Everyone loves a good comfort film, and what better topic than the deep connection of friendship? Well, that's exactly what Let's Have Kids! is about.
Let's Have Kids! follows Emma (Guardians of the Galaxy's Karen Gillan) and Zoë Chao's Phoebe, two friends who have been best friends since they came out of their mother's womb. Throughout life, they've done everything together and been there for every big moment. But when Emma has the idea for them to have kids together and go through the process at the same time, things don't exactly work out as she hoped—Phoebe gets pregnant while Emma is unable to.
The Direct sat down with Let's Have Kids! stars Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao to discuss the importance of friendship and the message they hope their film imparts to viewers.
Fans of Karen Gillan will also be able to catch her in the upcoming Sony Pictures film Jumanji: Open World.
Karen Gillian and Zoë Chao Break Down the Importance of Friendship
"You're Learning How to Be a Person With Your Best Friend..."
- The Direct: "This friendship between Emma and Phoebe is so deep and so special and unique. Can you talk about, in your own words, why it is that special and unique compared to kind of your standard friendship?"
Karen Gillan: I mean, I have a best friend from high school called Donna, and she is—I mean, she feels like my soulmate or something. It's somebody who knows every single part of you, good and bad and weird, and they still choose to be friends with you. And I think there's something so rare and beautiful about that.
She added that she "feel[s] so lucky that [she has] that in [her] life," something she realizes not everyone has.
Gillan: And I just feel so lucky that I have that in my life, because a lot of people don't, maybe, is what I'm gathering, you know, where you can sort of say and admit anything, and I would just be lost without that. So, having experienced that, I feel like I can understand what these characters have and why they want to do this experience together.
Zoë Chao: I think to have a friend who has been with you during the big moments [and] chapters in your life. It's rare to have that kind of continuity, and I think, man, you grow—You're learning how to be a person with your best friend, and you're making mistakes, and you're trying things on... I just think it is such a special bond, and I really understand that...
Chao went on to explain how, at one point, she had very similar fears about one of her friendships, as Emma did with Phoebe after she got pregnant first in the film.
Chao: I remember when my best friend told me she was pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic, and I was like, 'Oh no, we're about to have two different. I'm like so happy for you, and also like I don't know how I'm going to be able to support you because I don't know what you're about to go through, and I want to know so I can support you, and also, will you still need me in your life?' And yeah, and then you realize, like, oh, right... change is happening all the time, and a lot of these friendships can hopefully hold...
This Is What Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao Hope Audiences Get From Their Film
"Everyone's Got Their Own Timeline..."
- The Direct: "Besides simply giving audiences an entertaining experience, what do you hope that this film imparts to those who watch it?"
Karen Gillan: I think from my character's perspective, and it's something that I've experienced, and so many of my female friends have experienced, is this thing of a time crunch to get this done, to have kids, to do it when you imagined you were going to do it. I think that can actually add a lot of stress to your life, which is counterintuitive to actually getting it done... I think watching my character kind of go through what she goes through, I think it would be a good sort of conversation to have about just alleviating some of that pressure a little bit on all women.
Zoë Chao: Yeah, I agree that everyone's got their own timeline, and what I'm learning about being a parent is that there's just some stuff you can control, but most of it you can't, and that's an essential part of it, is learning how to, like, let go and sort of give over.
The Direct's full interview with Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao can be watched here:
