Christy Hall Uses Her Directorial Debut Daddio To Make A Statement About Who She Is As An Artist

Christy Hall makes her directorial debut with Daddio starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. In Daddio, Hall asks us to think about the value of human connection and what we can learn from simply talking to each other. Pop Culture Planet’s Makkedah Ramsey spoke with Hall to get all the details about how the film came together during Tribeca Festival.

Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn stand out as two stellar casting choices and their effortless connection adds significant value to the film. “This movie is so perfectly cast and, I have to say, we didn’t use a casting director. The way this came together was like kismet,” Hall explained. Dakota Johnson came to this film through Emma Tillinger, who came on as a producer and used her connection to Johnson’s producing partner Ro Donnelly to get the script on her radar. Ultimately, both Donnelly and Johnson joined the team as producers, and Johnson was immediately eager to play the role of Girlie.

This role required an actress willing to explore the multidimensional character in this singular setting and Johnson was up for it. It was Johnson who pitched Sean Penn as Clark, allowing everything to fall perfectly into place. “I normally just write characters. I don’t think about actors in my mind,” Hall told me. “But I have to say that Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn are so perfectly suited for these roles, and it just felt like it was written in the stars.”

Because of their commitment to the roles, they took them on with such care and intention. The dialogue was crucial to the film, and it was important to get those details in to communicate the right message to the audience. Hall, coming from a theater background, always focuses on building a character from the ground up, so the characters Girlie and Clark really have their own voices. “Characters and dialogue are a playwright’s sword and shield,” Hall explained. She let these characters speak to her and stayed true to their essence rather than bending them to fit a person. Penn and Johnson are what Hall calls “word perfect” as they took on the roles and never strayed from what was on paper.

Hall is telling a story about human connection and commenting on how we communicate today. The lost art of talking is a theme that holds true throughout the film and, when closing it out, it was important to stay true to her original thought. The way she ends this film, with a powerful release of emotion, allows the intention of the film to shine through as she envisioned it. That’s what she values as an artist: the integrity, not only of her characters, but also of her message.

With Daddio holding such powerful messaging, Hall is telling a story of who she is as an artist. “I believe that art shapes lives and stories create culture. They tell us who we are and who we want to be,” Hall said. She takes her role as an artist seriously and feels she has a “creative responsibility” to say something with her art rather than just making something that looks good on a screen. She challenges herself to touch on topics that may be uncomfortable but are also powerful and conversational.

Daddio perfectly sets the stage for a proper introduction to Christy Hall in her filmmaking debut. The film is now available in theaters.