by juggling the two roles and I did exactly that. When I was in front of the camera I was inhabiting the character and when we cut I was seeing the bigger picture. It was just about maintaining that balance with the support of my excellent team.

Anderson Vision: Which moment on set best captures the spirit of The Italians?

Michelle Danner: I think when we were all at the dinner table and people were cracking jokes, playing off each other, and the chaos was building and building was when the whole cast really felt like a family that mirrored the family we were making the movie about.

Anderson Vision: Family sagas can turn sentimental fast. How did you keep the tone grounded?

Michelle Danner: I was lucky enough to have this cast of actors that brought authenticity to their characters and kept it real. No matter how over the top the humor is, we made every choice firmly rooted in our points of view and motivations, so the transitions between comedic and dramatic beats felt very much like real life.

Anderson Vision: The film balances dialogue and situations that might not be familiar to non-Italian Americans. What challenges came with that choice?

Michelle Danner: Yes, the movie centers around an Italian-American family, but we’re all more alike than not as human beings. When we played the festival circuit so many people of different nationalities came up to me and said how much they related to the movie. There is a universality to our culturally-distinct loving families.

Anderson Vision: You’ve mentored actors for years. How did that background shape your directing style here?

Michelle Danner: I’ve always tried to create an environment on set that gives the cast the space to have fun, try new things, and access the deepest parts of themselves. That is what I would ask of any director directing me, and so I’ve always strived to give that to my actors knowing that it will result in the best performances possible.

Anderson Vision: Productions typically acquire shoot stories. Did any location shoot stories surprise you or even make you think of past work?

Michelle Danner: I think the only story we have that’s location specific is when we went to shoot at the church. It wasn’t my first time filming in a church as my last film Miranda’s Victim had a wedding scene, but here we had so much to shoot in such a short time that I think the only way we got it done was that God was on our side.

Anderson Vision: What themes in The Italians matter most to you as a storyteller?

Michelle Danner: The closeness of family, forgiveness, unconditional love, and that the people that we love always are with us. There’s also a line that the priest character has “Learn to commit, learn to accept, learn to atone” which I think embodies this idea of the people we have to choose to be for the people that we love most.

Anderson Vision: Streaming or theatrical — where do you see the film connecting best with viewers?

Michelle Danner: It’s always a filmmaker’s wish to have a theatrical release. When you stream it you’re playing to a big classroom and you always want to reach as many people as possible, but with a film like this that makes you laugh and cry and go on a rollercoaster, it’s a very communal experience in a packed movie theater.

Anderson Vision: One lesson from this shoot you’ll carry into the next project?

Michelle Danner: This is a great question, you always learn from every shoot. I think the lesson I learned a long time ago but am always reminded of looking back on any shoot is the more prepared you are, the better the final product ends up being.