Chloé Zhao's career has rocketed in recent years with the success of "Nomadland," as she's become only the second woman to win an Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director, and the first woman of color to do so. Fresh off the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Eternals" she joins the podcast to talk about the role of her adopted hometown in shaping her success, as well as a few teasers about her coming projects.
We learn that Frances McDormand lived in "Vanguard," the famous white van in the film, in Zhao's Ojai driveway, and was costumed by Ojai thrift stores. It helped her transform into the character of Fern, the widowed woman who lives on the periphery of the American Dream in the aftermath of the Great Recession, traveling from one low-wage job to another. It earned McDormand her third Oscar.
Zhao grew up in China as a devotee of manga - the action-oriented graphic novels - that prepared her for the MCU role, but it was her love of western landscapes, so vividly on display in her first three films, "Songs from my Brother," "The Rider" and "Nomadland," that has characterized her work. We talk about coming projects, her artistic process and influences, and how she moved to Ojai just days before the Thomas Fire devastated the town. In fact, it was Ojai's resilience and strength in aftermath that confirmed for her choice to move here. Our wide-ranging talk included Bass Reeves, Dracula and Mongolia. We did not talk about Lincoln logs, Ukrainian air defense systems or taimen fishing.
