Hello, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Directors Cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America,

featuring today's top directors sharing behind-the-scenes stories of the latest films and insights into the craft of directing.

The Director's Cut is now available on Spotify, so please take a second to subscribe to our podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode takes us behind the scenes of director Anne Fletcher's new comedy, Dumplin. Adapted from the

best-selling young adult novel by Julie Murphy,

the film tells the story of Willow Dean Dumplin Dixon, a plus-sized teenager living in the shadow

of her former beauty queen mother. To prove a point about measuring up and fitting in,

Dumplin signs up for her mom's Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant, but her protest takes on a life of its

own when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their

community. In addition to Dumplin, Ms. Fletcher's directorial credits include the feature

film's Hot Pursuit, The Guilt Trip, The Proposal, 27 Dresses, and Step Up. Following a recent screening of the film at the DGA Theatre in Los Angeles,

Ms. Fletcher spoke with director Adam Shankman about filming Dumplin.

During their conversation, Ms. Fletcher discusses why she prefers to shoot at a location rather than on a stage,

why she made Dumplin her first digital film, and how

instrumental Dolly Parton was to making the soundtrack as well as the film itself.

Hi, my name is Adam Shankman.

Yeah, that's me.

I have had the privilege of being friends with our director here for, God, 28.

1980.

28 years.

We danced together on the Oscars in 1990 and formed a fast friendship.

And I always, you know, she's a very, very special lady.

...