Sarah Jessica Parker Tackles Mortality, Motherhood and Music in Here and Now 

Midway through Here and Now, now out in theaters, Vivienne, played by Sarah Jessica Parker finds herself in front of a microphone. It’s a natural environment, considering the illustrious career she built for herself as a singer/songwriter up to this point. But as she croons out the lyric “Unfollow the rules,” this particular time feels less like a melody and more like an edict.

Hours before taking to the stage, Vivienne received a diagnosis of glioblastoma, now facing the possibility of only months to live. Here and Now takes place over the 24 hours since she receives the grim news, as she attempts to manage her potential mortality and navigates relationships with her mother (Jacqueline Bisset), daughter (Gus Birney), ex-husband (Simon Baker), and bandmate (Common). Described as an homage to Agnès Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7, Here and Now had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, with Parker receiving rave reviews for her take on a woman facing a day of re-examination and self-introspection.

Read below for Parker’s interview with Parade, where she discusses what drew her to the film, Vivienne’s relationships both old and new, and how music became such an essential part of the process.

What attracted you to Here and Now as both a producer and actress?
Alison Benson, who’s my producing partner, pretty much runs Pretty Matches Productions. She set us up with this opportunity. [Director] Fabien Constant, Alison, and I met, and we started talking about things that were of interest to us. Thus was born this idea. From the beginning, I was very interested in the part. I think everything was interesting to me about it. The entirety of what we know, what the audience experiences, and what I thought would be asked of me as an actor and what I have yet to have a chance to do in my professional career. It was every reason to be excited.

How does the fact that this movie is told in 24 hours make it unique from other similar stories?
I think what makes this film different is how much it’s internalized on screen. Typically, a character shares more with somebody else. That’s how information is shared, plot is affected, and emotions are arranged. That usually happens between two people. I think what distinguishes this movie is that this is often a solitary experience. The news is so devastating, and she is so secretive about it. We might expect someone to want to share this news, to find comfort, solace, or pity. Her desire to not share it is telling.

On that note, Vivienne’s doctor advises her to build a network of friends and family, yet she chooses not to initially. Why does she make that choice?
I don’t think she cultivated relationships that she feels are the right ears. She’s been reckless in her life and has not handled the most important relationships responsibly. To share it with her daughter would be enormously burdensome. To share it with her professional colleagues suggests that her career is over. You can see her on screen compartmentalize her professional from her personal. I think she would love very much for her mother to intuit that there was something wrong and take care of her. When that doesn’t happen, her instinct is to wield the information as some sort of revenge for not being a better mother.

Sharing it with Common’s character would be her undoing. I don’t know that she would be functional. He is the person who seems closest to her, who knows her best and knows all of her shortcomings, but also her charm and her virtues. To share it with him is an acknowledgment of the truth that I don’t think she’s capable of saying.

Here and Now provides direct parallels with generations, considering Vivienne’s mother and daughter are both involved. Can you elaborate on those respective relationships and how they change throughout the day?
Her mother’s presence it habitually difficult. Historically, they have a relationship that seems kind of unhealthy. She’s desperate for her mother and also deeply annoyed by her. You see it immediately. Her mother is as needy as her desire to be generous. It doesn’t seem to me that she’s been very successful being selfless, which is required as a parent. Vivienne’s attempt at parenthood has been modeled beautifully by her mother, who she resents. She reintroduces it into her own relationship as a parent. Vivienne’s mother doesn’t seem interested in any course correction, and I think Vivienne really does want to do right by the relationship she has with the daughter. She wants to be present, reliable, and loving. She wants to sacrifice more than what she’s been willing to in the past. And I think her mother just wasn’t capable of that.

Another unique relationship she forms throughout the film is with Sami, an Uber driver who she builds a bond with over their various drives. How does Sami serve her internal turmoil?
He’s like shelter. In a way, he’s almost like a fictional character, somebody she made up. There would be conflict, and then there would be this understanding that doesn’t need to be said. I think he is exactly what she needs. He’s a safe space and not too probing. He doesn’t have opinions about her; he’s quiet and reasonable. He’s patient, and he seems to intuit in ways her mother can’t. I also think that she, in kind, lets him be who he is. She doesn’t offer any judgment. Like many things that happen in cities where you’re out, around, and brushing up against humanity, the opportunities for experience are there. As much as the city is betraying her and not living up to her all of her expectations, I think there is this universe which is enormously timely and necessary for both of them.

Music is a huge element in this film, most notably in the cabaret song Vivienne sings in the middle of the film. What was the process like to bring music into the movie?
We thought, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Rufus Wainwright wanted to work on this?” We reached out to him, and he said yes right away. He wrote this fantastic song, and we went mad for it. It was scary [to perform], but I also understood what the director wanted it to be. Because I knew a lot of influences in the director’s life, I felt it was something I understood, loved, and was drawn toward. Vivienne’s an interpreter. She’s like so many people who sing standards and plays those kinds of clubs. I think that’s what was exciting about that song. It wasn’t just like a musical performance; it was an experience.