Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s relationship has all of the trappings of a rom-com, without the rom. They were set up on a date when they were in their twenties by McCormack’s sister, the actress Mary McCormack. There was chemistry, sparks flew, they felt like soulmates, and they fell deeply in… friendship. This love story didn’t end with a ring but perhaps with a more lasting proposal, the chance to become creative partners. Since their unsuccessful attempt at dating 20 years ago, they have formed a successful union as the co-writers, co-producers and co-directors of films such as Celeste and Jesse Forever and A Swim Lesson, which was shortlisted for an Oscar. Their latest film, The Invite, is the opening film at this year’s Nantucket Film Festival, where the collaborators will also be honored with the Special Achievement in Screenwriting Award.
Jones and McCormack’s thriving partnership is founded both in how they align and how they diverge. “We share the same sort of creative brain,” says McCormack. And yet, when they approach the page, it’s not from one mind but two that complement the differences. “Will is the poet, and I’m the mathematician,” says Jones. In the early years, their collaboration provided confidence and support. “Personally, Rashida gave me courage to actually become a professional screenwriter,” says McCormack. “We held each other accountable, and we held each other’s hands through the process. We were next to each other, writing every scene of The Invite is based, and it spoke to them about. I don’t think I would have had the strength to do that myself. Will gave me the courage,” says Jones.
Penélope Cruz in The Invite, with co-star Olivia Wilde, who also directed the film.
These days, their process changes depending on the project. “Sometimes one of us will take the lead, and the other one will do a really hefty edit. Sometimes we sit side by side, sometimes we split up scenes. Most times, what we do at the beginning is talk a lot and watch a ton of movies. So much of writing is figuring out the characters’ voices, the movie’s temperature, and the dialogue’s tone. We never jump into anything haphazardly,” says Jones. “As we evolve, we’ve both gotten better in the areas that we fell short at the beginning,” says McCormack.
The subject matter that appeals to them both has also changed as they’ve matured. When writing Celeste and Jesse Forever in their early thirties, they drew on their shared history, their biggest breakups and their heartbreaks. Now, both parents in long-term relationships who have lost their own parents, they’re dealing with a new anguish, new cracks and scars in their hearts. They’re no longer asking, “Will I find the love of my life?” but instead, How do I keep them?” “We’re in the middle of our lives and dealing with different types of heartbreak and different forms of loss than losing the great first love of your life,” says McCormack. He and Jones watched the original Spanish film on which The Invite is based, and it spoke to them about where they were in life. “It’s really a movie about being at a certain point in a relationship when the business of life and the grooves that you’ve created in a relationship become the relationship. It’s about shaking that up and asking, do you stay, or do you go? You have an opportunity to tell the truth, and is that something that you allow to strengthen the relationship, or is it irreparable?” Jones asks. Seems to me, this solid pair would know the answer.
