BLACK BEAR: Q&A with Lawrence Michael Levine, Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon.

Moderated by Alessandro Ago, Director of Programming and Special Projects, USC School of Cinematic Arts.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

LAWRENCE MICHAEL LEVINE (Writer, Director, Producer)

Lawrence Michael Levine wrote, directed and starred in Wild Canaries (SXSW ‘14) and Gabi on the Roof in July. He wrote and produced Always Shine (Tribeca ‘16) and co-wrote and produced Green (SXSW ‘10). Black Bear is his fourth feature as writer/director. He is married to the filmmaker Sophia Takal.

AUBREY PLAZA (Producer, Cast - "Allison")

Plaza will next be seen starring in Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama, opposite Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. The film, which she also produced, will premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She is currently in production on Lina Roessler’s Best Sellers opposite Michael Caine which is based on an original screenplay that won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award. Plaza’s other feature film credits include: Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed, Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Judd Apatow's Funny People, among others. On television, she most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s “Legion” on FX and is well known for her role on NBC’s “Parks & Recreation.”

CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT (Cast - "Gabe")

Acclaimed stage, screen and television actor Christopher Abbott can currently be seen starring as the lead opposite George Clooney and Kyle Chandler in Hulu’s limited series, “Catch-22.” The series is
adapted from Joseph Heller’s acclaimed 1961 novel and was released on May 17, 2019. As a result of his critically acclaimed performance, Abbott received individual nominations for both a 2020 Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe Awards.

Abbott recently completed production on Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut On the Count of Three as well The World to Come opposite Casey Affleck, Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby. The film is based on a short story of the same name and will be directed by Mona Fastvold.

Additionally, Abbott completed production on the suspenseful meta-drama, Black Bear, opposite
Aubrey Plaza and Sarah Gadon. Written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, the movie centers on an expecting couple (Gadon and Abbott) who are confronted with an out-of-town guest ‘Abigail’ (Plaza), a filmmaker suffering from writer’s block who seeks solace in the woods but finds herself at the centerof a twisted love triangle.

In October 2018, Abbott appeared opposite Ryan Gosling in Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong biopic First Man for Universal Pictures. Abbott also stars in Nicolas Pesce’s Piercing, opposite Mia Wasikowska, in February 2019 and Sebastian Silva’s Tyrel, opposite Jason Mitchell, which both premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2015, Abbott was named by Variety as one of the “10 Actors to Watch” following his portrayal of the title role in Josh Mond’s award-winning film James White which was released by The Film Arcade. His performance garnered him "Best Actor" nominations from both the Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards.

Other film work includes Trey Shults’s It Comes at Night with Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo and Riley
Keough, JC Chandor’s A Most Violent Year with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot with Tina Fey and Margot Robbie, Katie Says Goodbye, Mona Fastvold’s The Sleepwalker, and Jamie Dagg’s Sweet Virginia opposite Jon Bernthal, Imogen Poots, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

Abbott’s lead role in Oscilloscope's Hello I Must Be Going earned him the Sundance Film Festival’s “Fresh Face in Film” recognition in 2012. His first film role was opposite Elizabeth Olsen in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, for which he was nominated for a Gotham Award in the "Best Ensemble" category.

SARAH GADON (Cast - "Blair")

Sarah Gadon starred in the award-winning Netflix limited series “Alias Grace,” adapted by Sarah Polley and directed by Mary Harron. She has received critical acclaim for her starring roles in films such as Indignation by director James Schamus, David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars, Cosmopolis and A Dangerous Method, Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy, and Amma Asante’s Belle. She recently appeared in Season 3 of HBO’s “True Detective” and can currently be seen in Hulu’s newest season of “Castle Rock.”