‘The Idea of You’ director on building lead stars’ ‘earned chemistry’

Director Michael Showalter (left) with Anne Hathaway on the set of “The Idea of You” —PRIME VIDEO

When we spoke to Emmy-nominated director Michael Showalter (“The Dropout,” “The Big Sick”) in a quick one-on-one chat about Prime Video’s acclaimed rom-com film “The Idea of You,” we wanted to know how he approached the storytelling aspect of his film and how he managed to get stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine to commit to the production’s May-September premise.

Here’s our Q&A:

What kind of movie did you set out to do when you decided to take on this project?

I love romantic comedies. I just love the genre. I grew up watching “When Harry Met Sally,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Say Anything”—the list goes on. Those movies are entertaining and funny and romantic, but they’re also more than just about romance.

Take “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” It’s a great example of a romantic movie that’s also about life and death and love and friendship and all these other things. So, that’s what I aspire to do in my movies. Yes, I try to entertain by making a movie that’s within the romance genre.

Nicholas Galitzine at the LA premiere of “The Idea of You”—PHOTO BY GREGG DEGUIRE/JANUARY IMAGES

In the case of “The Idea of You,” I set out to tell the story about these two characters, and I try to take the audience on a ride where they feel like they’re also with them. I want viewers to feel like this is really happening … that this is how it might actually happen. So, it’s not just fantasy or pure entertainment; it has to feel like an emotional journey as well.

Suspension of disbelief can be tricky in romantic characters from different age groups—like Anne Hathaway’s 40-year-old Solene and Nicholas Galitzine’s 24-year-old Hayes. How did you build your lead stars’ rapport and chemistry?

It was very important to me that their romance is played out gradually—that it isn’t love at first sight. I wanted to “earn” the chemistry between them. So, while we see that Hayes is attracted to Solene right off the bat, for Solene, it isn’t going to be that easy.

For me, the chemistry between the characters builds as we watch them get to know each other. And hopefully, the actors will also build on that spark the same way their characters do—they’re falling in love with each other as human beings. If that’s [well-articulated] in the writing, then that also helps the actors deliver convincing portrayals.