Rose Byrne Channels the Complexity of Parenting In New Film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Summary

The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Rose Byrne Channels the Complexity of Parenting In New Film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Date: October 9, 2025
Hosts: Chloe Malle (A), Taylor Antrum (B)
Guest: Rose Byrne (C)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the making and emotional core of If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You, a new indie film starring Rose Byrne. Hosts Chloe Malle and Taylor Antrum discuss the film’s claustrophobic intensity, its unique narrative perspective on motherhood, and Byrne’s transformative performance. The conversation expands into Rose’s creative process, real-life parenting, reflections on genre, collaboration with her husband Bobby Cannavale, and her upcoming projects—on both stage and screen.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to the Film and Byrne's Performance

• Taylor frames the movie as a stressful yet exceptional indie:

  "I thought the central performance by Rose Byrne was unlike anything we've ever seen Rose Byrne do before." [00:26]

• The film's plot centers around a mother (Linda) coping with her daughter’s severe eating disorder, presented almost entirely from Linda's perspective.

  “It's about her dealing with an ill daughter, but you never see the daughter until the end.” (A) [01:03]

2. Atmosphere & Style of the Film

• Shot primarily in Montauk, with a low budget and an immersive, nearly single-point-of-view style.
• Echoes the nervy, pressure-cooker tone of Safdie brothers' films, to which director Mary Bronstein has connections.
• Notable supporting cast includes Conan O’Brien, A$AP Rocky, and Christian Slater (voice).

3. Rose Byrne on the Role and Script

• Byrne immediately felt the script was “electric and read like a fever dream.” [03:57]
• Calls the film existential, radical, and layered, blending dark comedy and drama:

  “The script was just fire... It’s existential, and it’s about motherhood and being a caretaker and about therapy... I felt simultaneously terrified and adrenalized.” (C) [03:57]

• The close-up, subjective cinematography was energizing but left her drained and “bereft” after shooting:

  “It was a bit like doing a play... at the end, I felt a little bereft. I think I felt it has stayed with me and felt a lot of separation anxiety from Mary Bronstein, the writer, director.” (C) [06:07]

4. Portrayal of Motherhood and Caretaking

• The movie confronts the anxiety, responsibility, and complex emotions tied to modern motherhood.
• Rose discusses the shame and lack of open dialogue around maternal frustration, disappointment, or anger:

  “There’s so much shame around having feelings that are maybe anger, disappointment, frustration, challenges, claustrophobia, postpartum… finally we're getting to discuss that.” (C) [10:07]

• Mary Bronstein’s own experiences informed the portrayal.
• The decision to not show the daughter until the final frame literalizes the mother’s psychological isolation:

  “You literally don't see your child in the film until the last frame. You're quite literally inside your head.” (A) [12:08]

5. Parenting Through Crisis and COVID

• The hosts and Rose bond over parental claustrophobia and the surreal stress of COVID quarantines with children.
• Rose shares her own anecdote:

  “I did two quarantines in Australia... for two weeks with my kids. My sense memory of quarantine was... all the phone calls with your partner about the children.” (C) [13:34]

• The character of Linda pulls from both extraordinary and universal experiences of caretaking.

6. Crafting Key Scenes—The Dramatic Beach Ending

• The climatic ocean sequence was both technically challenging and symbolically integral:

  “We managed to just get in there right at the end of summer... The sequence is gorgeous. It is really. It's wild and something... It's untamed and feral. It's her last attempt to escape.” (C) [15:48–17:41]

• Real waves, real risk, with the crew nearly losing their cinematographer to the surf.

7. Impact of Role on Byrne's Perspective

• The heavy research involved in talking with mothers of special needs children stayed with her:

  “On every level, this film has changed my perspective on motherhood in many ways.” (C) [18:06]

• Explores the primal anxiety tied to feeding and the immediacy of a caregiver’s responsibility.

8. Working with A$AP Rocky and Conan O’Brien

• A$AP Rocky’s role provides the film’s central figure of empathy:

  “He's truly the only character with empathy in the film... He keeps the audience engaged and sort of rooting for my character.” (C) [21:33]

• Mary Bronstein specifically targeted both Rocky and Conan for their roles, lending the movie a “punk” energy in her casting choices.

9. Theater, Upcoming Projects, and Life with Bobby Cannavale

• Rose is active in New York’s theater scene; Bobby is starring in the Broadway revival of “Art.”
• Rose is to star in a Noel Coward play at the Roundabout Theatre, excited by the chance to perform his “intricacy of comedy.” [27:21]
• The couple balances family and career with humor and negotiation—grocery lists and schedules abound.

10. Rose Byrne's Production Company and Reading Habits

• Byrne is avidly reading and optioning books for adaptation, currently focused on Australian material like Homecoming by Kate Morton. [29:23]
• Casual book and reading habit talk leads to a humorous comparison of sleep-deprived parent faces.

11. Family, Fashion, and Life’s Little Details

• The hosts and Rose bond over children’s names, family routines, and navigating “drip” (style) for school picture day.
• Rose’s son, notably, likes to wear suits to school, showcasing family flair.
• Fashion talk includes festival wardrobes (from “ranch-core” at Telluride to Prada at Toronto) and stylistic choices when promoting a film about a mother in distress.

