Later this month, audiences will get a look at Steven Spielberg’s most personal project when The Fabelmans opens to wide release. The movie is a stand-in exploration of the legendary director’s youth and unlike any of his previous work.
Michelle Williams, who stars as Mitzi Fabelman — a representation of Spielberg’s mother — in the movie, recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about what drew her to the role in the first place.
“After I finished the script, I said to my husband, ‘They let her live as a woman, not just as a mother. Everything that she did, she did completely.” There’s one line in the film, borrowed from real life, in which one of Spielberg’s sisters asks the teenage filmmaker to make more movies with roles for girls, instead of just the Westerns and war stories he’s been filming with his friends. With the role of Mitzi Fabelman, ‘he sure did,’ says Williams. ‘I mean, I’ve never come across a part like this.'”
Other parts of THR‘s feature reveal the movie will include Easter eggs for fans of Spielberg’s work, but is also structured so someone who has seen almost nothing he has done previously can appreciate it too. Paul Dano — who plays Spielberg’s father representation — says he got cast over Zoom, with Spielberg noting he was reminded of his father right away with Dano.
“I certainly didn’t want to come on my first meeting with Paul and be a little too familiar. But there was something so evocative of my dad. Ten minutes after the Zoom, I was choking. I was holding back my emotion.”
The Fabelmans currently has a 94 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On its path to release, it has taken top film festival honors and features plenty of incredible cameos. No spoilers, but, if you really want to know more, you can go forth and click on the link here. After this, Spielberg has no other projects scheduled, but has recently directed West Side Story, Ready Player One, The Post and began his extensive career in 1971 with Duel at Universal.