Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee kept himself occupied with lots of different projects in the past couple of years, including HBO’s Emmy Award-winning drama Big Little Lies and psychological thriller series Sharp Objects. It looks like this took a toll on the 55-year-old since he recently announced that he is making a lengthy break from directing.
During a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Valle said that he needs to recharge his batteries after filming 180 days in the past 20 months.
“I burnt myself out. I’m so tired. I’m on a break, have been for a month, and I have seven more to go. I’m taking eight months to recharge my batteries and to get my life back,” – he told THR. “I didn’t know it would be so demanding, but it’s a marathon, a Herculean effort for a director to direct all the episodes. I shot 180 days in 20 months, Big Little Lies and then Sharp Objects. They were overlapping.”
Jean-Marc Vallee made his name in Hollywood with several critically acclaimed movies including Academy Award-nominated films 2009’s The Young Victoria and 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. In 2017 he produced and directed all seven episodes of Big Little Lies’ season one, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for this work. Vallee then helmed Sharp Objects and ended up receiving further critical acclaim.
After two television projects, Jean-Marc Vallee is now, however, ready to get back to television.
“After four weeks, I’ve been very good at my break. And I impress people around me, not myself. I’m not even researching my next project because I already have two in the works. I’m going back to a feature film, returning to a regular 40-day shoot. That will be great,” – Vallee explained.