  “The film explicitly is showing someone who's given up, and I think the opportunity to do the opposite with promoting it is really fun... to be glamorous.” (C) [35:56]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the film’s intensity:

  “It is kind of radical and a little punk rock... There is these moments where the kind of the valves release and you are allowed to laugh at the absurdity and heart.” (C) [03:10]

• On motherhood’s complexity:

  “With motherhood, there's so much shame around having feelings ... finally we're getting to discuss that.” (C) [10:07]

• On career fulfillment:

  “So fulfilling creatively. Like, really a creative highlight for me of my career, for sure.” (C) [08:47]

• On the ocean sequence:

  “It's untamed and feral and she's... it's her last attempt to kind of escape and, you know, get out of here.” (C) [17:41]

• On working with A$AP Rocky:

  “He’s truly the only character with empathy in the film... and he did it really beautifully.” (C) [21:33]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:03] Description of the film's premise and Rose's role
• [03:57] Rose on reading the script; existential and genre-defying nature
• [06:07] The challenge of shooting and emotional aftermath
• [10:07] Discussion on motherhood, shame, and new artistic narratives
• [12:08] The decision to not show the daughter until the end
• [13:34] Parenting during COVID; Rose’s two-week strict quarantines
• [15:48–17:41] Filming the climactic beach sequence
• [18:06] Real moms’ stories influence Rose’s perspective
• [21:33] Working with A$AP Rocky; unique empathy in his character
• [27:21] Rose’s upcoming Noel Coward play with Roundabout Theatre
• [29:23] Rose on reading and acquiring material for her production company
• [35:56] Dressing for festivals vs. the film’s distressed character
• [37:39] Origin and thoughts on her children's names

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Flow & Tone

The episode balances heavy topics (motherhood, caregiving, mental health) with humor and candid personal stories. The hosts’ rapport with Rose Byrne is relaxed and playful, giving room for honest reflection—matched by Rose’s generous, self-effacing insights.
Listeners come away with a vivid sense of both the film’s emotional power and Rose Byrne's thoughtful approach to craft, family, and life.

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For listeners interested in:

• Indie filmmaking and actor transformation
• Honest conversations about motherhood and mental health
• The collaborative world of theater, family, and creative partnerships
• Behind-the-scenes accounts of fashion, festivals, and life as an artist and parent

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Episode in a sentence:
A funny, fierce, and heartfelt conversation about parenting, art, and taking on roles—and waves—that truly test your limits.

Transcript

[A]

This is the run through. I'm Chloe Mel.

[B]

And I'm Taylor Antrum.

[A]

And we are coming to you post our fashion month extravaganza, Shark Week September, to remember every debut you've ever wanted to hear about with an exceptional episode with the one and only Rose Byrne.

[B]

We're back to culture after fashion.

[A]

That's Chloe.

[B]

This was a movie I made you see a really sort of it shall not be forgotten dark indie called if I had Legs, I'd kick you. And the reason I made you see it was because I thought the central performance. I mean, I really liked the movie. It's quite dark, but I really liked the movie and I thought the central performance by Rose Byrne was unlike anything we've ever seen Rose Byrne do before. And I thought how fun it would be to talk to her about it.

[A]

You know what's really good for me in like the second week of my new job when I'm just feeling like a fire hose coming at me and then coming home to my children is to then settle in for the most stressful two hours imaginable.

[B]

I know, I know. I did feel somewhat guilty about that.

[A]

We loved Rose Byrne. She was a delight. We think this is a big movie for this season. It's directed by Mary Bronstein. It is, as Taylor said, about a mother. Almost the entire movie is Rose Byrne's phase, right? It's about her dealing with a ill daughter, but you never see the daughter until the end.

[B]

But is that really all shot in Montauk? It's sort of a low budget movie, but like a very, very effective one for fans of, like, the Safdie brothers type movies, of which Mary Bronstein has a connection to that world. And you come for Rose Byrne and you stay for supporting performances by none other than Conan o'. Brien. His debut in a feature movie, and he's fabulous. And A$AP Rocky, who we love, and the voice of Christian Slater. So there's a lot of fun stuff in this movie, even though it's a stressful watch. Anyway, the film is out on October 10th and we had a great time talking to her about it and about her life with her husband, Bobby Cannavale, who we love. We love Bobby and he's in art on Broadway, the revival of the play Art, which she talked about. And it was a fun conversation.

[A]

And they are one of my favorite sort of New York actor couples. I feel like they're both consistently choosing interesting projects. They both seem very invested and involved in New York City theater and they have a nice Brooklyn Life with their two sons with very cute names. Rocco and Rafa.

[B]

Yeah, we envied those names, didn't we?

[A]

I know. And then she was like, what are your kids names? And she was like, oh, traditional.

[B]

Yeah, totally. She was not impressed.

[A]

William really thought out of the box for that.

[B]

Sad for William. That's my son. So without further ado, here's Rose Byrne.

[A]

Okay, I want to talk about legs because unfortunately, Taylor and I have very different tastes in film. He likes a really stressful film.

[B]

I do. Well, you know, I love feeling I have where your heart's racing a little bit and you're really.

[A]

It's like being on a roller coaster for two hours.

[B]

But I enjoy that.

[A]

I know, I know.

[C]

I find that there's a claustrophobia, but also. I don't disagree. No. The film asks a lot of its audience, and it's an experience. It is kind of radical and a little punk rock, and it's definitely has a claustrophobia to it and a tone that is a pressure cooker underneath. But it is released with comedy. I think there is these moments where the kind of the valves release and you are allowed to laugh at the absurdity and heart.

[A]

Like, there are these moments of real empathy, and you do respond to that.

[B]

So your character's daughter has a kind of eating disorder, and it's connected to a feeding tube. And the challenge that your character is facing is that this doctor, played by Mary Brownstein, is saying that your daughter has to gain something like 50% pounds this week or there's further intervention that's gonna happen. Did I summarize that?

[C]

Yes. That was so brilliant, and I could not have done that. So thank God you're here.

[A]

And the doctor character is really expressing some quite tacit and not judgment of Rose's character in the way that she's handling. Yes.

[B]

And your character refuses to sort of be pinned down about when we're gonna talk about it and are we gonna make our benchmarks, and you're just sort of. There's that. The film is really about this need to escape from reality.

[C]

And every time I understood this movie, every time.

[B]

Reality sort of.

[C]

Are you Linda?

[B]

Yeah. Well, you know, I have kids too. So listen, we all have.

