The Silent Twins, from directorAgnieszka Smoczyńskaand screenwriterAndrea Seigel, and based on the book byMarjorie Wallace, tells the true story of twin sisters June and Jennifer Gibbons (played byLetitia WrightandTamara Lawrance, respectively), who retreated into their own imaginations and isolated themselves by only speaking to each other. In a constant battle between being inseparable while also wanting to be independent, the inability of others to understand them eventually led to their institutionalization, as they fought to hold onto their creativity and each other.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Wright and Lawrance talked about how moved they were by June and Jennifer, the importance of finding their chemistry in bringing these sisters to life, being more involved on a creative level as producers, what makes these women so special, and the challenge of leaving these characters behind. They also talked about wanting to continue to produce projects that they’re involved with, while Wright talked about the cathartic experience of makingBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, after the passing ofChadwick Boseman.
Collider: I was in such awe of your performances in this. It was truly remarkable to watch the life that you gave these women.
LETITIA WRIGHT: Thank you.
TAMARA LAWRANCE: Thank you.
When this project came your way, and you read this script, how did it most deeply affect you, emotionally? I can’t imagine what it must have been like, just to read about their lives on the page.
WRIGHT: Yeah, for sure. We were familiar with the documentary, prior to reading the script. It was a story that always went around as this mysterious story of twins sisters who got into trouble and were sent to Broadmoor, which is a psychiatric hospital. But upon reading the script, and upon doing our own digging and research, we found that the narrative was a little bit different. The main thing that stood out to me was how creative they were. In exploring this story, we got the blessing of finding out who they really were. That’s something that we dedicated our time to bringing to the screen and showing how human they are.
Tamara, since you came to this after Letitia was already signed on, what was the process like for you in getting this role? Was it more than just a standard audition?
LAWRANCE: Well, in some respects it was. It came by my agent, and I read scripts and did some tapes. And then, I had a second round and a third round. I think what made it extra special was the obvious need for chemistry with these two parts. My third and final round was an improvisation that lasted 45 minutes to an hour with Letitia, which was really exciting. We started with some of the scripts, and then worked off them. That, for me, started what then became a very collaborative process, in which the director (Agnieszka Smoczyńska) sat with Letitia and I, and we watched tapes, and we read the book together, and we spoke about who the other cast might be. I felt, from the very beginning, that I was involved in this process, as a producer and co-creator. And then, at the end of the process, the other producers asked me to come on as an executive producer, which was such an honor. I felt, from the beginning, that my voice and my input, and my perspective was really respected, which is definitely not something that happens on every job.
Letitia, what was that like for you? Were you reading with different actors? Did you immediately know when you came across the one that needed to be in this role?
WRIGHT: Yeah. Our casting director, Kharmel [Cochrane], did a phenomenal job in finding the chemistry and reading actresses that we needed to connect with. Prior to actually going into the room with Tamara, I saw her tape. I knew of her work before, but I saw her tape and I saw her portray Jennifer in a way that I had never seen anybody else do, and that was really intriguing. And then, when we met, the chemistry was already there. She provoked emotion in me that nobody else could. She’s phenomenal. So, for me, the casting process was a simple one because it was just like, “That’s the person,” And everybody felt the same.
Chemistry is always that thing that you’re able to’t really describe, and for this, it seems like it goes even beyond chemistry because the relationship is so different.
WRIGHT: You definitely need someone special to come on board with you. We’re really thankful that we found Tamara. She was meant for the part. It was what was meant to happen.
It’s so heartbreaking to watch these two being bullied, misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and eventually imprisoned. They weren’t criminals, but they were harshly punished. It must have been so confusing and painful for them to go through. Letitia, what did you see in June that made her special to you?
WRIGHT: It’s hard to speak about June without speaking about Jennifer because they’re so intertwined. What I saw, that was special about both of the twins, is their creativity and their desire to share something with the world in a way that nobody really tapped into. They had a desire to give you something, and it wasn’t necessarily with the words that came out of their mouths, but it was with the words that they wrote on paper. They dedicated them themselves to reading novels and learning different words in the dictionary and just filling themselves up with so much vocabulary, so they could write a perfect story for you. I found that to be really intriguing and really beautiful about them, and I wanted that to be showcased in our story.
Tamara, what about for you? What did you see in Jennifer, and in the bond that she had with June, that made her stand out to you?
LAWRANCE: I felt that her perspective on her sister was really intriguing to me because it brought me into the psyche of twinship that I didn’t understand. She was very vulnerable. They had this diary space that was their deepest desires, and it was a space in which they were honest in a way that, for me, was really remarkable. Usually, when people write diaries, it’s not expected that they’re going to be read. So, to be able to see how she cared about June, the ways in which she compared herself to June, and the ways in which she envied June, humanized her for me. I recognized her as a teenage girl that was going through a lot of complicated things in really difficult circumstances, which was so opposite to how she was depicted in the media. That’s why I immediately became quite defensive of Jennifer and was like, “No. Everybody’s acting like she’s the dominant one, but they both have times when they attempt to push down the other person, and they both have times when they lift up the other person.” If Jennifer is desiring to dominate, maybe that’s coming from a place of actually feeling less than. Maybe the line between love and obsession is actually more murky than we realize with these people. So, for me, I just wanted to remove judgment from her, and I think the piece really gave me that.
