Marielle Heller

In January 2018, it was announced that Heller would direct A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a film that chronicles an interview Tom Junod conducted with child entertainer Fred Rogers for Esquire magazine, and how the encounter impacted the journalist's life.^[19] The screenplay was written by Emmy-nominated producers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.^[22] Tom Hanks, who portrays Mr. Rogers, agreed to join the project once Heller signed on as director, as they had met previously through Hanks' son, Colin.^[23][3] It was filmed in Pittsburgh.^[3]

Heller played a breakout acting role in the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit as Alma Wheatley.^[24][25] Heller is friends with the director Scott Frank and was going to play the part of Beth's biological mother, until the original actress fell out.^[25]

Media image and directing style

Heller has said she is drawn to stories about people "trying to talk about something that people are uncomfortable talking about" and "human beings trying to navigate through the world."^[8] Drawn to storytelling, she progressed from an actor, to a writer, finally beginning to direct when she dreaded turning her screenplay for Diary to someone else.^[13] She has said that becoming a mother made her change the kind of stories she tells, because she wants "to do good in the world".^[8]

In 2020, she was listed, among others, as one of the several female directors snubbed for Academy Awards and Golden Globes nominations for Best Directing, as only men were nominated. Fellow director Greta Gerwig, who also was not nominated, included Heller in her list of women who could have been competing for the Golden Globe. Actress Natalie Portman, as a sign of protest, wore a dress embroidered with the names of these women, including Heller, on the 2020 Oscars red carpet.^[26]

Filming days for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood adhered to a shooting schedule of 10-hour days that did not break for lunch so that Heller and other cast and crew members could potentially still have nights with their children. She believes sustainable working hours on film sets will allow more female directors to continue working after they have families.^[27]

Personal life

Heller is married to comedian

Heller's brother, Nate, is a musician who composed the scores for all three of her feature films.[3] Her sister, Emily Heller, is a stand-up comic, as well as a producer and writer for the HBO comedy series Barry.^[3] Her brother-in-law, Asa Taccone, is the lead singer of the band Electric Guest, and her father-in-law, Tony Taccone, is a theater director. When asked about her greatest source of inspiration, she answered, "Every member of my family, each of whom is completely their own person, and works on being thoughtful and creative every day. And I find inspiration in all of my friends, and my husband, all of whom are working toward living life as an artist every day."^[12]

Filmography

Director

Film

Television

Actor

Film

Television

Theatre

This list is adapted from her biography on The Nervous Breakdown:^[12]

• Continental Divide (by David Edgar)
• Hamlet – Ophelia
• King Lear – Cordelia (San Diego Rep)
• Much Ado About Nothing – Hero (Theatricum Botanicum)
• Peninsula (by Madelyn Kent) – starred (SoHo Rep)

Awards and nominations

Critics' Choice Television Awards

Actors' awarded performances

Under Hellers's direction, these actors have received the Academy Award nominations for their performances in their respective roles.

References