SF: Can you share some scenes you loved but had to cut from Edie & Thea?

SM: There's a lot! We had some very fun stories about sex.

SF: Like?

SM: Just about how in the 60s and 70s there were sex toys you couldn't buy because they were illegal.

GO: But, you could import them from other countries. And they did.

SM: They had to learn the words for things they wanted to purchase from other countries. It's amazing that they actually lived through that time period.

GO: Another bit that was cut, but was very telling: While we were filming a scene of them swimming together, Thea had hardly been in the pool for more than a minute when she had a seizure and had to be given her heart medication. She had to leave the pool. We were sitting around her, trying to make sure she was okay.

SM: After a few minutes, Thea recovered and insisted on going back into the pool because she knew we had not gotten enough footage. We didn't want her to. It seemed too risky, but she kept saying "No, you didn't get what you needed!" Like Edie, Thea was an unstoppable force.

SF: Were there other challenges to making this film due to Thea's health?



GO: It took a long time for Thea to get ready for us to come over and film. Also, there was a limit to how long we could interview her. We always had to make sure we didn't go too long so it wouldn't be exhausting.

SM: For someone who is quadriplegic and can only move her head and one finger, everything is dependent on health and assistance in getting ready. We weren't doing an exposé, so we could afford to work with them on their time, when they felt ready or when they took an initiative. We often forgot that Thea actually had limited time. When we met her, she had less than a year to live and that was the impetus for their marriage. But as we got to know them, we sort of were in denial about that—even though we were constantly reminded when she'd have heart seizures and have to take medication.

GO: I can't tell you how many times we would forget her illness because of her energy and her humor. Her persona was grand. Each of them was a force.

SF: Did your film help bring Windsor's case to the Supreme Court?

GO: As far as we know, it was used as evidence.

SM: Edie will say the film was the evidence for her case that she had a relationship that could be called a marriage. I can't speak for her legal team, but Edie said, "Without the film, you wouldn't have had that emotional connection."

GO: Anyone who might have questioned the status of their relationship before the film didn't after watching it.

SF: Did Edie or Thea ask you to take anything out of the finished film that they didn't like?

GO: Well, Thea passed away before we finished the film.

SM: But when we did the interview that covered Thea's background—her family were Jewish refugees from Holland—she called up and said, "You know, I really didn't like that interview. There are things that I reflected on more that I would like to add." And we honored that.