Directed byBrett Haley(Heart Beats Loud) and based on the best-selling novel byJennifer Niven,All the Bright Placestells the story of Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) and Theodore Finch (Justice Smith), whose bond will change each other’s lives, forever. The two meet at a time in their lives when they’re struggling with deep emotional scars and, in Finch’s case, undiagnosed mental illness, but their love for each other allows them to get to a place where being who they are is okay and truly living in the moment is meaningful, for however long it can last.
During this phone interview with Collider, co-stars Elle Fanning and Justice Smith talked about jumping at the chance to play such complicated and nuanced characters, how this story doesn’t have the answers but instead contributes to the larger conversation, the iconic moment that their characters meet, why Violet and Finch are the perfect compliment for each other, and having to shoot kissing scenes once you’ve become very close with your co-star. Fanning also talked about her next projects and doingThe Nightingalewith her sister,Dakota Fanning, while Smith talked about returning to theJurassic Worldfranchise forthe third film.
Andclick here to see what Fanning and Smith had to sayabout the film’s emotional ending.
Collider: I thought you were both terrific in this film. I would imagine that this is the kind of thing, as actors, where you read a script and you see these characters and think, “Yes, sign me up!”
ELLE FANNING: Yeah, for sure. Anytime there’s a character that’s complicated and nuanced, when you read anything like that, you wanna do it.
JUSTICE SMITH: What spoke to me was how we’re not really trying to say anything specific. We don’t have the answers. It just contributes to the larger conversation. It’s not black and white. There’s nothing cut and dry about the film, and that spoke to us.
This story definitely jumps right in, when the two of you cross paths and meet each other, literally standing on an edge. Do you feel like that moment means something different for each of your characters, whether they even realize it, at the time, or not?
FANNING: Oh, yeah. That’s also a very iconic moment from the book, that a lot of fans of the book really, really love and gravitate towards, with the characters, because it’s a real introduction to Finch’s personality, the frenetic energy that he has, and his daredevil-like ways that Violet definitely does not have. We’re immediately two contrasting characters, the introvert and the extrovert. And in the beginning, with that opening scene, you don’t really know why Violet is there. I don’t think her intent was to do anything, or to jump. I think she’s just there and, honestly, trying to feel again. I think she spends a lot of the movie trying to just feel again, and Finch is a huge contributor, in pulling her out of her shell and making her want to live life again. It’s just a symbol of their two personalities, them meeting in that moment.
At the center of this story are two people who clearly are obsessed with death, each in their own way, whether they’re trying to find a reason not to die, or trying to find a reason to live. Why do you think that makes them the perfect compliment for each other?
SMITH: Sometimes it’s difficult to reach somebody when you can’t possibly understand their experience or what they’re going through. What these characters have in common is that they’ve both experienced such tragedy that they can relate to each other and they can help heal each other. Finch has this perspective of not sweating the small stuff and the trivial stuff because of the grandiosity of pain that he feels when he goes through those dark times. So, when he meets Violet, he understands that grandiosity. He understands that depth of feeling, so he’s able to reach her.
FANNING: The story is also set in a time of high school, which is probably the most terrifying, life-defining time, when everything is so climactic and huge, and you feel like it’s you against the world. So, to find someone, especially in high school, at that time, who understands you, is a really special thing, honestly. I read the book when I was still in high school, when I was 14, which was a real long time ago, and I just felt like the emotions that I felt, at that time, were so true to how the book was written. That’s part of why I really wanted the story to be made. You should just try to keep yourself open because you never know who is going to be there, to get you through those times. Understanding can come from the unlikeliest of people.
When you guys go on a journey like this together, does that make things like kissing scenes easier to do because you’re more comfortable with each other, or does it make it harder to do those scenes because you’re too comfortable to be serious, in those moments?
SMITH: We’d talk about what we were going to eat for lunch, during those scenes.
FANNING: We were so blasé about it all. By then, we were so close. We were like, “Oh, rolling, okay. Kissy, kissy.” When you have to show so much emotion and share that with someone else, (director) Brett [Haley] really created a beautiful space for us to be able to be vulnerable and go through that. But of course, you inevitably get so close to your partner in that, and we really did. We just had a lot of fun together. We were in it together. We’re like, “All right, we’re in this. Let’s go.” I don’t even think of those scenes as different from the other scenes, except for the sex scene where we literally got blown away. There was torrential rain, it was freezing, and the wind was howling. It was one of the biggest storms, ever, in Cleveland, Ohio, and we were in a train car. That was insane. That really tells you what it was like.
Both of you guys have gotten to play some really cool characters, in your careers. What’s next for each of you?
SMITH: I’m going to shootJurassic World 3, in a couple of days, actually. I’m very excited about that. And I’m also working on a television show for HBO Max (calledGeneration). I’ve got a lot of good stuff, coming down the pipeline.
FANNING: I just finished a show for Hulu, calledThe Great, that comes out on May 15th, and I got to produce that, as well. I play Catherine the Great, and it’s the writers ofThe Favourite. And then, I’m getting ready to do a movie (calledThe Nightingale) with my sister, where we’re playing sisters. We’d never done that before. And I did a film with Javier Bardem (calledThe Roads Not Taken). It’s exciting. There’s always something.
You’ve shared characters at different ages with your sister before, but you’ve never actually worked together for a film, and now you’re doing a story about sisters that’s written by a woman (Dana Stevens), adapted from a novel by a woman (Kristin Hannah), and directed by a woman (Mélanie Laurent). Was that part of the appeal for you?
FANNING: Yeah, it was. I’ve worked with Mélanie before, and she came onto the project after my sister and I were already attached to it, but having a sister story, and for the story to be led by a female, is extremely important. In my career, I’ve actually been really fortunate to work with many female directors. My first real big experience on set was with Sofia Coppola, and that was led by a woman in incomplete power. For me, that’s the way it should be. Their gender doesn’t matter. They’re just a director, and it’s the difference between a good director and a bad director. To me, that’s the only difference. So, I’m excited that Mélanie is a part of it and that we get to tell this sister story. Working with my sister has always been an absolute dream of ours, so to find the right project, finally, and to really be doing it is surreal. We only have one time for it to be the first.
Justice, what’s it like to be returning toJurassic World? Does it feel less scary knowing that you’ve done it once and survived it?
FANNING: And now you might get eaten!
SMITH: It’s way less scary. I established who I was, within that franchise, with the first film, and so now I just get to play within those goalposts. Before, when I shot the first one, I was trying to find my footing in something that was already an established IP. People really felt some type of way about this story, and I didn’t want to impose or do anything that was out of pocket, in relation to the story. I didn’t wanna mess it up, is what I’m saying. But now, that burden is lifted off of my shoulders, and now I get to have fun and play with dinosaurs.
All the Bright Placesis available to stream at Netflix on February 28th.
