'Thelma' Writer-Director Josh Margolin Tells Us The Process Behind One Of The Year's Best Films

NFS Interview with Josh Margolin 

No Film School: Can you tell us how you came up with the story for Thelma and a little about your writing process in general?

Josh Margolin: It was inspired by real events, actually.

My grandma got a scam call almost exactly like the one in the movie and nearly sent about $10,000 to someone pretending to be me. Luckily, in real life, we were able to intervene before she sent it, but it was jarring to see her duped like that. She’s always been so steady and unflappable.

So I started imagining what might have happened if she did send it, then set out on her own to get it back. That seed of an idea basically became an excuse to write an ode to her spirit and tenacity. I got really excited about trying to do so through the lens of a lo-fi action movie because it felt like the story naturally had some of those beats.

The process became about shrinking action tropes down to an everyday scope and scale and marrying them to ways I’ve seen my grandma move through the world. I started jotting down ideas for scenes, moments, etc., then once those reached a critical mass, and I’d sketched out a general shape, I started writing.

I think the fact that the characters were inspired by people I knew so well was a useful gut check throughout the process, especially with the genre elements. I wanted everything to feel earned and grounded in emotion so that it never felt like we were dipping into parody or getting needlessly referential. It’s very much a send up of action tropes, but I wanted to use them sincerely to explore aging, family, anxiety, and autonomy. As well as accurately represent how my now 104-year-old grandma leaps onto a high bed, which can be a thrilling sight to behold.

NFS: What was the journey from script to screen like? Did you have trouble finding financing for a movie starring a 94-year-old?

Margolin: I first read the script aloud at our weekly writers group that Zoë Worth hosts. I got a lot of encouragement at that initial reading, as well as a ton of smart notes. In the wake of that, Zoë, Chris Kaye, and I teamed up to try to put the movie together. They’re close friends of mine and were amazing partners and champions for the film. That's all to say it was a very homegrown process. We have a text thread that is probably the length of a book at this point. What was interesting about the financing process is that it self selected pretty aggressively.

People who got spooked by the premise or felt it was uncommercial were out quickly. The people who were interested really leaned in.

I think our commitment to making it with a woman in her 90s at the helm, specifically June (who was really the only person I could imagine playing the part), helped us move through that process with some decisiveness and urgency. Certain fundamental things were just non-negotiable. June was the first actor on board, followed by Fred, and as we added more teammates, it was always because they shared in our enthusiasm for telling this story.

I don’t remember who to attribute this quote to but we were advised “don’t try to turn a no into a yes” and I think that guidance was really essential to staying the course through the inevitable two steps forward, one step back of getting an indie on its feet.

NFS: What was the best lesson you learned working with a cast so experienced in acting and in life?

Margolin: Sometimes your job is just to make room for people to bring their instincts and creativity to the work. It can be tempting to be a control freak, especially when you’re the writer/director and the script is based on your own life. But there’s a difference between clarity of vision and control. It’s such a collaborative process and putting trust in your cast and crew is essential to get the best out of everyone and to make the thing feel alive. Also, with June and Richard in particular, I feel I learned a lot about focus and conserving energy. They both knew themselves so well and never seemed uncomfortable sitting quietly between takes and staying locked in. I really admired their comfort in that stillness.

NFS: What's one item that's so useful you have to have it on set, no matter how big or small the budget?

Margolin: Dare I say Celsius? I can’t imagine it’s not terrible for me, but it got me through some long days.

NFS: Do you have any advice for writers and directors trying to break into Hollywood right now?

Margolin: I think the best advice I could give would be to take the chance on the thing you love most, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Anytime I’ve chased a mandate or tried to give people what I think they want, it’s never worked out. I think “the why” behind your desire to make something is really important.

In success or failure, you’re going to be with it a long time, so you want to make sure it’s something you really care about. That need to express something is contagious and is I think what helped us get our production on its feet.