[A]

We all tapped into some inner Linda for us.

[C]

Linda is my character, by the way, for the audience.

[B]

Right.

[C]

That's her name.

[B]

That's her name. The film. The camera's on your face, like, the whole time. So it's very. It's like Linda is the main character, but there's very little Objectivity from her. It's like you're just kind of in.

[C]

Her face the whole time. Her point of view the entire time. Yes.

[B]

But my question is, when you got the script, what did you think?

[C]

I mean, the script was just fire. I don't know how to describe it, but it was electric and red, like a fever dream. And it's existential, and it's about motherhood and it's about being a caretaker and about therapy and, you know, there's many layers. And I felt, like, simultaneously, you know, terrified and adrenalized by the whole thing. I just thought it was quite extraordinary. And I feel like the film very much reflects the script. Often, you know, a screenplay can be one thing and a film can really evolve into something else. But this was. It's very true to what I read. What was on the page is really. Really do what you see on the screen. Yeah.

[A]

But I did leave finish the film wondering how draining it was to make the film because I, like, needed to take a bath after.

[C]

Yeah, your nerves are jangled for. I totally. I agree. You know, when we shot it, my adrenaline was so high because of the pace we were at. The film is ambitious. It's ambitious with its sequences, you know, with the hamster and the ending at the beach and the roof falling down. This was all done practically. There's very little. Very little, if none special effects.

[A]

Right.

[C]

And it was not a big budget. We shot it in 26 or seven days and so in Montauk, actually, or Room in Montauk and around the city. But it was. You know, my adrenaline was so high. It was really not until after. It was a bit like doing a play. And then you. And then I, a little bit, have forgotten what happened in between the start and the finish. And then at the end, I felt a little bereft. I think I felt it has stayed with me and felt a lot of separation anxiety from Mary Bronstein, the writer, director.

[B]

And she's so good in the movie, too. She's so.

[C]

Isn't she great? She's so such a weird cameo.

[B]

I know.

[C]

She's so humorless and like, this, like, Doctor who's just the, like, nemesis of Linda.

[B]

In some ways, she's an audience surrogate because the audience sort of wants your character to kind of bear down and make that appointment and all that stuff, you know. And I thought that was interesting that she played that sort of role in the film. A lot of people feel like they haven't seen you in a role like this before. And there was A show physical, which is much sort of darker kind of comedy than maybe we're used to with you, and had elements of drama. This movie has some elements of humor, but make no mistake, this is a very kind of serious film. And so this is not Bridesmaids. Yeah.

[A]

To anyone listening who's a fan, be warned.

[B]

Do these categories matter to you? Like, when you look at the script, do you think to yourself, this is my way out of, like, doing the kinds of things that people expect? Or is it something that you don't even think of in that way?

[C]

Not really. I mean, I just thought of it as, like, what an. I mean, a. An opportunity. Like, oh, God, like, I wouldn't want to. I don't want to mess this up. A. But to your point about genre, you know, we had. We did Telluride Film Festival recently, and we did a panel on genre with Jodie Foster and myself and Mary Bronstein and this wonderful director, French director Rebecca Latoski. I'm going to mispronounce her last name. A French director who was wonderful. And in any case, we were discussing genre and how what its constraints are, what its freedoms are and this sort of thing. And I feel like with Mary's film to that point, she sort of defies it in a way. Cause there's many different genres in the film, I think, personally, when you're experiencing it. And for me, as a creative, I love to explore all of them. And I feel like they, you know, in terms of, like, comedy and drama, the best drama is funny and the best comedy is dramatic. And I think, you know, not to be too corny, but kind of comes from the same wellspring, the same place. And that tightrope, for me, is what I love to watch and what I attempt to do or, you know, for want of a better explanation. And this film was such an opportunity to have both of those, I think. And, yeah, it is, of course, very dark, very dramatic. And it is not. It's not in the genre of a Bridesmaids or a Spy or a neighbor's or Platonic or something, which is far broader and more of a hang comedy.

[A]

But it's a gymnastics routine. I mean, you are doing everything.

[C]

Yeah, but again, like, so fulfilling creatively. Like, really a creative highlight for me of my career, for sure.

[B]

Tell Rose how old your kids are.

[A]

Well, yes, I. My husband and I watched it, and he was like, this is too much for you right now. My daughter is three, and if you approach her with a hairbrush, just in the same room, just the Screams as if she is having every finger pulled off of her. It's just every morning I feel like I'm going through battle.

[C]

The cortisol levels are high.

[A]

Yeah. So this really.

[B]

That's very much what this movie is.

[A]

You know, I know. And I really related to that. I mean, I had a moment this weekend where she refused to eat, and I just had to walk away. And I feel like I've been very grateful over the past five years. Even more. Rachel Cus was earlier than that. But that women are. Feels like finally talking very honestly about motherhood and the complexity of motherhood and that I feel like even in the last two years, that has ramped up to become even more intense from the Amy Adams movie Night Bitch. But I found that very validating as someone who's often frustrated with my children, both when they were infants and now when they're toddlers. And I wonder, were there any texts or films that you went to that helped fill out this character?

[C]

Well, Mary Bronstein, the writer director, is very candid about this. This is a pretty personal experience that she went through being a parent. So Mary was always my touchstone for the character and for the story. And I love this D that is finally happening to these projects. I loved Nightbitch. I thought that was extraordinary as a novel. So I feel like with motherhood, there's so much shame around having feelings that are maybe anger, disappointment, frustration, challenges, claustrophobia, claustrophobia, postpartum. All these things that for many years there was no dialogue around or language or anything. And that. But finally we're getting to discuss that. And it's hard. It's challenging for people to watch and people don't. Mothers are both revered and also dismissed, I think, in society as like, it's obviously the most important job in the world, but yet it is. Has so many, you know, shortcomings and lack of support and lack of. You know, we could go on and on about that. But this artistic conversation around it, I think is really inspiring. And Mary doesn't pull any punches. It is very much about that and the terrible choices my character makes about being a mother and the denial she is in. And I mean, the truth is she can't even see her child. Cause she's at that point a caretaker more than a mother. And she's not having the typical experience of much joy with her child. And we try. There are moments of that throughout the film. And what she's going through as a mother is like 99% of mothers will not hopefully go through this it is such a specific thing. But that idea of being a caretaker, I think, is something people can relate to in many different aspects of their life. And that this point. This point in this kind of crises is that's where she's at.

