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Desert Island Discs

Greta Gerwig, writer and director

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.413.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Greta Gerwig is the director of the feature film Barbie - the first woman in cinematic history to have the sole director’s credit for a billion dollar blockbuster. Her previous films include Lady Bird, inspired in part by her own childhood, and Little Women, a widely acclaimed adaptation of the much-loved novel.

Greta was born and brought up in Sacramento in California. Her parents encouraged her love of the arts and she started trying to direct her friends in productions while she was still in kindergarten. She studied English and Philosophy at Barnard College in New York where she started acting and writing.

After she graduated she appeared in a series of low budget, improvised, so-called mumblecore films, noted for their often low-key naturalistic style. Her solo directorial debut came in 2017 with Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. The film won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for five Academy Awards. Her follow up film, Little Women, received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Greta has been named president of the jury for next year's Cannes Film Festival. She lives with her partner, the writer and director Noah Baumbach, and two sons in Manhattan.

DISC ONE: Opening: I Hope I Get It - Don Pippin, A Chorus Line Orchestra, A Chorus Line Ensemble DISC TWO: Pinball Wizard - The Who DISC THREE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His Orchestra DISC FOUR: And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind - Elvis Presley DISC FIVE: Moonage Daydream - David Bowie DISC SIX: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails - Johnny Green & His Orchestra, Fred Astaire DISC SEVEN: Camelot: Finale Ultimo - Camelot Orchestra conducted by Franz Allers, Original Broadway Cast of Camelot DISC EIGHT: Ain't Got No / I Got Life - Nina Simone

BOOK CHOICE: The Complete Poems: Emily Dickinson LUXURY ITEM: A writing set CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His Orchestra

Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey great choice of podcast but if juicy inside a goss with celebrity guests floats your boat

0:07.4

then why not check out the traitors uncloaks? I know it's a game of deception

0:11.3

this is a game of trust you but it's a game of trust.

0:12.7

You have to get people to trust you very quickly.

0:16.2

I'm Ed Gamble.

0:17.0

Join me as we discuss all the latest drama from the Traiters castle,

0:20.4

with exclusive access to the banished and murdered contestants.

0:23.4

No!

0:24.4

I would have never expected him at all.

0:26.3

The traitors uncloaked.

0:28.1

Listen only on BBC Sounds.

0:32.3

BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

0:35.6

Hello, I'm Lauren Levern and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast.

0:39.6

Every week I ask my guest to choose the Eight Tracks, Book and luxury they'd want to take with them if they were cast away to a desert island.

0:47.0

And for rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast.

0:52.0

I hope you enjoy listening. The My castaway this week is the director and writer Greta Gerwick. This year Barbie

1:21.6

made her the first woman in cinematic history to have the sole

1:25.5

director's credit for a billion dollar blockbuster. The film takes the titular doll on a fantastical philosophical journey that's a love letter to

1:34.1

Hollywood's golden age and both a celebration and critique of all that Barbie herself

1:39.4

represents. Greta was born in Sacramento, California, where she grew up with big passions, everything from fencing to ballet.

1:47.0

She initially dreamed of studying musical theatre, but first found acclaim acting in indie films so understated they were sometimes called Mumblecore.

1:55.8

And then she went behind the camera.

...

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