Marielle Heller Says That Waiting for ‘Nightbitch’ to Be Released Is Like ‘Having Creative Blue Balls’

Vincent Perella
·2 min read
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The 49th Chaplin Gala took place on Monday, April 19 at Alice Tully Hall, honoring award recipient Jeff Bridges. From presenters Sharon Stone, Chris Pine, Cynthia Erivo, and Rosie Perez, to special guests including Sarah Paulson and Kieran Culkin, the carpet was buzzing for Film at Lincoln Center’s annual gala.

We caught up with Marielle Heller on the carpet, whose long-awaited “Nightbitch,” based on Rachel Yoder’s fall 2021 debut novel of the same name, will finally release December 6, 2024. “The truth is, it got delayed because of the strike, which is fine, we needed to strike,” Heller told IndieWire.

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“It was an important thing, but it’s hard to wait. It’s hard to be done with a movie and not have it come out,” Heller continued. “I don’t think I’m supposed to say something like this, but it’s kind of like having creative blue balls. We want this movie to come out and be in the world. I’m just so excited that it’s finally coming out and we’re going to get to share it.”

The film follows the story of a stay-at-home mother (six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams) who begins to embrace the inherent feral power that comes with being a parent. When her husband travels for work, the unnamed lead character is isolated in the suburbs with only her two-year-old son for company. Soon, she starts to become convinced that she’s slowly turning into a canine and eventually seeks help from a mommy support group to hide her feral alter ego.

“She’s incredible,” Heller teased of Adams’ upcoming performance. “I mean, we all know Amy Adams is incredible. She’s been nominated for a million Academy Awards. She’s amazing, but she really is special in this movie and I’m just so excited for the world to see her. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen from her before. She’s fierce and funny and dark and complicated and it’s good.”

Oscar-winning honoree Jeff Bridges walked the carpet alongside his wife Susan Geston, ahead of looking back at his seven decades of work as an actor, producer, and musician. Is there anything that Bridges feels as though he hasn’t done yet? “Nothing really pops into my mind,” he tells IndieWire. “I’m not one of those guys who [has to] play George Washington or something.”

Bridges was newly announced to be returning for “Tron: Ares,” the third “Tron” movie set for release in 2025 starring Jared Leto. In the spirit of returning to any of his other characters, Bridges tells IndieWire, “I always thought Starman, you know, it is all set up for a sequel.”

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