Interview: Catherine Keener and Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talk Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

Interview: Catherine Keener and Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talk 'Peace, Love & Misunderstanding,' Written by: Karen Benardello While people are shaped by their past experiences and relationships in life, the idea of forgiving those who have wronged us and letting the past be the past is something that a lot of people can relate to. This all-to-important issue is a major motivating factor in many of the actions of the main characters in the new comedy drama ‘Peace, Love & Understanding,’ which hits select theaters and VOD tomorrow. ‘Peace, Love & Misunderstanding’ follows uptight Manhattan lawyer Diane (Catherine Keener), who decides to visit her hippie mother Grace (Jane Fonda) in Woodstock for the first time in 20 years, after her husband Mark (Kyle MacLachlan) asks for a divorce. Diane brings her two teenage children, Jake (Nat Wolff) and Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen), who have never met their grandmother before. What’s meant to be a weekend getaway turns into a summer adventure of romance, music, family secrets and self-discovery, as Diane and the kids learn to adapt to Grace’s hippie lifestyle. Along the way, the family finds love in Woodstock-Diane with carpenter-songwriter Jude (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), whose impulsive ways contradict Diane’s demeanor; Jake connects with local teen Tara (Marissa O’Donnelll) as he shoots a movie and Zoe falls for butcher Cole (Chace Crawford), even though his job goes against her vegetarian beliefs. Keener and Morgan generously took the time to sit down with us recently during a roundtable interview at New York City’s Regency Hotel. The two discussed, among other things, what it was like working with two-time Academy Award nominated director Bruce Beresford, two-time Oscar winner Fonda and the locals in Woodstock, and how they relate to their characters’ rebellion. Question (Q): Jeffrey, you live in New Paltz? Jeffrey Dean Morgan (JDM): No, I live outside of Rhinebeck. I bought a house there after the movie. I love it. Catherine Keener (CK): Yeah, I remember that. JDM: A little log cabin. Q: Because of the movie? JDM: Yeha, I fell in love with the Hudson Valley. It’s not as cool-Catherine had a killer house while we were up there. CK: For some reason, I got the best house. JDM: It’s way cooler. CK: Jane said, this is the best house. JDM: Yeah, Jane moved like six times. (laughs) CK: She did. For some reason, I got a really cool house. Q: What was so cool about it? JDM: The view is really cool. CK: The neighbor’s dogs were always around. It was really pretty, and there was a porch. All the stuff you’d want in a house over the summer while you’re filming. JDM: A good fire pit, for bringing the guests over. It had a good pond, that I went boating in. Catherine had parties every weekend, so it was good. We had a good time. Q: How long did the film take to shoot? JDM: Seventeen years. (laughs) Q: How much of that was partying? JDM: Sixteen of them. (laughs) No, how long did it take? CK: A couple months, three months. To continue reading this interview, please click here.