Especially since its such a personal and at times intensely dramatic story.
GARRARD CONLEY:I never imagined this could be a film at all.
Unfortunately, thats something that still is prevalent in the entertainment industry.
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Id seen Joel while doing his promotion for the filmLoving: He was talking a lot about marriage equality.
During our first meetings, he wanted to meet with other survivors of conversion therapy.
As an artist, I could see that this was another artist in the grip of a story.
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It provides a map for people to empathy and how it works.
Empathy is not really taught in our country very well.
Joel, why did you want to turn this story into a movie?
I guess thats what led me to read the book so quickly.
Can you give a bit more detail as to how you collaborated?
EDGERTON:Early, I was feeling frustrated, like I wasnt the right person to make the movie.
I didnt feel qualified, quite frankly, because of my sexuality What right do I have?
I started tinkering with the script out of frustration, and quickly I got dragged along.
Id read the book three times, and then I wrote the screenplay without looking at the book once.
I wanted to remember what Id remembered what first stuck to me.
Then I sent [what I had] to Garrard.
CONLEY:From there, Joel involved me in so much of the process.
It felt like the right kind of collaboration with an ally.
That extended to conversations in pre-production and then visits on set by Garrard.
I was consulting him in ways that I didnt even think I normally would.
There was a free and open invitation to visit us on set.
I showed Garrard edits of the project, much like the sharing of the script.
EDGERTON:We only had one chance to make a movie about gay-conversion therapy.
I wanted to tell Garrards story as truthfully and as honestly as I could.
It just became more important to me that we kept hitting close to home.
The reason Garrard ended up in conversion therapy was because of his parents.
The reason the family was at the risk of falling apart was because of those decisions.
It meant so much to realize family was everything in this story.
CONLEY:The strength of the story is in its truthfulness.
[Laughs] Youre not quite there.
EDGERTON:WithThe Miseducation of Cameron Post, I know people are like, Theres two projects competing!
One is more about family, one is more about the conversion therapy itself.
One has a satirical element and one is rendered more seriously.
The more stories that are out there, aiming an arrow at these places, the better.
CONLEY:We need a multiplicity of stories.
Thats always the case.
But there are a lot of stories that can be told about this.
There are different ways of putting movies together; each one has its own path.
Or you just make a film on a shoestring budget and hope to sell it at a festival.
I wanted Garrards story to be seen by as many people as possible.
In other words, theyd have no reason to say no.
Thats the way I knew we had to put it together, and thats exactly what happened.
It was heartening that people answered the call and opened their checkbooks really quickly.
It gathered this great momentum.
Why was that important to you?
To not totally villainize people doing such terrible things?
CONLEY:From all my classes, I learned that good literature is always nuanced.
We hold them accountable, yes.
Thats a much bigger target, a much bigger dragon to slay.
EDGERTON:I took the lead from how Garrard had written about the people in his life.
CONLEY:I wanted to understand why my parents did what they did.
Garrard, what was your first reaction to watching the movie?
I was like, He did all this work, I want to have the right reaction.
I was really nervous I wouldnt.
[Laughs] After, I asked for the link to [the movie].
When I watched it by myself, it felt cathartic.
[It was] like we created a doppelganger to expel something.
Boy Erasedhits select theaters on Nov. 2.
