Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross star in The High Note, a delightful new music-themed comedy about two women in the music industry preparing to embark on the next chapters in their very different lives. Ice Cube, Bill Pullman, and Kelvin Harrison Jr also star. Directed by Nisha Gantara (Late Night), The High Note offers a delightful mix of broad comedy, romantic sweetness, female bonding, and good old fashioned rock and roll. The film marks Tracee Ellis Ross' singing debut on film, which is noteworthy as the Black-ish star is the daughter of legendary soul singer Diana Ross.
It's been an odd road for The High Note, as it's one of many films whose theatrical run was preempted by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Rather than playing at thousands of theaters across the country, The High Note received only a limited release alongside its VOD rental debut. Now, with the film receiving a proper home video release next month, The High Note has another chance to connect with audiences who may have been unaware the first time around.
While promoting the upcoming Blu-ray release of The High Note, director Nisha Gantara spoke to Screen Rant about working on the film, from working with her all-star cast to telling a female-driven story set within the notorious "boys club" of the music industry. She talks about making sure Tracee Ellis Ross wasn't playing a caricature of her famous mother, and discusses whether or not Dakota Johnson's real-life father, Don Johnson, was ever in the running to play her character's father, who is ultimately played in the film by Bill Pullman.
The High Note releases August 11 on Blu-ray, and is available on Digital now.
I'm sure you've been getting this a lot lately, but I imagine this is not the release trajectory you had in mind for this movie when you started working on it, right?
No, if I had known, we probably wouldn't have shot it in such a wide aspect ratio! (Laughs)
Oh, that's hilarious. Have there been any noticeable upsides or unexpected positive surprises that came from this weird drive-in/digital hybrid release?
I mean, the drive-ins were something I didn't see coming. That's something I really thought was done for. And it's been so fun to see the drive-in culture re-emerge. I had never been to one before, so it's pretty exciting to see. But I also realize why they fell by the wayside. It's a terrible business model! You can only show one movie a night, and you have to wait until it gets dark!
You've written movies that you've directed, and you've directed movies that you haven't written, and you've written movies that you haven't directed. Are they all your babies, or is there a different relationship when you're just writing or just directing? How do you make a movie that you haven't written into your baby?
I think, when you're directing, it feels more like your baby, especially if you've written it. But the ones I wrote that I didn't direct, they don't feel like your baby. It's so interesting. I think, if you're gonna say yes to directing a movie and dedicate a couple of years of your life to making it, you'd better feel some sort of connection to the material, some desire to tell that story. Otherwise, I don't know, it's such an ordeal to make a movie, and you never know if it's going to come out good! It's really hard to make a good movie, but this one, thankfully, came out good! (Laughs) So it's always more fun to have a good one. But it does feel like, to me, this was an important story I wanted to tell in terms of Tracee Ellis Ross' character. Sadly, we're still in a time where just showing a black woman on screen being joyful and leading a whole life where she is confident and competent and really good at what she does and successful, it's still pretty radical to just show that. I'm proud if the movie does nothing more than that, but thankfully it does a whole lot more than that! But that was something that is unique. I haven't seen a movie with two female leads who are both really good at what they do, unapologetic about it, who are both in a crossroads in their lives for different reasons, and they have to decide if they are going to take the safe road or a big risk!
Definitely. They're not timid.
This movie, I love, because they're encouraged to take the risk and they're rewarded greatly for taking those risks, rather than being punished for it, or literally killed for it like women are in movies. It's just a fun, feel-good movie, like you said. It's an old-school studio movie where you just feel uplifted and happy and proud at the end, and maybe a little inspired. I always loved these movies growing up and watching them, and I really wanted to make one. They just stopped making them for a long time, but I'm really happy and lucky, I guess, to have made a big studio comedy.
Yeah, and it's, like you said, a female driven movie, and set in the music industry. And it's probably, if I had to guess, going to be the last of the big entertainment industries to stop being a boys' club, if you know what I mean.
Yeah, weirdly, yes.
Was that something that attracted you to the script, or did you bring that to it?
