I want Aaron Taylor-Johnson to be a megastar. I’ve rarely seen Aaron Taylor-Johnson as activated as he is in your film. I think when you have two great actors, it can just be so much fun to watch. She asked me a really interesting question, which I liked: She went online and looked at Highland Park, which is the fancy neighborhood in Dallas, and she sent me four houses that she’d pulled off the internet and asked, “Which house would this character live in?” And I wrote her back and said, “Well, she wouldn’t live in this one because her husband wouldn’t like it, and she’d really like this other one, but she would think it was too feminine for her husband, and blah, blah, blah.” We talked about her accent, which she based on Lady Bird Johnson, and then she showed up on set and just got along like that. So I just emailed Laura and said, “Would you do this?” and sent her the script. And I noticed, actually, that Laura’s facial structure was quite similar to Amy’s. Of course! “Best American actors,” “actors over 30” … you know. Well, when I was searching for Amy’s mother, I went online and searched for “best American actresses.” What made you think of Laura for that role? Most directors employ Laura Linney or Amy Adams for their humility, so it’s interesting that you cast them and gave them both this lacquered shell. But I did grow up smelling what was called Aqua Net, because the first thing my mom would do is that hair.

She will if you write that! My mom is a Democrat, very much a Democrat. Would your mom realize that if she watched the film? Well, she was kind of based on my own mother. Had I known she was going to do that and be so spectacular, I would have given her more scenes! I thought she was great. She’s the ultimate rich Texas Republican. I loved Laura Linney’s cameo in this film as Amy’s mother. Let’s start by discussing a small role, though the hair is big. Earlier this fall, I sat down with the candid designer turned director for a freewheeling conversation about Nocturnal Animals that touched on manscaping, the controversial opening credits, and the film’s surprisingly personal touches. As they play out, both stories become more intertwined, and Ford, too, found his passions and fears reflected in the film’s fragmented narrative. In that potboiler, ordinary man Tony (Gyllenhaal again) endures the road trip from hell as a band of wild country boys (led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) abducts his wife and daughter, leading him on a revenge mission aided by a wry lawman (Michael Shannon). The dramatic thriller presents two stories in one: In the main story, depressed gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) is sent a manuscript written by her estranged ex Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), and as she pores over it, we watch the tense tale unfold onscreen. It’s been seven years since Tom Ford moved from fashion to film with his directorial debut, A Single Man, but perhaps his follow-up, Nocturnal Animals, just needed time to untangle.

Nocturnal animals