I was so insecure about this at the beginning and Paul was really helpful and he said that

if Shakespeare is performed right, you don't have to understand the words. You feel the emotions.

And Shakespeare, he writes with this beat, you know, like there is a rhythm. Like his language is not just about meaning,

but it's about rhythm, it's about vibration. And when he said that, I go, oh, well, I can do

that. I know I'm very sensitive. I can feel things. Hello, and welcome back to the Director's Cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America.

In this episode, a powerful story of love

and loss inspires a great work of literature and director Chloe Zhao's period drama, Hamnet. Based on the

novel by Maggie O'Farrell, the film follows Agnes and William Shakespeare as they live a pastoral

life with their family in the countryside.

When their young son Hamnet dies, they both deal with the loss in their own respective ways,

sewing the seeds for the creation of the classic play, Hamlet.

In addition to Hamnet, Zhao's other directorial credits include the feature films, Eternals, The Rider, and Songs My Brothers Taught me.

She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and Feature Film for her 2020 feature, Nomadland.

Following a screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles,

Zhao spoke with director Barry Jenkins about filming Hamnet.

Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.

I knew that was going to happen.

I'll tell a quick story.

We were just talking backstage that I maybe wasn't the right person to moderate this Q&A

because I have a four-month-old at home.

And are you guys all right? Are you guys good? I told them not to call Barry. I said you just

had a baby. But I felt like I had to. This is my compatriot. And when I made the show, the

...