You’ve basically done everything when it comes to movies and music except for a
soundtrack. How was this different? What attracted you to it?
"It’s way more of a collaborative process than I’m used to. Even being in a rock band,
you’re dealing with three other people. I’ve been really fortunate over the years; I
haven’t had to answer to anyone creatively except myself as a lyricist...and my band. So, having to create something for a director, a story, producers, and their feedback is apart of the process. I really learned a lot. This was my first time composing a score and I think throughout the process I figured it out. By the last week I was like, 'Oh! Now I know how to communicate with people.'"
Which is what happens when you work with a large group of people who are very
used to production schedules and particular ways of "business-like" communicating...
"And to have a real job — I play rock and roll, so I sleep ‘til noon. To have to wake up in the morning and be in a room with people, and learning how to assimilate the critique from people who don’t speak the language of music, and then
to be able to apply that to the actual work where you’re like, 'Uh, so do you want me to
change the chord or do you not like the drums? Can you be specific and tell me what it
is that you like.'”
Like, “Well, we want it to be more sad…”
You haven’t done anything in film in years...
"Well, I had a cameo on Gossip Girl two years ago, but that didn’t count and I was terrible.
They gave me the weirdest line to say and I made a thousand facial expressions. I
blinked a couple of times and the camera luckily panned away from me. I retired when I
was...19 or 20? It’s been a while."
So, elephant in the room: The Postal Service is getting back together. Are you involved in that? Are you excited?
Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
"Well I don’t want to say too much ‘cause I’m going to let Ben [Gibbard] and Jimmy
[Tamborello] talk about it. They’re my good friends and I would be sad if they didn’t ask
me to come along. But, I am very excited. Ten years ago when we toured that record, we toured
before it came out and for about a month or two after it came out. So, I don’t think
we’ve experienced the full impact of how [it was received] — people really love that
record."
Unbelievably so. It was era-defining. What about you, though? What’s on your horizon?
"I’m finishing up a solo record that I’ve been working on for a year and a half. I
had to start working on the film, so I had to shelve it for a moment, which was
actually a positive thing for me because I hit a wall with some of the songs. Working
instrumentally on the film was a little break from my own narrative. Now I’m ready to
get back to myself."
How was it working back in movies, but without actually acting in them? Did you get to work with the actresses?
"The song that Lizzie Olsen performs [in Very Good Girls], 'Go Ahead,' is a Rilo Kiley song. It’s the first song off the first record. She’s a young songwriter within her first
maybe ten or fifteen songs, so [Director] Naomi [Foner] and I thought that would be a really great
way to speak to that process.
Photo: Everett Collection/Rex USA