‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Team on Need for More Queer Cinema, Celebrating “Matt Damon Day” on Set
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Beanie Feldstein, Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Tricia Cooke and Ethan Coen celebrated the premiere of their upcoming queer comedy, Drive-Away Dolls, in New York City on Tuesday night.
The film follows two women, played by Viswanathan and Qualley, as they embark on a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida, but things quickly go awry when they come across a group of inept criminals. Husband-and-wife duo Coen and Cooke co-wrote the script in the early 2000s and tried to get it made then, but struggled with studios wanting to back a lesbian comedy at the time.
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“It’s like, what was it that works now that didn’t work then? It’s a lesbian road comedy,” Coen told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere. “It’s a gay-themed thing that was more difficult to do then. We couldn’t get it done then. People are more receptive to that, it’s less of an issue now than it was then.”
Cooke echoed that LGBTQ projects were still made 20 years ago but “our film is kind of light and a little frivolous, and so maybe people didn’t feel like it was important enough to make back then.”
The couple also opened up about the dynamic on set among the Drive-Away Dolls cast, which also included Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon, Joey Slotnick and C. J. Wilson.
“Everyone knew the tone of the movie,” Cooke shared. “Every day on set, it was just kind of joyful, and people were happy to play.” Coen agreed and added that everyone was down to just jump in and do something unexpected whenever needed.
For younger actors like Feldstein, Qualley and Viswanathan, getting to work opposite stars like Damon, Domingo, Pascal and Camp was extra special. The women even dubbed the day the Oppenheimer actor was on set “Matt Damon Day.”
“We were all just like, ‘Oh my god, it’s almost Matt Damon day!’ We just kept calling it Matt Damon Day because the alliteration was great,” Feldstein told THR. “And it was as dreamy and wonderful as I could have hoped. He has like big girl dad energy and just kind of girl-dadded towards the three of us, and it was amazing.”
Viswanathan, who’s set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe next, also sang the A-lister’s praises. She told THR, “Matt Damon is a legend. He’s so nice. We just had the best day with him. We had our Matt Damon Day where he came on and did that incredible scene as the senator and just is truly the loveliest guy.”
Getting to work with Coen and Cooke was a massive draw for Feldstein and Qualley, as the former explained that being directed by a Coen brother would be on any actor’s bucket list. The Booksmart star also shared that the co-writers saw something in her she didn’t really see in herself by having her portray a bitter and angry cop.
For Feldstein, starring in a queer comedy as a member of the LGBTQ community was especially “meaningful” for her.
“Not only was I working with Ethan Coen, but I was doing a movie that was specifically about three queer women having fun and being silly and being sexy and abrasive and unapologetically themselves, and that’s just literally a dream come true,” she said. “We need more queer movies, in general, but certainly more queer comedies. So, this is amazing.”
Drive-Away Dolls hits theaters Feb. 23.
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