How did you decide on Wendy as the subject for a documentary?
Adam Schlesinger: I was introduced to Wendy by our executive producer Diana DiMenna. Diana and I both had daughters at the School of American Ballet and we had been talking about working on a documentary together. Ultimately she introduced me to Wendy, and when Wendy and I talked,
I could see that this was really a person in transition and she was starting to explore the world of contemporary dance. I thought that it could be very interesting to follow her at this moment in her life. So I called Linda.
Linda Saffire: Adam called me and said, “I met a ballerina and she’s really amazing and there’s a possible documentary.” And I said, “Oh my God, Wendy Whelan?” And he said, “How did you know?” And I said, “I love her!” I was a fan and had been going to New York City Ballet for years. So I already knew how amazing she was.
AS: We thought, “Let’s start following her as she explores going in to this new world of contemporary dance.” We had a feeling that this was an interesting pivotal moment in her life where she was getting to a certain age and having to confront certain realities.
In Restless Creature you tell the story of someone who is in many ways at the top of her game—but who is being forced into retirement. Did you know going in to it that that was part of the story you wanted to tell?
LS: We didn’t know what was going on with City Ballet. We just knew that there was this incredible artist who was making a change in her career and trying something different. She hadn’t been dancing much with City Ballet at that time. Her hip was already bothering her. Moving in to contemporary dance was allowing her to continue to dance because she couldn’t do ballet with the injury she had.
AS: As the story emerged, it became really important to us to tell it. Yes, Wendy is one of the great dancers of our time. But her’s is also a universal story about maybe not being able to do something that you’ve done your entire life. Most people, when they’re 46 years old, they’re just hitting their stride in life. She had to figure out, “What am I going to do next?” It’s a coming of age story.
LS: We all face that. No matter how hard you work, no matter how talented or dedicated you are, there’s always someone behind you, and there comes a point that you just have to let go.
Wendy is very frank in the film about her fear of losing her identity once she leaves City Ballet. Did you expect her to be so open with you?
AS: No. We hoped she would and our process is to get to know the subject and have them trust us. We did an interview with her the very first day we filmed her. But it takes time to develop the relationship. We didn’t know her at all and we didn’t know what to expect.
Wendy is also incredibly winsome—the antithesis of the icy and aloof ballerina. Did that surprise you?
LS: It was really extraordinary. Here’s the greatest ballerina of our time and it’s all about the art that she does. She doesn’t think of herself as being any better as a person than anybody else.
AS: She was completely contrary to what I imagined a prima ballerina to be. In the film, Peter Boal says it. He says, “You changed the way people behaved at City Ballet. You knew everybody on the stage crew, all the folks who worked backstage.” She’s salt of the earth. You had to think that there was going to be a bit of what we imagine from a prima ballerina, but there really wasn’t. But when she’s in the studio rehearsing or at physical therapy or in class, it’s all about her craft.
LS: Her focus is amazing.
How did you go about winning her trust?
AS: We definitely had a pattern for the way we filmed. We’d film some activity—for example, rehearsal, a class, a physical therapy session—and then we’d say, “Let’s talk awhile.” Ninety-five percent of the time she would say, “Absolutely.” And over time, we talked about more and more.
LS: Also, we didn’t rush the film. We wanted her to get to know us. We filmed for almost a year and a half.
AS: We were with her in the hospital when she was having her surgery, we were with her after the surgery. You forge relationships with people.
The surgery we see in the film was a gamble to enable Wendy to continue at City Ballet for another season or two. What was it like to film that process, not knowing the outcome?
LS: We didn’t know how severe the injury was. That’s the thing about a ballerina and especially Wendy. She would never let you know that she was in pain. She would never let you know that she was injured. She was so stoic. She said, “I have to do a little surgery.”
AS: Ballerinas are trained to make everything look so easy. They don’t show their pain. They’re incredibly strong. And that was sometimes a challenge for us. Because you want that part of the story but she’s so freaking strong that she’s not showing it. So the surgery was interesting because we knew it was a vulnerable time. We filmed the entire surgery and we knew that it would be a good time to talk with her.
How was it to work together as directors on this project?
AS: This is our third project together. We codirected a film together with Leon Gast (Sporting Dreams) and produced a film together before that (Smash His Camera) and we’ve known each other for a really long time. We have a great partnership. One of the things that’s important to us is we’re very comfortable with each other. We communicate incredibly well. When we work together, we never step on each other.
LS: It’s almost like a dance.
AS: And we bring different perspectives.
LS: And we respect each other. And it’s not one person who makes a film. It’s a team.
AS: I definitely want to mention our team because we had extraordinary people working on this project. We had an amazing executive producer Diana DiMenna. Both Don Lenzer, our cinematographer, and our editor Bob Eisenhardt are masters and are also really nice, which is important to us.
What do you think each one of your brings?
AS: When it comes to directing we are completely equal on the creative side.
LS: We feed off of each other really well and love sharing ideas with one another and that's part of our process.
AS: On the producing side we divide and conquer.
What was the most interesting thing you each discovered over the course of making Restless Creature?
LS: Wendy the person. She really is loved by everybody. She truly is a kid from Louisville, Kentucky who just happens to be one of the greatest dancers of our time. It was also fascinating to witness and document how a ballerina at her level works and contributes to new works. Oh, and her body… to be so close to her and to watch her work you do see what amazing athletes ballerinas are.
AS: I think of Dr. Philippon’s line, “Ballerinas are God’s greatest athletes.” I’m a big sports fan and I was amazed by the intensity and commitment and the sacrifices that these dancers make, both on the contemporary and ballet side equally. I was also amazed by how dedicated and regimented they are. It’s seven days a week, 365 days a year. They go to class in the morning, rehearse in the afternoon and perform at night. And they repeat it day in and day out. Their toughness is really incredible.
Do you each have a favorite moment from the film?
LS: Being in the room with Wendy and the choreographers and watching them create new works was amazing.
AS: Wendy let us film her in her dressing room in the moments just before and just after her return performance at City Ballet. This was the performance of “Bitter Earth” that she gave following the surgery. The fact that she let us—and by extension the viewers—share those moments with her really adds something wonderful and powerful to the film for me.