Memory creator Michel Franco on casting Jessica Chastain: ‘best actress in the states’

Memory creator Michel Franco has recently explained why he chose Jessica Chastain as a leading female protagonist in his new movie.

“Jessica is possibly the best actress in the states right now, it’s not an exaggeration to say she’s the best actress in the world and she was familiar with his work,” said Franco in an exclusive interview with Variety.

Moreover, Franco also revealed that the decision to cast Peter Sarsgaard was made with Chastain.

“I wanted to make that decision with Jessica, because, it’s so important, the chemistry and the whole film relies on the tension of those characters.”

Memori is Franco’s third successive on the Lido after New Order (2020) and Sundown (2021).

Reflecting on the movie’s subject, Franco mentioned, “I’ve always been interested in broken people and dysfunctional families. But in this case, the approach was a bit different in terms of where the characters arrive to.”

“I was interested in exploring the possibilities of people coming to terms with the past, if that ever happens, and how people can find common ground or not, depending on all the experiences they have,” he told the outlet.

Franco pointed out that care workers inspired him and therefore in this movie, he has incorporated this character, played by Chastain.

“I admire people that devote their lives to helping others. And it turns out that in life, they are rarely appreciated. Sometimes they’re invisible. It’s more to try to understand those characters that really give away everything to others, which is unnatural in our society, because everyone does the opposite,” he added.

Meanwhile, Memory was given a “SAG-AFTRA interim waiver”, which meant that the cast could attend the movie’s premiere in Venice.