Please join us for a screening followed by a Q&A with Tracy Letts.
Moderated by Eric Kohn, Indiewire
Estimated event end time: 1:45PM
SYNOPSIS
In LADY BIRD, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut,excavatingboth the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape,Lady Birdisan affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.
PANELIST BIO
Tracy Letts - Actor
Tracy Letts is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor who received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play August: Osage County and a Tony Award for his portrayal of George in the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He has written the screenplays of three films adapted from his own plays: Bug and Killer Joe, both directed by William Friedkin, and August: Osage County, directed by John Wells.
Upcoming in 2017, Letts will star as Saoirse Ronan’s father in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. The film also stars Laurie Metcalf, Lucas Hedges and Jake McDorman. The film will be released by A24 on November 3rd in New York and Los Angeles, with a wide release following.
Additionally this year, Tracy will appear in Steven Spielberg’s The Post alongside Tom Hanks, Allison Brie, Meryl Streep, Sarah Paulson, and his wife, Carrie Coon. The film will be released in limited theaters by 20th Century Fox on November 22nd, with a wide release on January 12th.
Also this year, Tracy lent his voice to Amazon Studio’s just-out Comrade Detective. Earlier this year, Letts was seen alongside Debra Winger in The Lovers which follows a married couple (Letts and Winger) who, amid an impending divorce, find themselves falling in love again. The film was directed by Azazel Jacobs and co-starred Aidan Gillen and Melora Walters.
Letts also can be seen starring in HBO’s Divorce alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Molly Shannon and Talia Balsam. The show follows Frances (Parker) a woman who suddenly begins to reassess her life and marriage and finds that making a clean break and fresh start are harder than she thought. Letts’ plays Nick and he and his wife, Diane (Shannon) are friends with Frances and her husband. The show was renewed for a second season and will premiere on HBO in 2017.
In addition to his acting credits, Tracy is a renowned playwright. Tracy is currently preparing and rehearsing his new play “The Minutes,” produced by Scott Rudin. The play will premiere in Chicago on November 20th, prior to its Broadway transfer in March 2018.
Letts was also seen alongside Rebecca Hall in Antoni Campos’ biographical drama Christine which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was released on October 14, 2016. The film follows Christine Chubbock (Hall) who committed suicide on air in 1974 as she struggles with depression and frustrations in trying to advance her career.
Letts co-starred opposite Logan Lerman in Indignation, James Schamus’ directorial debut based on the Philip Roth novel of the same name. The film follows Marcus (Lerman) as he leavesNew Jersey, to attend a small college inOhio. There, he experiences a sexual awakening after meeting the elegant and wealthy Olivia (Gadon) and confronts the school's dean (Letts) over the role of religion in academic life.
Tracy appeared in the 2015 comedy-drama The Big Short directed by Adam McKay and based on the book: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The film was nominated for five academy awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Bale, and Best Adapted Screenplay, winning the last.
In 2013 and 2014, during Seasons three and four of Showtime’s hit Homeland, Letts played CIA Director Andrew Lockhart. He was nominated, with the rest of the cast, for an “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series” award from SAG in 2013.
Tracy resides in Chicago with his wife, Carrie Coon and is an active member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
