Emma Mackey on Working With Greta Gerwig and Paying Tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood in ‘Ella McCay’: ‘It Was Very Cathartic and Primal’

Key Highlights

• “Ella McCay” follows the 34-year-old title character as she attempts to balance the high pressure of her new position, in which everyone around her believes she’s destined to fail, a marriage with her high school sweetheart on the rocks, and the return of her absent father (Woody Harrelson), set against the backdrop of the incoming Obama administration.
• Related Stories Theater Owners Worry Netflix Buying Warner Bros.
• Will Cripple Their Business: 'Hopefully the Deal Gets Killed' 'Goodbye June' Review: Kate Winslet Makes Her Directorial Debut With a Formulaic Family Weepie With the entire state watching to see her make a mishap, Ella must find a way to deal with balancing her personal and professional endeavors, all while trying to prove herself worthy of the position she’s been working for her whole life.
• Popular on Variety Mackey spoke with Variety about letting out Ella’s pent-up rage during filming, paying tribute to the comedies of the golden age of Hollywood, and working with Greta Gerwig in the first installment of Netflix’s “Narnia” franchise.
• What were your early conversations with James L.