The Testament of Ann Lee, Thomasin McKenzie interview

"I... I think the fact that it was like a... a female story that I had never heard of before... I mean, Ann Lee was a... an incredible leader and obviously had an impact on lots and lots of people, so I was really excited to be part of telling her story.

We did a lot of singing and dancing. That was the main preparation and, and also like—of course looking into the history of the Shaker movement. But yeah, for me it was mostly about spending time with the cast and crew and then, and creating that like... tight-knit group feeling.

You kind of get a very visceral response to the film and I think the singing and dancing adds to that and the physicality of it all. I mean, those sequences are pretty breathtaking. Um, obviously we have our brilliant composer Daniel, um, so like the rhythm of the film, of the music and of the dance and of the singing, like, I think really adds to the overall rhythm and structure of the film.

It was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of late nights together drinking and laughing and dancing and singing and... we felt like a family. I think that's what Mona really... I know that's what Mona really prioritizes on her sets, on her... on her, yeah, on her projects, is that family feeling, so that everyone feels held and, and included and supported. Um, that was like, yeah, incredibly enjoyable."