And I think Angelina is someone that brought a sense of stoicism to the character that I didn't entirely see.

To the beginning, I struggle a little bit with it, and I always ask her to do maybe another take

with a slightly different kind of understanding of certain emotional aspects of what we're doing. And then after three weeks in, I just stop asking for that. Hello and welcome back to the director's cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America.

In this episode, the last days of famed opera singer Maria Callis are chronicled in director

Pablo Lorraine's biographical drama,

Maria. The film follows the famed soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and

tumultuous life in the public eye. With time to settle and reflect, she reckons with both her legacy

and her identity.

In addition to Maria, Lorraine's other directorial credits include the feature films, The Club,

Pelconde, Emma, Jackie, Neruda, No, and Spencer, and episodes of the miniseries Story Lysie's Story and Homemade.

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

Lorraine spoke with director Mike Mills about filming Maria.

Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.

Music fuller-filled conversation. Hi, everyone.

It's a lot of light.

Who's gaffing this?

Thanks, everyone, for hanging out and coming to see the film.

And I was so impressed with your movie.

It's a good thing you're a director because it's really well directed.

Like all the cinematic elements, first of all, the performance, obviously, but then place and location are so rich and so felt.

And obviously, those two elements, the camera work, the quality of the film itself, like All these ingredients were like so poised and subtly, gently, beautifully done.

Just the exposures even.

...