I know I’ve said it more times than I can count, and maybe you have, too: “Julianne Nicholson is so underrated! I wish she had more leading roles.” The underrated charge is subjective, she’s won an Emmy for her performance in Mare of Easttown and, but I think we all can agree that she deserves more opportunities in the spotlight. Fortunately, there’s Janet Planet, the feature debut by playwright Annie Baker. A quiet gem and a highlight of the year, the film offers Nicholson a complex character to sink her teeth into, a superb young co-star to work with, and a director who might just be perfect for her.
Set in the hazy summer days of 1991 Western Massachusetts, the film stars Nicholson as Janet, a hippie woman trying to raise her clingy but inquisitive 11-year-old daughter Lacy, played by brilliant newcomer Zoe Ziegler. Unfolding like a series of sun-kissed summer episodes, the story tracks Janet as she navigates a series of complicated relationships as Lacy watches closely, soaking it all in.
Janet isn’t an easy character to like, either. While she’s a good mother and a friend who lets others into her life easily, she’s also rough around the edges, a bit mercurial, and distressed that Lacy won’t leave her orbit even for a minute. It’s a credit to Nicholson that she makes Janet relatable and understandable as someone who is trying to figure her life out, while also appearing to her daughter to have everything under control.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of Julianne Nicholson and of Janet Planet. It was a treat for me to speak with her about the film, her impression of who Janet is, her closeness with Baker as Massachusetts natives, and her obvious screen chemistry with Ziegler.
Janet Planet is in theaters now. Check out the interview below and my review here.
