Why Mary Steenburgen wrote her Book Club costars a song
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If Book Club: The Next Chapter isn't enough of a testament to female friendship in plot alone, then Mary Steenburgen's end credits song should do it.
The actress, who stars as happily married Carol in the female ensemble comedies, has been writing music for nearly 20 years, including end credit songs. So she crafted a new one for those of Next Chapter alongside Caitlyn Smith and Troy Verges. Titled "Anywhere With You," it's a tribute to her costars, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Diane Keaton.
"I wanted to write a song for the end that was my love song to them," Steenburgen tells EW. "And so that's what it was."
Everett Collection Mary Steenburgen in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter'
The other three ladies even offered up their vocal skills for the track, though Steenburgen jokes that she didn't give them any choice when it came to their participation. "We followed orders," quips Bergen, before adding, "it was fun."
"It was great," chimes in Fonda, who joined Steenburgen and Bergen to talk about the movie. "It was wonderful."
The four ladies — who first came together in 2018's Book Club — traveled to Italy to film on location for the sequel. Friends and fellow book club members for over 40 years, Vivian (Fonda), Carol (Steenburgen), Sharon (Bergen), and Diane (Keaton) are still making sense of the new love and independence in their lives when they decide to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Rome, Venice, and Tuscany.
When it turns into a bachelorette trip, the ladies go shopping for couture wedding gowns, leading to a sequence where they each take turns trying on wedding dresses and sipping prosecco. And filming it was as fun as it looks. "We'd all had a little bit of Prosecco, or a lot," says Fonda with a laugh. "We don't always do this, but in that particular scene, [we imbibed]. The set had 40-foot high ceilings and the painting of the walls and the way everything was decorated was really spectacular. We felt that this was all real. So we just had a good time."
Adds Steenburgen more matter-of-factly: "We just wore [wedding gowns] and drank."
Focus Features Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter'
The name of the game throughout the entire production process was having fun, which Bergen got to maximize while filming a hysterical sex scene on a water taxi in Venice. "I was trying to go for the laughs, which isn't so easy in a sex scene," she says. "But I just messed my hair up a lot and my partner was a very calm, low-key attractive guy."
But for all the fun, the movie still has a lot of heart and moving messages of friendship and commitment. "My marriage in the movie is the long marriage," reflects Steenburgen. "And I myself have been in a 30-year relationship. I related to it because of that maybe more than anybody, because it paralleled my own life."
For Fonda, it was an opportunity to explore a story line she feels she rarely sees on screen. Especially for older women. "There's a big surprise in terms of my relationship in the movie, and I didn't expect it when I read the script," she says. "I thought, 'Oh my God, that's fabulous.' It was a perfect way to handle that issue."
Focus Features Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Jane Fonda in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter'
The ladies have ventured to Italy, but would they want to re-team for a third project?
"Never say never," says Fonda, before Steenburgen adds, "In a heartbeat."
"We'd love to work together again," says Bergen. "We'd love to work in another location and —"
"And she will not announce this today because whatever Candice says is what happens," Steenburgen interrupts.
Turns out Steenburgen can't only write her costars a song, but finish their sentences too.
Book Club: The Next Chapter is now in theaters.
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