[B]

And.

[C]

Yeah, she doesn't even really see her child. It's very sad. It's very moving at the end.

[A]

Well, she doesn't. I think what you're saying is exactly right. And I try to sort of remind myself of that. It's like, remember to find the joy in this somehow impaired away. But it becomes that you don't even see the child. You just are in your head about how impatient, et cetera. And I thought that what Mary did so well was that you literally don't see your child in the film until the last frame. And that's. It really becomes so much. You are quite literally inside your head.

[C]

Yes. Which is what she wanted. Yeah. It was a wild conceit. When she pitched it to me, I was like, oh, okay.

[B]

You know, and see the child.

[C]

And she was like, I have this idea. And, you know. But obviously I saw the child and she was my scene partner. And I very much, like all of my choices are informed by Delaney Quinn, this wonderful actress who, you know, we met with a lot of great young actresses, and Delaney ended up doing the pot, and she was just brilliant. And it was also great having a child on set because it brings a levity and it gives a sense of play that you. You just have to bring when you have a child on set. And that was really a gift. How old is Delaney at the time? She was 10. Oh, wow. Okay. So really? Yeah, she's. She's probably 12 now, which is. Yeah. But she was a terrific kid and loves horror films. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, cool.

[C]

You know, we would just talk about what you talk about with kids, you know, she was gorgeous. Yeah.

[B]

I wonder if Covid plays a role here, because all of us who are parenting through Covid had a pretty unique experience.

[A]

You were in a dark place.

[C]

How old are you?

[B]

To me, my son's just about to turn 11, and my daughter's 13, so I'm a little ahead of where you are. I know.

[C]

With your two boys.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

We have seven and nine, and I have a stepson who's 30, so we have, like, caught the whole kind of gamut photo.

[A]

So you had the toughest time for Covid. I always think now that the age my kids are now would be brutal.

[C]

I know. I know what you mean. It's definitely. Gosh, it was Challenging. And I did two quarantines in Australia where that was one of the strictest rules in the world, where you didn't leave the hotel and there were, like, police up there. You know, it was very strict. And I did that twice with my kids for two weeks.

[A]

Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

If I had legs, too.

[C]

Which is just a little bit sad by the end.

[A]

Well, I was gonna say, this movie is so dramatic and doesn't happen to 0.1%, we hope, of mothers, but was there any moment of parenting, claustrophobia or frustration that you could pull on that you went back to? But maybe it was being quarantined for.

[C]

Two weeks in Australia. My sense memory of quarantine was the, like. I mean, I love all the phone call. What? Those phone calls you have with your partner sometimes about the children, where it's.

[A]

That really hit home for me.

[C]

It's like those, like, we rehearse in reverse. You know, it's like, wild. But that thing of, like. And Christian Slater was on the phone the whole time. And just that thing of when you're trying to. And it's. I find phone calls, they're quite hard to perform, like, to make them sound authentic, because you really do have a. It's a. Anyway, so Mary was. She was so brilliant with making that all really, really specific and very authentic and very practical. And he would always be in some strange location trying to call in, literally on a phone call.

[A]

No, that was perfect. When we was at the basketball game and it was.

[C]

Yeah, it's like.

[B]

You're like, graham, Sorry, it's breaking up. I can't. I can't hear anything. Linda is very good at hanging up, too, because I'm very bad at hanging up on people. And I noted that in the film, it's like two or three times she just, like, zoop. Hangs up the phone.

[C]

I was just saying. I was like, she's really gonna hang up. She gonna hang up. Oh, okay, okay, okay. Like, it's so hostile. It's really hostile. It's really.

[A]

I feel like my husband would be thrilled if I hung up.

[C]

I'm more like, oh, really?

[B]

I do want to ask about the last sequence, which I guess is a minor spoiler, but. But not really. I don't know how to handle this on a podcast, but, like, skip ahead or something. But at the end.

[C]

Thank you. Thank you for the warning. Exactly. It's not too much, but, yeah, you're.

[B]

On the beach and you sort of plunge into the waves over and over again. And I feel like I'd almost never seen anything like that before. And it was so, like, shivered, it was sort of scary to watch. And I didn't know if there was a little CGI because the waves look really. I mean, anyone who's swum in the ocean out there is, like. It can be pretty dicey, you know, so. Can you tell me about that?

[C]

No. Well, I mean, honestly, it was. It was such a huge sequence. The. The entire sort of schedule, to be honest, was kind of around the beach because we had to get it all shot before it got too cold out in Montauk. And the strike was going on and we were waiting for a waiver and all these. It was like a Tetris of, like, trying to figure all of that stuff out. And so we managed to just get in there right at the end of summer, right when everything was closing up and the beach was still warm enough, the water was still warm enough that we weren't gonna get hypothermia or, you know, whatever, that we were gonna be able to execute this really ambitious sequence which was.

[B]

Yeah, totally.

[C]

You know, and I. In a way, like, I'm Australian, if you didn't know. I grew up in Sydney. And you learned to swim very, very young. You know, 80% of the population is on the coast. You're in the water as soon as you can walk, like you're floating around, you know, it's very much part of my culture. So I have a great respect for the ocean and a great. I take it very seriously. And I'm aware of the waves and the currents and all those sorts of things. And I am not. I don't take that lightly. And it was. Montauk can be really rough. And leading up to that, the waves had been very quiet. And then on the night, they all of a sudden came rol. There was a sense of all of us were in this together, trying to make this work. We nearly lost our cinematographer. He was, you know, out there in the thing, like, you know, going underneath. We had a. You know, we obviously had all of the safety precautions and everything in place, but there was. It was definitely ambitious. And it was like, you see a.

