Emergent: Adam Rapp

Birthplace: Joliet, Ill.
Favorite bands: Arcade Fire, Smog, Cat Power
Favorite novels: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (“a cliché but it’s true”)
Favorite film: “I watch Five Easy Pieces and The Last Detail every year.” Also Blade Runner and Days of Heaven

Adam Rapp’s journey to the land of the multi-hyphenated has been circuitous. The young-adult novelist seldom read books until he began writing. The future award-winning playwright hated theater as a kid because his brother Anthony’s burgeoning career as a child actor continually uprooted his family. And when the opportunity came to write and direct his first film, the hobbyist musician/basketball player nearly balked.

“I was like, ‘Do I want to set myself up for incredible disappointment and anger?’” he recalls. “I had such a disdain for shooting and film, so I tried to avoid it as much as possible. But I have a great love for film, so I had a very complicated relationship.”

Ultimately, his desire for control (“to be the one to screw it up”) led Rapp to tackle his feature-film directorial debut while also directing a play and writing his first novel for adults. Based on an idea for theater his agent suggested he turn into a screenplay, Winter Passing follows detached, disillusioned actress Reese Holden (Zooey Deschanel) as she reunites with her dad (Ed Harris)—a famous, exceptionally reclusive author—and deals with his new makeshift family comprised of grad-student Shelly (Amelia Warner) and handyman/Christian-rocker Corbit (Will Ferrell).

The result is a slow-paced but engaging character study that effectively highlights a recurring theme in Rapp’s work: characters searching for connection, for refuge from chaos, for home. Harris is forceful in the Salinger-inspired role, but the real surprises are Deschanel and Ferrell. The young actress’ understated performance, driven largely by her expressive eyes, is revelatory in its potent languor and concealed torment. Meanwhile, the former SNL star, in his first serious dramatic role, plays Corbit with the exact combination of eccentricity and buried pathos needed.

Such subtlety is a surprise coming from a director trained in the theater, where the stage demands embellishment. “It’s funny, because a lot of people say my theater writing is crazy and intense and physical,” Rapp says, “but I always tell my actors when I work with them to do less.” The director was even more adamant in filming, where close-ups and big screens accentuate the nuances. “That’s what I love about film. I kept saying, ‘Just think the thought and let it do you. Trust that the script is doing it for you in some ways. These characters don’t know how to be theatrical. That’s part of the story we’re telling. Don’t take any moments.’”

Rapp says that the real challenge in transitioning to filmmaking was two-fold. As a writer, he had to learn to pen shorter scenes. “With theater, I’m trying to get characters in a room and not let them leave for as long as possible,” he explains. “With film, I learned very quickly you want to establish a mood and let them get in the room, then get them out as quickly as possible. It’s almost converse energy in a weird way.”

As a director, the challenge was lack of rehearsal time. “I literally had three-and-a-half hours with them in a loft in New York,” he says. The adjustment required faster decision-making and taking advantage of any opportunities to talk with his cast, whether they were in hair-and-makeup or walking to the set. “You feel like you’re pirating your own ship in a way. But it was fun; it was exciting. It’s like running a decathlon and trying to build a car all at the same time.”

Despite a number of obstacles in getting the film to theaters, Rapp will keep filmmaking on his plate. “With the [politics of distribution], I was like, ‘F— this; I’m never doing this again.’ But having gotten to the end of it and feeling the value of it, I’m actually shooting another film, an adaptation of my play, Blackbird. Two years later, and here I am, gearing up again. I’m excited about it.”