How Award-Winning Director Laura Terruso Wants Girls to See the World
Only four women have ever directed Robert De Niro, and at 40 — only eight years out of film school — Laura Terruso is now the youngest. When I asked her what she wants other young women to know when eyeing careers behind the camera, Terruso says simply, “Pursue it, because we need to hear your stories.”
And just like that, I was hooked.
Terruso is all about storytelling, and directing her latest project ABOUT MY FATHER for Lionsgate, a film co-written by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and Austen Earl and loosely based on Maniscalco’s relationship with his father played by Robert De Niro, she has entered rarified company.
Indeed, directing De Niro not only puts Terruso among icons like Scorsese, Tarantino, DePalma, Kazan, Coppola and Bertolucci, but the only three other women to direct De Niro in a live action film over his 60-year career are none other than Nancy Meyers, Penny Marshall and Agnès Varda.
“Laura Terruso, the director, was terrific. She’s an Italian American from Bensonhurst, New York, so she knew the world.” — Robert De Niro, 2022 Cinecon
With a slew of stellar writer, director and producer credits to her name (HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, starring Sally Field; GOOD GIRLS GET HIGH, which nabbed the Audience Award at the Sante Fe Film Festival; FITS AND STARTS, which premiered at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival), Terruso also directed the #1 Netflix teen hit WORK IT. Produced by Alloy and Alicia Keys and starring Sabrina Carpenter, Jordan Fisher and Liza Koshy, the film remained in the Top Ten on Netflix for two solid weeks and holds a special place in the hearts of today’s teens.
So, when I got the chance to interview Terruso one day after Women’s History Month, I came armed with questions from teen and collegiate girls about filmmaking, mentorship and what she wants tomorrow’s film directors to know today.
Below is an excerpted version of our interview.
Ê: Thank you so much for this opportunity! The first question comes from girls who are eyeing the traditionally male-dominated film industry: With only three other women who have ever directed Robert De Niro, how were you not intimidated by your role on day one?
LT: First, I think preparation is everything. Second, I was so excited. To meet Bob I geared up for our first Zoom meeting by putting on music like Eye of the Tiger…[laughs]. But in truth, I was so prepared. I knew the world of the film. I knew the story that we were telling, and I was able to articulate my vision to him in such a way that he was able to feel safe and confident in my ability to helm this story.
My first film, HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, was an amazing experience because I had just graduated from film school and I was already working with Sally Field, another Oscar winner. And I remember she asked me: So how did you get here? And I explained that I had just gotten out of film school, wrote the script…and suddenly I was here. And she said, Welcome to show business! It was so fantastic.
You learn so much by working with people who have been doing this their whole life. [They] have witnessed…every possible scenario, so it is such a gift to be able to work with actors at that level and learn from them. I feel so lucky to have collaborated with someone like De Niro; he is an absolute gem of an artist, and I was just incredibly prepared and excited.
Ê: I love when you talk about ‘helming’ a movie. When you are looking to direct a movie and you are up against a slate of other directors, do you already see the movie in your head? Have you already charted the course of the movie?
LT: Yes, and I think that’s what you have to do. For a job like ABOUT MY FATHER, the script was sent to me by my agent. I had just finished a film called WORK IT –
Ê: We are huge fans!
LT: [Laughs] Well, that was my entrée into studio filmmaking. So, I read this script and I leapt out of my seat. I felt like I have to direct this thing, because I immediately felt such a personal connection to the material. It’s about Sebastian’s relationship with his father (who immigrated from Sicily in the 1960’s), and my mother immigrated from Sicily in the 1960’s! I had this incredibly personal connection at the start.
When you are pitching a film like this, you prepare so thoroughly. You basically have to direct the film without directing the film; you have to know exactly what you are looking for. I was able to describe how certain scenes would look and feel, and that was how I got the job. And, thankfully, they hired me!
Ê: Do you feel like that level of preparation and the ability to fully visualize the movie in an artistic way is something you learned at NYU [Film School]? Or did you always have that?
LT: I would say I learned most of what I know about filmmaking as, as a graduate film student at NYU. It’s one of the best film schools in the world, and I learned so much — not only from the incredible professors, but also from my classmates who are incredible filmmakers.
Preparation, for me, is so key when taking on a project because I like to over-prepare. So that on day one when I’m on set with the actors I can let all that fall away and be in the moment. If I have all my technical ducks in a row…now I can be in that place of pure instinct, and work from that.
Ê: So important — preparation and instinct. What other advice would you give to girls aspiring to be directors? In a profession where only 17 percent of directors on top films are women, what advice would you give to aspiring directors right now?
LT: I would say just start making stuff. TikTok videos, YouTube, make a little web series, shoot something with your friends. Just create, because in the process of creating, you’re going to learn more about yourself and more about the process of making something. That will prepare you for a life of doing this.
Yes, the numbers are low right now in terms of female representation in the industry, but that creates a great opportunity! Because it means there are so many stories that aren’t being told that need to be told. So, bring all of yourself to the work because we need to hear your voices.
“I really want to encourage the next generation to just start making stuff and pursue it, because we need to hear your stories.” — Laura Terruso
Also, it’s got to speak to you emotionally in some way. It’s got to light you up. I like to make comedies that have happy ending because I see it as an opportunity to say the things that maybe I never had an opportunity to say in life. In that way, this film is very much a love letter to my mother.
Ê: Is that a hallmark of your films — that ability to find the heartwarming with the hilarity?
LT: Yes, yes! That is what I strive for. I want to make films that make you laugh out loud throughout, and then make you cry. Because, ultimately, they are about relationships. And when I think of the filmmakers whose work I love — you know, people like Penny Marshall and Mike Nichols — these films are just so funny and then at the end, you’re like, oh my God I’m so deeply moved. So yeah, that’s what I want to do as a filmmaker.
Ê: OK, last question — let’s talk about mentors. You have accomplished so much in such a short period of time — did you have one or two mentors that meant more to you, and why?
LT: I’m fortunate to have had so many people who have taught me things along the way. I also think it’s important to mention that we can find mentors in an unexpected place. People in and out of the film industry have helped me so much.
It’s just about finding the people who see you.
People who see where you are and what you stand for.
People who want to help get your voice out there. So, yeah, when you find people who really see you, keep them close.
Aspiring filmmakers everywhere, listen up. Pretend you are scanning a script and reread that last line:
“When you find people who really see you, keep them close.”
And remember that whether it is through the lens of their camera or the screen on a zoom call, directors like Laura Terruso see you. They want you to share your stories. They want to amplify your voices.
Do not be discouraged by the low numbers of female directors attached to top movies, or the fact that not a single woman was nominated by the Academy this year for Best Director. Focus instead on the fact that women won that category two years in a row prior to that. Find solace in the fact that only eight years out of film school, directors like Terruso are being chosen over cadres of seasoned directors to lead movies that star icons. And train your gaze on the stellar cast of movie-making mentors waiting in the wings to help you.
They see you.
And they can’t wait to watch what you create.
While working on ABOUT MY FATHER, Laura Terruso continued to create and experiment, directing the experimental documentary NO MIDNIGHT, which heads to film festivals this summer. Illana and the girls at Être are deeply grateful for her time, her wisdom, and the heartwarming and hilarious example she continues to set.