[B]

Wave like that, I understand to my kids, like, don't go in the ocean at all. Of course not. And you're throwing yourself head first into it.

[C]

I know. So it was quite a sequence to undertake. And we shot it out of order. And it's the end of the movie, you know, it was many different sort of facets going on, as there always was.

[A]

The Montauk surfers, like, gathered around dogging.

[C]

It was at 2 in the morning, so there was nobody around. So hardcore. But the sequence is gorgeous. It is really. It's wild and something.

[A]

It's like being knocked out by a wave.

[C]

It's untamed. It's totally untamed and feral and she's. Yeah, it's her last attempt to kind of escape and, you know, get out of here. And so I'm really proud of the sequence. I think Mary just did such a beautiful job. Yeah.

[A]

Was there any part of playing this character that you felt shifted your perspective on motherhood or even just remind you of how unrealistic the expectations of motherhood can be?

[C]

Every part of the film did. I mean, Mary sharing her story with me. We spoke to a lot of women, mothers of children with special needs. And that was really, you know, as you can imagine, very heavy and very moving and, you know, you can't describe it. You know, these women sharing these stories of their kids and what they've been through and at various ages. And they were so wonderful and candid with me. And that has stayed with me and will continue to stay with me. So the little bit I've been exposed to, learning about that. But no, on every level, this film has changed my perspective on motherhood in many ways. Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

I mean, I have a panic attack when Alice doesn't finish her lunch. And just the complete. The way that you take on someone else's well being in that way, I thought it's extremely powerful.

[C]

And I mean, there's something about food, right? And your job is to keep this person alive with eating food. So it's so primal, right? It's like one of the most. Yeah, I have the same thing. If my kids are fussy with something or they won't eat. And you're like immediately just. It's cellular, right? You're like, this is my job. This is my job. And that's what she keeps saying throughout the movie.

[B]

The eating of food takes on a life of its own after a certain age. So like at 13, no problem at all. In fact, we went out to dinner with another couple and all of our kids were above 11. So 11 to say, 17. And we ordered a bunch of food and basically the teenagers ate all of it. There was nothing left that it was.

[C]

They eat you out of house and home, right? Particularly boys. They were all furnished.

[B]

These were all girl.

[C]

Oh, cool.

[B]

Yeah, they got little furnaces, you know, little Jockey girls. We love to hear it. But I had a little Plate of rice. And that was all I got. I was like, all right, I guess that's okay.

[C]

We're constantly. The amount of times mostly what Bobby and I talk about is just groceries.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Literally groceries.

[A]

So what are your calls with Bobby that are like the Christian slave?

[C]

It's like schedule and groceries. Schedule and groceries. It's like a constant thing. I don't know if you guys have the same experience, but do we?

[B]

I mean, this could just be the Vogue parents. This could be the panel.

[C]

This could be the panel.

[A]

Although you do do the groceries.

[B]

I do the groceries and the schedule. I'm the CEO. But Liz is more fun, so that's how I try. That's what I say.

[A]

Graham does everything, but I'm more fun.

[C]

Oh, people come for Bobby and they stay for Bobby. He's definitely more fun. I'm like, they come for him, they save him.

[B]

Liz is better than Bobby.

[C]

He delivers and he does the groceries.

[A]

The run through will be back in a moment with Rose Byrne. Hi, it's Cho Minardi. If you're not on the Vogue app yet, what the hell are you doing?

[C]

You can follow along with me and.

[A]

Other editors as we talk about everything happening in fashion. Think you're already a fashion expert? Well, find out how your Runway IQ stacks up against the Vogue community with an all new Runway genius leaderboard. So download the Vogue app today and.

[C]

You'Ll never miss a moment.

[B]

Okay, Rose, I want to hear what it was like working with A$AP Rocky on this film because he was on the COVID of the May issue of Vogue, which was pegged to the Met gala. And I have to say, that was such a fun cover story to work on.

[A]

Oh, we love Rocky so much. He really charmed everyone on our team at the Met because he was a co host and everyone was just putty in his hands.

[C]

I feel like the same experience for everybody, definitely mine. But he was just so generous and curious, and it was a hard character to play. It's like he's truly the only character with empathy in the film and curiosity, and he actually sees what's happening in front of him whereas no one else. My character can't really see anything or anything.

[A]

There's no one else who's showing that.

[B]

Yeah, he's sort of a breath of fresh air.

[C]

He really is. And he keeps the audience engaged, I think, and sort of rooting for my character. Like, he's very instrumental in the narrative and it's a hard needle to thread, and he did it really beautifully. And Mary Bronstein, our Writer, director. Just had. Just knew it had to be him. She's ingenious with her casting. Yeah. I mean, same with Conan o'. Brien. That's bold to go in being like.

[A]

I have to have Conan and Rocky.

[C]

It is. It's punk. It's like rock. It really is punk. Totally.

[B]

She's like, I don't know who's gonna play my lead, but as long as I have Conan and Rocky, she's really.

[C]

That's kind of Mary to a T. I'm a big.

[A]

I have a big crush on Conan.

[B]

I mean, so I saw Legs at Sundance.

[C]

Oh, you did?

[B]

In January. And so the.

[A]

Taylor keeps calling it Legs, which I find very, like, distracting.

[C]

We do, too. Good. Oh, yeah.

[B]

Well, I saw a pack screening at, like, Late Night at Sundance, and it was extremely stressful, and I was really into it. It was one of those. I mean, at Sundance, it was perfect because, like, people love to be provoked and to have these sort of movies that are, you know, in your face a little bit. But it was just a funny story. It was. I'd seen that movie, and I was so bullish about your performance and everything about it. And then Conan did the Oscars, came in, and he was such a hit, right?

