Celine Song says that when it comes to casting her movies, she shares something in common with the main character in her latest film, Materialists — a matchmaker played by Dakota Johnson.
“I go out as a matchmaker in pursuit of the perfect match or soulmate for those characters,” the filmmaker tells Gold Derby. To find the trio for her latest film — Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal — Song says she could immediately tell that they connected deeply with their characters. For Evans, who previously played Captain America and now portrays a struggling actor waiting tables in Materialists, that contrast was especially exciting for Song.
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“I’m not a big fan of typecasting,” she says. “It always interests me more if what an actor has done before doesn’t seem like what they’re about to do with me. I want to walk into every conversation with an actor and say, ‘You’re going to do something you’ve never done before, and I’m going to do something I’ve never done before, and we’re going to do it together. We’re going to have an amazing time birthing this character.’”
Dakota Johnson and Pedro PascalA24
For Song, Materialists, which is now streaming on HBO Max, was more than just another film — it marked a new chapter in her journey as a filmmaker. “The thing about Past Lives is that I had never made a movie before,” she says of the 2023 film that earned her an Oscar nomination. “At least this time, I knew what was next.”
Still, even the best preparation couldn’t have anticipated the paparazzi swarming the New York set — something she hadn’t experienced with Past Lives. “I had to learn very quickly how to handle that,” Song admits. “Everything we shot outside was going to be online.”
Despite the challenges, Song thrived on creating both the opulence and intimacy of the scenes in Materialists about as a high-end matchmaker in New York (Johnson) who finds herself torn between her broke but loving ex John (Evans) and a wealthy, suave new suitor Harry (Pascal). “Those beautiful, luxurious spaces are such a pleasure to shoot because they’re just so stunning,” she says of the filming in Harry’s apartment. But her heart remained with the humbler settings. “When it comes to John’s apartment, it was so fun to actually get to shoot those places … we’ve all lived in an apartment just like that.”
That sense of shared experience and of understanding how people live and love anchors Materialists, just as it did Past Lives. Song says she’s most proud of how this film has resonated beyond the screen. “The way it hit a nerve, the way it made the audience talk about it differently,” she says. “My friend was at a wedding where the entire speech referenced lines and scenes from Materialists … it sparked a conversation about how we treat each other.”
Song says each film she works on becomes the love of her life for the few years it takes to get the project from script to screen. For her, that cultural ripple effect is everything. “I’m proud of the way this film has connected with people.”
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