Blake Lively Still Sticking Up for Woody Allen

Blake Lively recently sat down for an interview with Hamptons Magazine, where she had this to say of director Woody Allen:

Also coming this summer is Café Society, which has a big ensemble cast. How was the filming process different for you as compared to The Shallows?

"Woody [Allen] shoots incredibly short days. Most things are one shot, one to two takes. You’ve got a great ensemble cast; it’s fast-paced, talky, talky, talky dialogue, tons of improv, where The Shallows is by and large a pretty quiet movie. The process couldn’t have been more different, but that’s also what I appreciated and enjoyed about each one."

What was it like working with Woody Allen? 

"It’s really cool to work with a director who’s done so much, because he knows exactly what he wants. The fact that he does one shot for an entire scene—[and] this could be a scene with eight people and one to two takes—it gives you a level of confidence because when he’s got it, he knows he’s got it. He also is really encouraging as to why he cast you, so he’ll say, “Say the dialogue that’s written and then you can improvise for a while.” And his dialogue is so specific, and it’s speaking in a 1930s dialect and [with period] references, so it’s intimidating to think, Oh, let me just improvise there and hope that my words blend seamlessly alongside Woody Allen’s. Which they clearly wouldn’t and don’t. But he’s very empowering."

The costumes and sets for Café Society are just spectacular. What was it like dressing up and playing around in that throwback era? 

"The costumes and set were terrific. They were like stepping into a Woody Allen movie. We were saying that when we were there, because he also really creates the environment that you see on screen. Normally when you’re making a movie, the movie doesn’t come to life until you’re watching it in theaters. When you’re in a Woody Allen movie, if there’s a band playing, then there’s a band there in person playing beautiful 1930s music. It’s really neat to feel like you’re actually in the world as you’re shooting, and it helps to make your performance more authentic."