To Each Moment

How did you win over an Oscar-nominated director like Mr. Frears?

I overwhelmed him with knowledge, but all he cared about was whether I played the piano or not. He’d be looking into space and suddenly say [does a gruff British accent]: “How well do you play piano? Could you play Chopin?” Yeah, I’d say, but I mainly play jazz. “But could you play Mozart?” By the end of it I was like: “I can play anything you throw at me, Stephen. Lang Lang needs to watch his back.” So I basically lied.

How hard did you have to train?

I worked with a teacher four or five times in this cramming crash course of what do professional pianists do, how do they sit and hold their hands and breathe.

How did you and Meryl find your musical sweet spot?

Meryl and I rehearsed a tremendous amount on weekends, and that was a magical experience, to have such an intimate relationship with her. She’s human. She might be one of the greatest artists we’ve ever had, but the reason she’s so great is that she brings all of the life that’s happening around her and in her to each moment.

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