Julianne Moore and Charles Melton Star in 'May December,' True Life Tabloid Drama: Early Screening at the KCET Cinema Series

Haynes told Netflix earlier this year that he trusted Moore’s process of figuring out through her own research how she would ultimately become Gracie. “I think Julianne was needing to really get to the core of what could make this kind of relationship occur.” Haynes said. “The complexity of the character of Gracie as written, and I think as it unfolded, particularly in conversations with Julianne, represents a myriad of contradictions and fascinating elements of willfulness, and then a resolute, almost stubborn lack of self-reflection, a determination to stick to the choices that she’s made.”

Haynes on Moore and Portman characters, “Both women are circling each other and trying to get a handle on each other. I think a lot of it is about a process of trust, which is Natalie’s character, Elizabeth’s goal to make Gracie feel toward her,” said Haynes. “It’s Elizabeth’s project to try to navigate around these resistances piece by piece.”

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, moderates a Q&A with director Todd Haynes, writer Samy Burch, and stars Julianne Moore and Charles Melton.

Listen to the full Q&A from the screening below.