[C]

Yeah, he did. I know he was.

[B]

And the next meeting, like, with Anna and the other editors, I was like, guys, Conan, not only has he just.

[A]

Killed the Oscar, Taylor was like, oh, good cover. Conan o' Brien debut. And I was like, go away.

[C]

Stop.

[B]

Stop.

[C]

Little too radical. Yeah, no, he's wonderful in the.

[B]

We just did a profile on art. Oh, yeah, of course. Yes, of course.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And that premiere was just on Tuesday, so.

[C]

Did you see the play?

[B]

I wasn't there for it, but it was funny. The task that Anna gave me was she was like, well, someone who had to have seen it in the 90s. And I was like, oh, my God, how am I gonna find a writer who saw. And sure enough, that my good friend Adrienne Miller, who's my age and was in New York in the 90s, I emailed her, and she was like, I did see it, and I loved it. And so she met Cast between your husband.

[C]

It was a great piece.

[B]

Wrote a great little piece.

[C]

And Victor Garver came to the opening, which was so magic. I love when he was like, my husband's such a true. You know, theater is his church, you know, and so he was just like. That was kind of, I think, the most meaningful person there in the room because he just reveres him and his performance. And, you Know, you know, just the legacy of, you know, when you're doing a revival and he's just so beloved. Victor said that was really special, that he. That was so kind.

[A]

Because for people who don't know, Victor played the same character that.

[C]

Oh, no, he didn't play Bobby's character. He played Neil Patrick Harris. Character of Serge. Yeah.

[B]

And then who were the other two? Was it Alan Alda?

[C]

Alan Alda played Mark, which is Bobby's character that he's now playing. And it was. Oh, gosh. Fred Molina. Alfred Molina.

[B]

Yes. Yes. Adrian was like my boyfriend. Alfred Molina. It was so funny. Played Ivan.

[C]

Okay. Got all the names right. That was like a litmus test for my brain. Character's memory. Actors. Good Lord. Anyway, I wanted to know what the.

[A]

Dress you wore to the premiere was, because I thought that was very pretty.

[C]

Oh, thank you. It was Anna October. Very little chic kind of number from the Ukraine.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We did a whole story on her. Yeah. Broadway openings are funny.

[A]

It's a mixed bag.

[C]

It's a mixed bag. Thank you. Thank you. That's much more of an erudite way of saying it, but. And I'm not in the play either, so I was like, you know, trying to be well played for Bobby, but it was a fun night and some great people, and it was really. It was a great vibe in the room. And it's a. It's a wonderful.

[A]

Had you been to the previews yet, or was it the first time you were seeing it?

[C]

It's the third time I've seen it. Oh, nice. I had gone to an invited dress, and then I went to a preview, and then it was opening, so. But there's nothing like an opening. I mean, it's just electric and. Yeah, it was. It was really. It was really special. Yeah.

[A]

How does that affect sort of scheduling and figuring out everything in the Cannavale Byrne household? Like, I just always think of people I know who are doing theater, and it just. It's.

[C]

Yes, it's funny. It's like for Bobby, he's. Again, it is a rigorous schedule. I totally agree. But he thrives on it. He loves it. And there's a regularity to it in that if you're on set, you're there for 16, 18 hours a day, or not that long, but it can be. Go on and on. On some jobs. And this is at least. It's a reg. You know, it's like a. You know, it's a. You still get your mornings with the kids. You can get Some of the afternoons. And obviously you miss nighttime, but there's. There's blessings to both and curses to both kind of thing. But for him, he really. He really thrives on it. He just loves it. And, yeah, it's such a, you know, he's such a New Yorker, Bobby, so he's sort of synonymous with Broadway at this point. So, yeah, it's really fun. And James is such a delight. He's. And I know he's, you know, good friends of Vogue and everything.

[A]

Call it an foa. Friend of Anna.

[B]

I think we can call Neil.

[C]

Yeah, she was there, your co worker. Yeah, it was. It was really. It was. Yeah, it was very, very fun. Yeah. He's so charming, James, and he's so funny. And so I had seen him in one. One man, two governors, many years.

[A]

Oh, my God, I remember.

[C]

Do you remember?

[A]

That was his first real tour de force.

[C]

It was so won. I still remember how funny it was. And then, yeah, he really shepherded this production. So, yeah, it was.

[B]

What is your sort of attitude towards stage work? We know you've done, like your Madea with Bobby and we read that you have a show coming up.

[C]

I'm gonna do a Coward. Yes, I'm doing a Noel Coward. The beginning of the new year with a Roundabout Theatre with Scott Ellis, my friend, who actually directed art, and with Kelly o', Hara, who is just a delight and such a Broadway treasure and so lovely. We did a reading for a fundraiser for the Roundabout and it just took me by surprise how. Which it shouldn't have. It's Noel Coward. I mean, he's, you know, he's not called a genius for, you know, he's brilliant. I'm not being inarticulate here, but the reading was so fun and I was just delighted by the intricacy of the comedy, which is something that I'm obsessed with and obsessed with performers who can do that. And there's nothing like him still to this day. Noel Coward, he's just. With his wit, he's just so brilliant. And I was like, oh, God, I think I have to do this. I think we have to do a production. I'm such a sucker for a cheap gag. So I was like, oh, my God, can I get this many laughs every night? We'll see. Knock on wood.

[B]

Chloe's a sucker for a cheap gag.

[A]

The run through will be back in a moment.

[B]

Hi, this is David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker. This fall, join us in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the New Yorker at the New Yorker Festival, returning October 24 through 26, will be joined by Salman Rushdie, Sarah Jessica Parker, George Saunders, Zadie Smith, Rasheed Johnson, Keanu Reeves, and many others. Tickets are on sale now, and we'll.

