You, Me & Tuscany, Kat Coiro Director Interview

 "One of the things I loved from the very first time I read the script is that we get to see a woman in her early 20s who does not have it all figured out. And anyone who's lived through their 20s knows that there's a certain chaos and a certain kind of series of bad decisions. And you can look back on it later in life and go: 'Wow, I was meant to do all that.' And as crazy as it is, it got me to where I am. And Hallie's character is so exciting because it really taps into like: 'What the hell is she doing?'. 

And yet it turns out okay in the end and sometimes you gotta do crazy stuff. The reason Hallie is the only person who could have played this role is because she is so kind and she has such a light inside of her that she can get away with doing the most crazy stuff and it's okay. You put Hallie in and you're like: 'Yep, normal. Break into a villa? Sure. Of course you do that because it's Hallie.' Ray and Hallie just had this instant chemistry and bond and they're so different in their kind of fundamental personalities that I knew it would work right away. 

Anna is very chaotic and Michael is very buttoned up and reserved and has dedicated his life to doing the right thing and to helping other people. And he needs a little bit of that chaos, just like she needs a little bit of that grounding. And so when they come together, they complement each other and they actually make each other's lives better. And that's not something that's in dialogue, it's not something that's explicitly spelled out in the film, but when you feel their two energies together, that is really the heart of the film. Well, I love Will Packer. 

He's just one of my favorite people that I've ever worked with because he just brings energy and light and joy and he genuinely loves what he does. What appealed to me about this movie is the kind of universal nature of love, but Will kept saying to me: 'Don't forget this is the first time my people get to see themselves in these settings.' And I took that really seriously. You know, I would always have him by my side to just make sure that I was fulfilling that part of his vision, you know, basically giving an audience that isn't used to seeing themselves in a setting like this. And that was something I, you know, I really took to heart."