A ‘Booksmart’ Reunion With Olivia Wilde and Beanie Feldstein and Chloe Fineman Wants to Play Melania Trump on ‘SNL’: Inside Chanel and Tribeca’s Through Her Lens Luncheon
by Michaela Zee · VarietyOlivia Wilde and Beanie Feldstein had a mini “Booksmart” reunion Tuesday at Chanel and Tribeca Film Festival‘s Through Her Lens luncheon in New York City.
Wilde and Feldstein are jurors for this year’s Tribeca Chanel women’s filmmaker program, which provides industry support and artistic development to 10 self-identifying women and non-binary filmmakers. The jury will decide which of these emerging filmmakers will receive full funding and support from Tribeca Studios to create a short film.
“I’m thrilled that I get to be on this jury with Beanie and to deliberate together because her taste is unmatched,” Wilde told Variety on the carpet for the Through Her Lens luncheon at Locanda Verde, the Italian restaurant in Tribeca. “She is so empathetic in the way she consumes materials with such thoughtful, emotional intelligence. So I feel very lucky.”
Related Stories
Disney vs. DirecTV Is a Different Kind of Carriage Battle
Joanna Scanlan, Tamsin Greig to Lead Sally Wainwright's New Punk-Rock Drama 'Riot Women'
Wilde then reflected on her directorial debut “Booksmart,” saying that the 2019 coming-of-age comedy was “like witnessing the next generation of Hollywood in front of me.” She hopes Feldstein and her co-stars “work together and orbit each other for the rest of their careers.”
Wilde added: “I know Beanie’s going to direct an incredible film someday soon. I have a gut feeling.”
Feldstein, a first-time juror, said it was “incredible” to reunite with Wilde for this year’s Through Her Lens program.
“I feel like I owe my whole career to Greta [Gerwig] and Olivia, so I am the biggest champion of female filmmakers — especially first-time female filmmakers,” Feldstein told Variety.
“Saturday Night Live” star Chloe Fineman believes programs like Through Her Lens are essential because women “are still a minority” in the industry.
“We were doing an ‘SNL’ shoot and there were four of us, and luckily, two more are coming in,” Fineman said. “But you realize we are this small group and we really need to stick together.”
She continued, “When I work with female directors or female DPs, it’s such a different experience, and there’s just a level of trust that is so special and rare. And I think really great art comes out of that. We feel safe with each other.”
Fineman is preparing for the milestone 50th season of “SNL,” which will occur amid the presidential race. Maya Rudolph is playing Vice President Kamala Harris on the late-night show, while “SNL” cast member James Austin Johnson will continue portraying former President Donald Trump.
“I’m hoping that I can finally make my Melania [Trump] debut,” she told Variety, adding that she’s been “sitting on” her impression of the former first lady for “about five years.”
Women in fashion and entertainment were dressed in head-to-toe Chanel at the luncheon as they feasted on olive oil-poached halibut, campanelle with creamy mushroom sauce, roasted beets and lemon tarts.
Feldstein sat at the end of one table during the intimate meal, where she spoke with “Euphoria” actor Maude Apatow, “Bottoms” star Havana Rose Liu, “Assassination Nation” star Odessa Young and “Saturday Night” actor Ella Hunt. At one point, Wilde came over to hug Feldstein.
Meanwhile, at another table, Leslie Mann chatted with Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, the program’s conversation leader this year, and fellow actors Fineman and Phoebe Tonkin.
Other guests included program mentors Pamela Adlon and Chase Sui Wonders, juror Joanna Calo and advisory committee member Patty Jenkins. Maggie Rogers, Whitney Peak, Antonia Gentry, Geraldine Viswanathan, AnnaSophia Robb, Gayle Rankin, Chase Infiniti, Francesca Scorsese, Rosanna Arquette and Gayle King were also in attendance.
“You can’t take this room for granted,” Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of the Tribeca Film Festival, said in her introduction. “Look around at who’s sitting next to you. It’s the way we support each other that really is the uniqueness of the Through Her Lens program.”
The luncheon marked the start of Through Her Lens’ three-day workshop, featuring one-on-one mentorship and intimate participant conversations with industry leaders. The program will conclude on Thursday night with a cocktail party in New York City.