[C]

Be announcing more events soon.

[B]

You can learn [e-mail] festival. That's newyorker.com festival. You have a production company, too, and what I was sort of interested in, I was reading some of the movie trays and stuff that you're acquiring. Some books that sounded really interesting to me. And tell me what your approach is to that. Like, what are you into? What are you looking to make?

[C]

I'm so inspired by people who've done this before me who've, like, you know, taken the reins and just finding material, sourcing stuff, working with producers, and it's definitely a learning curve. And we're based out of Australia, and it's something that I'm still like. I've been reading voraciously, trying to acquire things. Things come away, things don't, you know, I've been out pitching and, you know, all those sorts of things. What are you reading? Okay, what did I just finish? I just finish an Australian novel called Homecoming by Kate Morton, and it was really, really moving and really breathtaking. That was the last thing I read. Yes. You guys any recommends?

[A]

What are you reading?

[B]

I'm one of the book reviewers in the magazine and stuff, so I'm always reading two or three months.

[C]

Oh, wow. How many books do you read a month?

[B]

I read a lot of. I read a lot of books a month. Probably three or four books a month.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

And people ask me when I read because I'm busy all the time, but it's in the middle of the. So if you have trouble sleeping, which I do, then you keep a book by the bed. And that's the one thing. I mean, I keep it.

[A]

Liz doesn't get annoyed when you turn the light on. This is my thing. I end up in the bathroom.

[B]

Headlamp.

[A]

Oh, headlamp. Headlamp.

[B]

Headlamp. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And you sometimes put it on red.

[C]

This is terrible. For someone who doesn't sleep, you look great. Your skin looks great. Mine is like. I look busted. I look like. Like I've just got out of the mental ward. We're definitely not cutting this. Completely busted.

[B]

No matter what happens, we're not cutting this. Guys.

[C]

They look so fresh.

[B]

I'm so thrilled. How do you get.

[C]

I hate that people. I don't sleep and they look great. I'm like, this is like, for some.

[A]

Wearing a red headlamp all night.

[C]

You got some good concealer on, my friend.

[B]

I can knock out 50 pages between 3 and 4 in the morning, though. It's great. Get myself back to sleep.

[A]

Wow. Interesting. I find headlamp that, like, stresses Lloyd out because he sleeps on the bed.

[C]

So Lloyd.

[B]

Anything for Lloyd.

[A]

Anything for Lloyd. So instead I sit on the floor of the bathroom reading, because I think that'll make me go to sleep more, but it doesn't.

[B]

You know what? I'm not.

[C]

Was Lloyd in doak? Was he?

[A]

He hasn't been. Which my mother keeps pitching. Lloyd and my mother's dog are litter maids, and she keeps pitching the brothers. I was like, we are not doing these nepo doges.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

What do you like to watch? Like, what do you and Bobby watch together?

[C]

We watched a lot of sports documentaries.

[B]

Oh, yes. Join the club.

[C]

What's the last one, which I love? Well, gosh. Well, you know what? We did watch the Billy Joel documentary, oh, I Wonder, on Netflix. And it was great. It was really fascinating. We watched the one about the Patriots.

[B]

I'm not sure.

[C]

What was it called? God, I'm blinking.

[B]

There's one about the Dallas Cowboys that everybody's watching right now. America's team or whatever. You know, it's weird.

[C]

I'm fascinated with sports people. I find it really.

[A]

Sports. Do your kids play soccer?

[C]

Kind of a little bit.

[A]

They're not obsessed.

[C]

They're not obsessed. I have nephews who are really, really obsessed with soccer. But I. I think the. The drive and the tenacity and the story of how they got there and what it takes to be an elite athlete, I just find the dynasty. Right, the dynasty. Thank you. That's it. Yeah, it was. And I wasn't that familiar with the story, but it was just so dramatic. It was like, what a wild ride. And something about the characters in it and all that, I find, I guess, perhaps. Cause it's different from mine world, but I still. I don't know. I'm just fascinated with the characters and drive it takes and the ambition and all that kind of stuff.

[A]

Will your nephews come for the World Cup? Is that something that's been.

[C]

Oh, they would love discussion. Sure, they would love to. Australia hosted the Women's World Cup a couple of years ago, and they went to that, which was really brilliant. And the Matildas actually got really far, which is the Australian team.

[B]

The Matildas. That's what you're. Oh, my gosh, that's amazing. Are you sporty yourself?

[C]

No, about. No, I played a little bit of soccer, but, no, I was just. I was acting. No, I can't play. When we played the. When we did the. In the sequence in Brideswood where I play Kristen Wiig in tennis. She grew up playing tennis. She's like. That doesn't surprise me. Gorgeous. Like, she's from Challengers, New York. You know, she's from. Like, she just played her whole life. And I had to get lessons. I got lessons with this lady, and I was so bad. And I had to do the most heavy effort to make me, like Helen was my character's name, look like I was winning, you know, effortlessly. She's getting.

[A]

What's the hardest skill you've ever had to learn for a role?

[C]

I had to learn tap dancing. I played Gloria Steinem in this.

[A]

What?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. In this.

[A]

I was more saying what to Gloria? Tap dancing? But.

[C]

Well, she was a. Yeah. She tapped her whole life. She grew up tap dancing. I didn't know that. Yeah.

[A]

Learn something new about Gloria every day.

[C]

Yeah. So she was. That was something she did her whole life. And anyway, so I had to tap dancing for this whole sequence when I was playing her. And that was really hard. Very, very hard. I'm deeply uncoordinated. Also. Aerobics was quite hard.

[B]

I was gonna say physical.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I was gonna say it was really fun. But I'm. It's not something that comes naturally to me. No.

[A]

I want to know what it's like dressing for the different festivals. Because we've been talking here about how it's funny to see concurrently photos coming out of Venice and Telluride and sometimes the same people, and it's sort of ranch corps and then straight to the most glamorous canal core.

