Drake Doremus Talks Parallel Lives, Working With Emilia Clarke & Edgar Ramírez & His ‘Next Life’ In Filmmaking

Drake Doremus was shooting a commercial in Madrid during the pandemic when a chance encounter changed the course of his life completely. The writer-director initially packed for a nine-day trip but after meeting the woman who would later become his wife, he ended up staying in the Spanish capital for five months. The twist of fate would not only see Doremus relocate from L.A. to London but also formed the basis for his latest feature film, Next Life, which is premiering today at Tribeca.

“Like a lot of artists during the pandemic, I lost my way and was trying to figure out what I had to say, if anything anymore,” Doremus tells Deadline in his first interview in years. “I was even thinking about doing something else completely and not making movies anymore. But then I met my wife by chance in Madrid, and we ended up moving to London, I realized that there are so many little decisions in life that add up to giant changes. Then I thought about making a movie about the greyness of that and the subtlety of that and how easy it is for any of us to choose a different path.”

Next Life, starring Emilia Clarke and Edgar Ramírez, is set against the backdrop of the modern London jazz scene and follows the story of Ivy (Clarke), who finds herself confronted with parallel universes in which her life unspools in very different ways. In one reality, Ivy meets jazz musician Diego (Ramírez), who inspires her to follow her dreams and passion for music no matter the cost and, in the other, she rekindles her relationship with her ex Noah (Jack Farthing), whom she sees a viable future with.

“I thought about how quickly my life had changed overnight and how, at the end of the day, there’s all these parallel universes with different versions of ourselves all chasing different dreams and different things, in and out of love, and this kaleidoscopic life that is just constantly moving and changing,” he says. “All of these influences went into the film.”

Much like his 2011 Sundance breakout hit Like Crazy, Doremus embraces the messiness of life and emotional ambiguity. Mutressa’s Elika Portnoy, Gleb Fetisov of Fetisoff Illusion, 42’s Ben Pugh and Kate Buckley produce Next Life along with Doremus and Clarke and her Magical Thinking Pictures banner. CAA Media Finance is handling domestic rights for the film, with Rocket Science repping international. Vertigo Releasing recently acquired the title for the UK and Ireland.

Next Life is Doremus’ first feature in seven years, after 2019 romantic drama Endings, Beginnings starring Shailene Woodley and Jamie Dornan. Up until this hiatus, Doremus had been making a movie more or less every other year, frequently attracting top talent such as Jennifer Lawrence, Felicity Jones, Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart.

“I just didn’t have it in me anymore,” Doremus admits. “I was going through a lot of self-doubt, and I now feel like the second act has restarted and I’m grateful to be doing it again.”

Doremus had always had an affinity for Europe and after relocating to London, it felt natural to set Next Life in the UK capital. “I feel like a lot of my audiences over the years have been slanted to the European sensibility to an extent,” he says. “When my wife and I moved to London, I was really inspired by the city, and I wanted to showcase it. The film feels to me like a love letter to London and all the things I love about it.

“I also wanted to tell a story about how I was feeling about my life and I really wanted to put a diary entry in about it. I had just gotten through a messy breakup before I left L.A. and that was lingering and it was just the vapors of life and love that are lingering at all times. I wanted to capture that essence against the backdrop of London.”

Jazz plays an integral role in the film and Doremus tapped four-time Oscar nominated composer Dan Romer to compose the film’s score. He also cast Femi Koleoso, the drummer and leader of the BRIT Award and Mercury Music Prize-winning British jazz group Ezra Collective, marking the musician’s debut acting role.

After his move to London, Doremus spent a lot of time at Soho jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, and this ultimately fuelled the decision to set the film in the jazz world. Plus, the filmmaker’s grandfather was a jazz bass player who featured on Elvis’ song “Love Me Tender” while his grandmother was a singer. “I grew up in awe of my grandparents and their travels and artistry, and I just wanted a very different texture and feel and soundtrack to this movie.”

He adds: “The story lended itself to jazz because of the freeform nature of life and also that you didn’t know where you were going. So, I thought metaphorically and thematically the jazz scene would really fit the backdrop of the story.”

Doremus initially set out to write something in a similar vein to British rom-com legend Richard Curtis, who has a cameo in Next Life. “I wanted to pay homage to the great, romantic films that he’s made and try to slant something towards that. I also really wanted to push myself into the comedy space and Emilia is so naturally funny and an amazing improviser and was just so perfect for the role.”

Ramírez, he says, was “the only guy who could do this” and the first time he spoke to the Venezuelan actor, “he was talking about how nothing happens by chance and all of these philosophical concepts.”

“He was just perfect for the role,” he says. “We took a chance that they would have chemistry – they only met the week before we started shooting – and they just jumped in headfirst and gave themselves to each other. I’ve been really lucky with a lot of chemistry in my movies, but this one is really special.”

While Doremus very much considers Next Life the start of his “second act” in filmmaking, thematically the writer-director continues to be drawn to themes that explore the complexities of modern relationships and how people connect in a world that pushes them apart. He also takes great pride in making movies about “women who make choices.”

“I think there’s a bit of a gap in the market as there are just not a lot of movies out there like that that I want to see that explore women making choices in their lives,” he says. “I feel like we just need those movies and we want those movies. Those are the movies that make me cry and make me feel like making movies.”

He continues: “At the end of the day, Next Life is about a woman who chooses what’s in her soul and then everything else comes as a virtue of that and I think it’s a really important message. Follow your dreams and follow your hopes. Love is attached to those things.”

Up next, Doremus is keen to venture into love stories that are not focused on “boy meets girl.” Having recently lost his own father, Doremus is now working on a father-son story. “I’ve got stuff bouncing around that I want to do. I love shooting here and working in Europe and definitely plan on continuing that. I’ve realized that I do have a lot to say and this film reignited my passion for it.”