Watch: Serious Moonlight

Note: This interview with Cheryl Hines was originally published as a Faces of the Festival piece during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. We wanted to repost in time for Serious Moonlight's December theatrical release.

Funny lady Cheryl Hines makes her debut as a director with the '09 Festival pick Serious Moonlight, a dark comedy about infidelity and commitment starring Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, and Kristen Bell. Filming a script by Adrienne Shelly (the writer/director of Waitress), Hines brings her impeccable comic timing to this ever-so-human mix of a romantic comedy. We got the comedienne on the phone to talk about the transition from acting to directing and lots more.

Tribeca Film: What makes Serious Moonlight a Tribeca Must-See?

CH: The performances in the film are great, the story is fun to watch, and… I don't know! I'm not good at selling myself! You'll have a good time watching it, I think. I don't know what to say.

Tribeca: What's the craziest thing that happened while making the film?

CH: Probably Tim Hutton's head was cut, I don't know why I laugh when I say it, it was not funny at the time. There was blood and a fire truck and an ambluance but fortunately it wasn't very serious. Tim was a trooper and powered through, and we ended up shooting with him the rest of the day. But, there was a moment when time stood still!

Tribeca: Can you talk a little bit about how you came to direct Serious Moonlight?

CH: Michael Roiff, who produced Waitress and Serious Moonlight, and Adrienne [Shelly]'s husband, Andy Ostroy, they approached me and asked me if I was interested in being considered to direct this film. It took me by surprise, and I had to really consider it. It felt like a good fit because I adored Adrienne and I really appreciate her writing. Andy did not want to change the script, so they wanted to find someone who could tell the story that had been written.

I think the idea that I had a relationship with Adrienne played a large part in the decision-making of it all. I really liked the tone of her project. She was very good at finding a balance between comedy and drama, so I think that Michael and Andy were hoping that I would be able to tell that story with that balance. Whether that happened or not, I think that was the idea!

The story surrounding the film was so tragic, but we made this film with a lightness in our hearts. We didn't sit around during this project and focus on the tragedy of it all, which was great. I think it would've been too difficult to make it otherwise. It was a concern going in, just wondering if we would be able to move forward with the project without always wondering what would Adrienne do, how did Adrienne see it, what would Adrienne want? There was an element of that but it wasn't dominating. It really was a collaboration between Andy and Michael and me, just moving forward, not sitting around second-guessing ourselves. We knew that Adrienne would want us to make the best film we could make. I knew Adrienne would want us to do that.

Tribeca: Do you see yourself directing more in the future?

CH: I would like to direct more, I think it all depends on the material and the project. I had no idea how much of a toll it takes on a person to direct a film. Until I'm ready to live and breathe a project, I wouldn't do it. I certainly learned a lot from this experience and I can take that knowledge and apply it to the next project. I remember I went to see a screening of a movie Larry directed and I remember saying, "You must be so excited, it must be the best part!" He looked at me and said, "No, this is the hardest part!"

I honestly didn't know what he was talking about at the time and now I can relate.

Serious Moonlight opens on Friday, December 4, at the Village East Cinema in New York.

Read more Faces of the Festival.