The relationship is so complex because they couldn’t be without each other, and yet they were often trying to physically attack and hurt each other. Where do you think that came from? Do you think it was that fact that they didn’t know how to not be inseparable, but they also both wanted to be individuals?
WRIGHT: Definitely. You basically answered it perfectly. It’s a challenging relationship. They can’t be together, but they can’t be without each other. It’s a sad cycle, really. All they knew was that space that they created for each other, so when they tried to break out of it, it became difficult because they didn’t know really how to relate with other people. When one would attempt to express themselves in another group, the other would feel left out. And then, the other would then feel loyalty to come back. It was quite an interesting cycle to observe and to dissect, in order for us to get into the mindset and the headspace of where they were at.
LAWRANCE: I agree. And to add to that, it’s worth remembering that the context of this is twinship. It’s not just a toxic relationship with anyone, with a partner or a sibling or a family member. It’s with someone who you have shared an amnion with. You have the exact same DNA. I listened to a podcast that said that twins reach for each other from as early as 14 weeks, which has always stuck with me. You have an awareness of other, probably before you have an awareness of even yourself, and that’s the catalyst for being enamored, but also the extreme friction that they have. It’s like, “Who am I without you? As long as I have been, you have been.” None of us know what that’s like, except twins. There’s something about that experience that must be so dysphoric, but also inordinately euphoric, to have someone that has shared the exact same life span as you. I think that’s why twins, in media and fiction and stuff, are so fascinating to audiences. It’s a really bespoke experience that actually none of us will ever really know.
Letitia, I have to tell you, that trailer forBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas truly one of the most incredible trailers I’ve ever seen for a film. I’ve never gotten so emotional over a trailer, and it feels like any doubt that anyone had about what that movie could even be was completely blown away by that trailer. Was making that film more cathartic than you expected it to be?
WRIGHT: Definitely. It was life imitating art, and art imitating life. It was a safe space for me to express how I was feeling over the loss of my brother. I was able to take the story that Shuri was going through and pull myself into it. I think everybody’s in for a treat. The beautiful thing about what we do, as artists, is that we get to just connect to humanity in a way that’s unique. I feel likeThe Silent Twinsdoes that too. We have two sisters that anybody in the world can relate to, just trying to find their way and seeing how society can sometimes let them down. So, I’m excited for everyone to seeThe Silent Twins, and when you’re all done with that, you can go over and seeBlack Panther. But definitely seeThe Silent Twinsfirst.
What’s next for you guys? Now that you’re both getting involved as producers, like with this film, is that something you want to do more of, having more of a say in the projects that you’re involved in and how the characters are portrayed?
WRIGHT: Definitely.
LAWRANCE: It was my first time producing. This team, and I know Letitia championed it as well, was so gracious in having me involved on both sides of the camera. It was a really amazing experience for me to see the ways in which a story is crafted in its entirety, and not just in the performance and editing, but sound and grading and all the ways in which everything is responsible for telling the story. There’s also something, in particular, with this story and being two Black British women that have the closest affinity to the story we’re depicting than anyone else in the production team. It was important that we were there for the perspective that we were able to give. And moving forward, I would love to produce more because I’m realizing, more and more, that there is value in my perspective, and that the more variety of voices and life experiences that are involved on both sides of the camera, the richer that the storytelling has a potential to be.
It’s definitely one thing to find your voice, but that title of “producer” ensures that other people have to actually listen to your voice.
WRIGHT: Yeah, it definitely gives you some type of credit, in terms of your opinion and respect, but it has to also be earned. It’s not a case where we just came on and said, “We want to be producers, just for the sake of being producers.” We learned, early on, that we needed the voices of Black women to be a part of the storytelling, in front of the camera and behind the camera. Fortunately, we had a team in 42 and the team in Poland that really supported that, but it was earned. We did work hard. There were times where I couldn’t pick up the producing mantle as I’d wanted to whilst I was recovering, and Tamara took on so much of that. She’d go into the editing room or looking over the sound with the team, and then we would swap. We really worked hard to make sure our voices were heard and that the essence of the twins’ story was felt throughout every part of it, right down to the poster.
When you do something like this, where it is so collaborative, and you are such a part of the team, and you spend all this time on the physicality, the mannerisms, the accent, and really just embodying these women, did it feel different to say goodbye to them? What was it like to leave them behind and not be playing them every day anymore?
LAWRANCE: Yeah, it did feel different for me, with this job, because of the closeness that was developed with my co-star, which is not an everyday experience when you co-lead a film. Often, there is a lot more distance between your characters. There was definitely something that lingered after the movie, in terms of feeling like I had a bond with someone in a way that I haven’t on other projects. Sometimes it can take a while to leave things behind. Sometimes it’s only afterwards that you realize the ways in which it’s actually affected you. While you’re working, you’re trying to stay focused and maintain the momentum. But the best thing to do, finishing any project, is to prioritize self-care and actually come back to yourself, and remind your imagination that everything that you put it through wasn’t real, and finding ways in which to tap back into who you are and what you like, and to allow yourself to process, in ways, whatever the story was that has gone through your consciousness. I definitely gave myself that period, but it was not immediate. I gave myself some time to gradually let go of everything.
