“We went through all the films that inspired us. Films that make you feel uplifted, and made you think about something in a different way, but were never preachy,” said Ganatra during an interview in the middle of her Sundance whirlwind. “There are very few Indian-American women working in comedy right now, and I think it was really bold of [Kaling] to say, ‘O.K., direct this movie for me.’ It was risky and beautiful and I’m glad it paid off.” (Late Night was originally set up at 20th Century Fox with producer Scott Rudin and director Paul Feig, but Kaling extracted it from the studio after it was put into turnaround. Indie outfits 30West and Film Nation financed the movie.)

Shot in 25 days, and written before the #MeToo movement took hold at the end of 2017, Late Night deals with many hot-button issues today—diversification, slut-shaming—but never in a way that feels overbearing. Rather, it’s a love letter to those single-minded strivers out there who will give up everything in their quest to reach their career goals. And it’s a brilliant showcase for Thompson, who fully breaks out of the period genre she’s become so well known for, and returns her to her comedic roots. There is even a snippet of a 1983 stand-up routine of Thompson’s featured in the movie. At 59, the British actress has never looked better, including in scenes where Ganatra says she didn’t wear make-up.

“[Emma] said, ‘I just got ready for bed [in this scene], why would I have makeup on?,’” said Ganatra. “She’s so great about trying to break down that idiotic thing of trying to look like we’re not human.”

Ganatra tells a story about how on some movie sets there are people whose job it is to make sure actresses don’t show their neck by turning their heads too far to one side. Actresses often will ask their director to move their eyeline so they don’t look too far to one side. Said Ganatra: “Emma stopped everything and said, ‘Are we living in a world where we are trying to pretend that women’s necks don’t wrinkle when they look over their shoulder, and what are we doing if we are?’ In such a simple, funny comment she took down the entire beauty industry.”

Late Night operates on many planes, both as a big, glossy movie that could easily have been made by a big studio, and also as a piece that analyzes our current culture. It’s exactly the kind of movie Ganatra dreamt of. “I’ve always wanted to make movies centered on women and their stories, but which also worked on two levels—they are entertaining and make you laugh, but they also have something to say. This movie fulfilled all of those dreams.”

More Great Stories from Vanity Fair

— Bohemian Rhapsody’s long and troubled road to the Oscars

— A defense of leaning in, by the co-author of Lean In

— The Judd Apatow theory of comedy

— A visual guide to heartbreak that will make you laugh

— A long-overdue win for black filmmakers

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