For Tracee Ellis Ross' character, Grace, when she says in the bathroom that in the history of music, only five women over 40 have had a number one hit, and only one of them was black, that was absolutely in the script. It really drew me in, because I couldn't believe that statistic and I didn't know about it. But it's also definitely something I brought out more with Maggie's character, the producer. I looked into that more, and found out that in the history of the Grammys, only three women have been nominated for Producer of the Year. You know, it is such a boys' club industry. It's shocking, because you think of how many female singers there are, and how many successful female artists there are, but then you realize how little control they have behind the scenes, even now. It's striking.
Tracee hadn't sang in a movie before. I guess there's an obvious reason for her either not wanting to do that, or being intimidated by the idea of being compared to her mom.
(Laughs) It's an obvious reason!
That is her singing in the movie, right?
Yes it is. Everybody who sings in the movie is actually singing in the movie, which is kind of incredible.
Did that take any coaxing from you, or is that why she signed on in the first place?
I think Tracee, she was saying that she's avoided singing her whole life because of a little thing of Diana Ross being her mom! (Laughs) So I think she has just been terrified of being compared to her mom or being judged by that idea. So she pivoted and went into acting because she didn't want to be compared to her mom. I think, for a long time, she was looking to do a feature, and then this one came along and it was a part she knew how to play, that she could bring something to that no other actress could. And she could face her biggest fear. I think she's a great artist who is always trying to face her fears and challenge herself. It was really fun to watch her wrap her mind around singing in front of people, and it was a really beautiful honor to be able to capture that.
Was there ever any push/pull to get some of Diana in Tracee's performance and characterization? Were there firm boundaries in place? Was that ever a conversation or a point of contention?
I think we were trying to make sure this character was unique. Nobody wanted her to be a "one note diva" portrayal. I think, having grown up with Diana Ross, she could bring really specific, grounded, and nuanced layers to the performance. She wasn't trying to be her mom in any way, but I think, definitely, the experience she has with her mom gave her access, as an artist, to things we didn't have and didn't know and couldn't have known. I think the movie is definitely better for it. Whether it was conscious or not, Diana Ross definitely helped us make a better movie.
Kinda sorta related to that... Maybe this is a bit too "inside baseball," but was there ever a thought to have Don Johnson in the Bill Pullman role?
(Laughs) Yeah, there was a thought, but it got quickly kiboshed. It probably would have been too much. The same reason we don't have Diana Ross in the movie, even though that would have been incredible. There was that thought, though, for a flashing moment.
Related to that, I like that this movie is not an endless string of cameos. Diplo is in there, but he's not playing himself.
It's fun. I think everyone was having fun getting to poke fun at people they've always wanted to make fun of. Ice Cube was having a good time making fun of the music managers he's had to deal with over the years. Diplo's having a really fun time making fun of music producers. I think he's "taking the piss" out of a few people that he's known, and it's really fun to watch.
Did you ever get to pick Ice Cube's brain at any point? Were you, like, "Okay, I know we have to make a movie, but do you remember that time...?"
Oh my God, so many. I definitely did. I picked his brain over so many things. He brought to life a lot of that character. Like I said, I think he's had a lot of unique experiences and he was really happy and willing to share them. But as he was telling me, "Maybe the character this," or "maybe the character that..." There were so many times that I couldn't help but think, is this coming from personal experience? It was really something to experience. He definitely brought his own stuff to it.
You've been around the block, you've done so much great work over the years. I don't know firsthand, but I've been on enough sets to see how difficult it is to make a movie. I don't think I have the guts for it, myself. But I imagine that uphill climb is, I dunno, slicked with oil when you're a woman director, you know what I mean?
Yeah. You know, it's really interesting. I think I didn't know those things were there. You're just working really hard and trying your best to break in, and follow your passion, and I didn't realize that there were so many things stacked against that happening for me, I think, until the Department of Justice got involved and brought a lawsuit against Hollywood for systemic discrimination against women. I think, until that happened, I wasn't really aware that sexism was one of the reasons it was so hard to get in. Even with all the things I had accomplished, I still felt like so many doors were still closed. Until that happened, I wasn't aware of why that might have been the case.
Nevertheless, you persist, right?
(Laughs) Yeah! That's very kind of you. Yes.
The High Note hits Blu-ray on August 11, 2020.