Elisabeth Shue on Embracing the ‘Absurd’ and ‘Tragic’ Aspects of Grief in ‘The Good Half’
When taking on the role as matriarch Lily in The Good Half, Elisabeth Shue was attracted to telling a story about the “honest” — and ultimately, very “funny” — aspects that come along with the process of grief.
“I think the humor in [this film] is what really made me want to do it, because I feel like that’s what's the most human — is how absurd it is and how sad and tragic it is,” Shue, 60, shared in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “But it's also just absurd how people react to the terrifying reality of people dying. It's just terrifying that it’s going to happen to all of us. And so we all go into some strange, numb, shocked mode that creates a lot of humor.”
The Good Half, which was written by Brett Ryland and directed by Robert Schwartzman, follows Renn (Nick Jonas) as he returns home to Cleveland for his mother Lily’s (Shue) funeral, where he must confront his grief and reconnect with estranged family members. Renn, however, finds himself at odds with his sister (Brittany Snow) and stepdad (David Arquette) when they all have different ideas on how to handle honoring Lily post-mortem.
Those clashing personalities — and chaotic approach to the more bureaucratic aspects of death — are what Shue finds most entertaining and true to life. “Everyone's just trying to, like, deny [death],” she said. “The way the family deals with the logistics, I find it hilarious.”
While Shue only appears in flashbacks throughout the film, most of her moments are shared with Jonas, 31. The actress told Us that she gives her costar “so much credit” for his performance, noting that the pair only had “two or three days” to cram in all their scenes.
“He had already done the whole movie with all the rest of the [cast] in New Jersey,” she continued. “And so, frankly, I was kind of worried. I usually like to spend a lot of time with the actors I work with. You develop a rapport. And we just showed up on the set. … And instantly, our relationship had to begin, and he just was so lovely. So present as an actor. It just was so nice to instantly feel that kind of trust. I'm very grateful for that.”
The Karate Kid actress added that, in some ways, the quick shooting schedule was beneficial, as everyone was “energetic” and “motivated” to get the work done, leading to a light tone on set.
“It was so fun because I just got to do scene after scene after scene with Nick and Brittany,” she gushed. “It was just such a happy experience.”
For viewers, The Good Half may not be an entirely “happy” experience — plenty of tears will inevitably to be shed throughout the one hour and 50 minute runtime — but Shue does think the movie will also make people laugh.
“I guess I hope that, and this is a little funny, maybe when their own death is impending that [people] are not afraid to actually confront that reality with those they love,” she told Us about what she hopes people take from the film. “I think that would be a huge gift to people if they come away with just an understanding of how messy these moments of loss are. And maybe [find] some compassion for each other that nobody really does it right.”
The Good Half is now playing in select theaters and on digital.
