‘A Little White Lie’ Michael Shannon And Kate Hudson Star In Mistaken Identity Comedy

A Little White Lie stars Michael Shannon as Shriver, a handyman whose future looks bleak when he receives a letter that mistakes him for a famous recluse writer who hasn’t been seen in 20 years. He accepts an invitation to a college literary festival, assuming the famous Shriver’s persona and feeling guilty. Kate Hudson plays English professor Simone Cleary who is assigned to guide Shriver through the event as his devoted fans constantly bombard him. The two soon develop romantic feelings for each other, but Shriver must first navigate the strange situation he has placed himself in. The comedy is written and directed by former journalist Michael Maren, and is based on the novel Shriver by Chris Belden. The film also stars Don Johnson, Jimmi Simpson, Zach Braff, Wendie Malick, Perry Mattfeld, Peyton List, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Aja Naomi King.

Forbes spoke with Michael Maren about how he discovered the novel that led to this screenplay. We also discussed how being a journalist helped inform his work on this project and how he handles imposter syndrome.

Risa Sarachan: When did you first encounter Chris Belden’s Shriver?

Michael Maren: I knew little about Chris Belden and had never heard of his book Shriver when I heard him reading the first chapter at The Bookstore (actual name of the store) in Lenox, MA. I found the reading to be both funny and poignant in terms of the inner life and insecurities of an artist. I had just finished directing my first film and was starting to think about my next project, so I purchased a copy of the book and got into the signing line. When I handed Chris the book for his signature, I asked him to sign the film rights to me right there. He wrote: “Looking forward to the movie version.” That was November 2013. I, of course, formally optioned the book at some point thereafter.

Sarachan: What was the process of writing A Little White Lie?

Maren: I’m a very slow writer, and I had some other projects in the works at the time. Adapting any book is a process of streamlining and boiling it down to its essence and inventing details that aren’t necessary for fiction. The book is quirky and absurd in a way that wouldn’t really work in film, so I grounded it in ways that made Shriver more of a real character. I also wrote part of Goat Time, the novel within the novel, in order to better understand him. There’s an excerpt from the invented novel in the film. It wasn’t until sometime in 2015 that I had a script that I sent out to my reps in Los Angeles. The script attracted immediate interest from producers and actors and, then, development hell.

Sarachan: A Little White Lie has such a phenomenal cast. Did you have any of these actors in mind when you wrote the script?

Maren: I did not. During the development process, a long list of well-known actors were attached at one time or another. But making an independent film means trying to hold onto one piece of the puzzle while attracting another piece and raising the money. It wasn’t until Michael Shannon signed on to play Shriver that the boat steadied long enough for the financing, and the balance of the cast fell into place.

Sarachan: This film handles the concept of Imposter Syndrome. Have you ever struggled with that? If you have, what’s helped your work through it?

Maren: Of course, although not nearly to the degree that’s dramatized in the film. But I felt that out-of-body experience when my first book was published in 1997 (The Road to Hell), and I was suddenly standing in front of crowds of people who had come to see me. It’s something about that moment when a dream is realized and it feels completely unreal. And you can believe that I felt it before calling “Action” with Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, and Don Johnson in front of the camera. But the fact is that while I always hope to approach my work with more confidence, I never want to completely get over it. Every script I write or film I direct is doing it for the first time. I want that feeling again.

Sarachan: How do you feel your career as a journalist informs your work as a filmmaker?

Maren: I think that journalism and screenwriting have a lot in common. Both require examining a complex, nuanced world and distilling from it a story, finding a thread that both does justice to the story and can be relatable for an audience. And most definitely, my experiences, especially working in war zones and staying calm under great stress, are great training for dealing with the relentless pressures of directing a film.

Sarachan: The process of creating this film had many starts and stops. How did you handle restrictions brought on by COVID?

Maren: We shut production down with eight days of scheduled production remaining. When we resumed 400 days later, we had to squeeze those eight days into six in order to accommodate actors’ schedules. Not only that, but our days were made shorter by the new rules, which required daily COVID testing and smaller crews on the actual set. I had to make decisions on the fly about simply not filming a couple of scenes or moving on when I would have wanted more time. One particular scene was originally scheduled for the better part of a day and we were forced to shoot it in three hours chasing daylight. The final day of filming was nearly 24 hours. The crew, cast, and everyone were heroic in making sure we got it done.

Sarachan: What are you working on next?

Maren: I’m writing the script, based on my wife Dani Shapiro’s memoir Inheritance for Killer Films, to be directed by the amazing Agnieszka Holland.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

A Little White Lie is in theaters and on digital and demand on March 3rd.