[C]

I love that ranch core. I am running with that one. Chloe. I love that.

[A]

And I was looking and I saw that you had your Telluride moment, then you went straight to Toronto in full Prada. What are you. You work with Kate Young, who is a beloved friend of Vogue. What is the conversation like about approaching that?

[C]

It's not far from that. I mean, it's like the. It's. You know, Kate's great. Cause she sort of comes from a mood, you know, so she's always like, how you feeling? What are. You know, she's like. She's coming from a vibe, which I really appreciate. And it's. I've never done this circuit of festivals. And what that. What that's like. No, not least sort of like, back to back. And it is there's an art to it. Sort of like telling a story through your. You know. Not to sound corny and stuff, but I, too, love looking at, like, the glamour from Venice or the, you know, how people shift around and there's an opportunity there to help, I think. Yeah.

[A]

We also see a lot of method dressing that people are doing around their parts. Oh.

[C]

Ooh.

[A]

Weekly Zendaya. Four challengers. There was quite literal. I mean, she had tennis balls on her shoes.

[B]

Oh, wow. She had to learn to play tennis for that movie.

[A]

And Jenna Ortega, for the whole Wednesday press run, she was doing a sort of goth look. Anyway. Is there a conversation about how am I dressing for this run? About a deranged mother on the verge. A woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

[B]

I was wondering where you're going. I was like, oh, yeah, okay.

[C]

Yes, yes. Is there a nod to that? You know, I guess I think the film explicitly is showing someone who's given up, and I think the opportunity to do the opposite with promoting it is really fun and to be glamorous and fun and wear beautiful clothes, and I'm into fashion as the next person and as vain as the next person and want to look good and what, you know, I'm trying to embrace that as we. As we go on to promote the movie.

[A]

What are you wearing on the weekend?

[C]

Chloe? Help me. Tell me what to wear. Now that I'm finally here. Can you just tell me, Tell me what to wear, Please, Please be comfortable.

[A]

Wear your.

[C]

But what does that mean? Like, how comfortable? How comfortable should I be? Okay, so where do I draw the line? Sweats.

[A]

No, no sweats.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Really? Okay, but soft pants, right?

[C]

What's the sweats? In the house.

[A]

In the house.

[C]

But out in the house.

[A]

I don't need to be out and about in your school.

[C]

I don't know. I, I. Yeah, I feel like I. I need you to help me. I'm sure you really want to. You know, my son, one of my sons, loves to wear suits.

[A]

Really?

[C]

He wears suits to school sometimes. Seriously?

[B]

Yeah, but on his own steam.

[C]

Yeah, he loves it. I love that flower. He loves it. He's got this real. I think he. Yeah, he is that new.

[A]

Or has that been a.

[C]

It's in a slow burn. And now. Now, yeah, he's in a suit. He looks pretty. We loved. I know. He's got a. He's got a real flair.

[B]

Do you know what William called picture day in fifth grade? It's called drippy.

[C]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Yeah, totally.

[B]

Cause you get your drip on and there's like. I know. I felt the same way. I was like, I don't know.

[C]

I just figured out what that. What drip meant. Like, just recently, I was like, oh, that's what. And now I'm like, I love it. I love it.

[B]

Totally.

[C]

I'm behind, guys.

[A]

Where did the names Rocko and Rafa come from? Cause those are fantastic names.

[C]

Oh, thank you. I always loved the name Rocko. I just thought it was so. It had such character, you know, and it was so grounded. And it's about the whole name, too. Don't you think? Like, sounds great.

[A]

Rocco Carnevale, you know, run a small country.

[C]

It's that. It's the. It's the rhythm of the whole name. I feel like that you respond, and it's such a weight to name somebody.

[A]

It's nice. Sort of alliterative. The seas.

[C]

It has a quality to it. And then Rafa was. I mean, I. I love the name Raphael. I love Rafael Nadal. I was like, you know, partly inspired by that, but I. We wanted to. It was a thing of two. Okay, we're going to do this. Are we going to do two other. Which is so obnoxious and annoying.

[A]

I have two A's, but.

[C]

Yeah. Do you have two A's? Yeah. Well, no one. I can't get their names right. I'm always just like. Like that. And Bobby just calls them Jake, which is his son, who's 30. So it's like, oh, that's hilarious. Or he calls him. Yeah. So it's always like he goes through a list of names before he gets to them. But it's a big deal naming someone. I mean, so I'm stating the obvious, but, like, you know.

[A]

No. I mean, I was so much more focused on naming our dog. And it was when I was pregnant, and Graham was like, can we focus on the child? But Lloyd got the best name.

[C]

That's your dog's name. That is a great name.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

That is Lloyd.

[A]

I love that.

[C]

What are your kids names?

[A]

Arthur and Alice.

[C]

That's so cute.

[A]

They're very traditional.

[B]

Vivian and William, guys.

[C]

Very traditional.

[A]

Very traditional.

[C]

Very traditional here.

[B]

Yeah. Yes, we are. Yes, we are. I'm so jealous of Rocco and Rafa.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Well, this was so fun.

[C]

Thank you for having me. Thank you so much. And this was such a treat.

[A]

Treat. That's it for the show. Bye. The Run through is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma and Stephanie Kariuki, with help from Emily Elias. It's engineered by Pran Bandy and James. Yost. It is mixed by Mike Kutcher. Chris Bannon is Conde Nast's head of global audio. Lights, camera, fashion. This year, Vogue World is heading to Hollywood. The scene, the legendary Paramount Pictures Studios lot. The plot. Cinema's most iconic costumes meet fashion's biggest designers. Think Edward Scissorhands tailoring and Marie Antoinette Opulence. It's drama. It's decadence. It's a costume department come to life. The countdown starts now. Learn more about the livestream event of the [e-mail] and cut.

[C]

From PRX.