Episode 306 Ā· July 16, 2026 Ā· 20 min
'Night Nurse', Director and Actresses, Press Day
Clips and Shorts from this episode
About this episode
šļø On this episode of the Kingdom of Dreams Podcast, I sit down with director Georgia Bernstein and actresses Mimi Rogers and Cemre Paksoy to discuss their new psychological drama, Night Nurse.
Georgia shares the creative influences behind the film, including the work of David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan, and how those inspirations helped shape its unsettling tone, visual style, and emotional atmosphere. We also explore the process of balancing suspense with intimate character storytelling, and how the filmās unique mood evolved from script to screen.
Mimi Rogers and Cemre Paksoy offer insight into their performances, discussing how they approached their characters, collaborated with Georgia to find the emotional truth of each scene, and built the tension that drives the film. Itās a fascinating conversation about filmmaking, performance, creative influences, and bringing a haunting psychological story to life.
Georgia Bernstein (Director)
Georgia Bernstein is an American writer and director known for character-driven independent films that explore complex emotional and psychological themes. Her work blends intimate storytelling with strong visual style, focusing on nuanced performances and human relationships. Her latest feature, Night Nurse, continues that approach, examining trust, vulnerability, and moral ambiguity.
Cemre Paksoy (Actress)
Cemre Paksoy is a Turkish-born actress based in Los Angeles, recognized for her work across film, television, and theater. She has built a reputation for emotionally layered performances and brings a natural authenticity to both dramatic and character-driven roles. In Night Nurse, she delivers a compelling performance that anchors the filmās emotional core.
Mimi Rogers (Actress)
Mimi Rogers is an acclaimed American actress and producer whose career spans more than four decades. She has appeared in numerous acclaimed films and television series, including The Rapture, Lost in Space, Bosch, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and The X-Files. In Night Nurse, Rogers brings her trademark depth and screen presence to a pivotal role, continuing her long tradition of memorable performances.
Full transcript
Automatically generated from the episode audio, so expect the odd misheard word or name. Speakers were labelled automatically; this episode has several guests (Georgia Bernstein, Mimi Rogers), shown as Guest 1, Guest 2 and so on. About 3,300 words. Tap a timestamp to play from that moment.
0:00Jawad MirIt was very well executed. Kind of reminded me a lot of David Cronenberg's stuff that he's done over the years
0:04Guest 1So definitely, like, I had everybody watch Cronenberg's Crash. You know, my editor and I watched Exotica and Crash becauseā¦ mostly for, like, pacing reasons. We shot very out of order, and we ended up shooting all of Douglas and Eleni's scene at the beginning.
0:22Guest 1And now I realize, I think inevitably, like, the order you shoot things in influences things.
0:28Guest 2Very taken with the script, but I was also very intrigued to, have a peek-peep hole into Georgia's brain. She's such a sunny, delightful girl, and then there was this, like, dark, mysterious, hypnotic. So I was like, "Okay, Georgia, we're gonna have some fun with this one."
0:57Jawad MirI'll get right to it. So I had the pleasure of, watching, Night Nurse yesterday, and was really immersed into the tone of the film, especially the opening shot, the way that was done, and the performances, and the whole story behind it. It was very well executed. Kind of reminded me a lot of David Cronenberg's stuff that he's done over the years with that kind of a approach, soā¦
1:20Guest 2Georgia, tell him.
1:23Guest 1That, you are spot on with that reference.
1:25Guest 2'Cause Crash was one of the movies that you reallyā¦
1:30Jawad MirYes.
1:30Guest 1Yeah.
1:31Jawad MirAnd that wasā¦
1:32Guest 1Cronenberg's Crash
1:32Jawad Mir... That was, that was shot inā¦
1:34Guest 1We can never... Yeah.
1:36Jawad MirThat was shot in Toronto, where I am from. And so I remember when that came out. I used to go to university. So itā¦ that's the particular movie that came to mind when I was watching it.
1:46Guest 1That's very kind. I,.. And you know, sometimes we get comments that the film is, has a, has a Canadian flair to it. And another big inspiration is Atā¦ Atom Egoyan, who I absolutely love.
2:00Jawad MirYeah.
2:01Guest 2Andā¦
2:01Jawad MirSweet Hereafter.
2:03Guest 1And, yeah. For me, I love Exotica.
2:06Jawad MirExotica.
2:06Guest 1That's like my favorite of his. And my, one of my producers is Canadian, so she brings the Canadian ... Side to...
2:15Guest 2She brings her Canadian legitimacy.
2:17Guest 1Yeah.
2:19Guest 2Canadian stamp of approval.
2:21Guest 1Yes.
2:21Jawad MirThat's amazing. I'll start off with, Georgia first. You know, this is your first feature film, and the creaā¦ what was the creative decision that you made that you know, told the cast that this is the tone of this movie? You know, we're talking about Cā¦ Cronenberg and Crash. Was there that, sā¦ something like that in conversations, or was there other conversations that took place? If you can sort of walk me through that would be really good to know.
2:45Guest 1Yeah. I think a lot of the tone conversations were around references. I think it is kind of, like, the fastest, simplest way to just sort of, like, convey a general idea of what you're going for. So definitely, like, I had everybody watch Cronenberg's Crash. You know, my editor and I watched Exotica and Crash becauseā¦ mostly for, like, pacing reasons. I think both of those movies have a very similar, like, hypnotic pacing. So I really was trying to emulate that. And then, you know, for performances, I had Jimrey watch a lot of Catherine Breillat, Jimrey and Bruce both. Bruce, whoā¦
3:32Guest 1... Plays Douglas. And, I love her films, and, I love the way she approaches intimacy and power dynamics. And you know, when I was writing the film, I was... I would listen to the Three Women score. ... I think that film has, like, just the perfect score, and so that, like, really inspired a lot of the tone, like, as I was writing it, and I tried to kinda, like, write that into the script. So I think a lot of this tone is in the script, and then in references that we sort of talk about. And then I think the final piece is that, I wrote the film to, take place in... We filmed, we filmed the movie in my grandmother's house.
4:20Jawad MirOh, really?
4:21Guest 1She has this interesting little house in Northbrook, which is outside of Chicago, and, she moved into this house in the '70s and '80s, and so it has, like, this, like, very distinct decor. And as, of course, she lived there for decades, little things updated in the house. Like, she had a flat-screen television, and then, you know, landlines, and she never progressed to smartphones because she just, like, ended with the landlines. But, so it has, the house sort of has this, like, bizarre feeling to it, and I think a lot of the tone, like, emerged really naturally just from the house itself. So I think it's, like, a combination of all those things.
5:09Jawad MirAwesome. Jumping to the next question to Mimi. You know, you played so many memoralā¦ memorable characters throughout your life. What was so different about this cā¦ character that attracted you to sort of be involved in this project?
5:25Guest 2Well, a couple of things. Initially, you may not know this, but, I've known Georgia since she was about five years old.
5:34Jawad MirOh, okay.
5:35Guest 2She and my daughter, Lucy, who's one of the producers, were in school together from kindergarten on, and they were total besties, and used to run around my house making, award-worthy films, in my opinion. We're tryingā¦
5:52Guest 1We'll put 'em on the DVD.
5:54Guest 2Yeah.
5:54Guest 1We need to unearth them, right?
5:55Guest 2We're trying to find the raw footage so that we can have it as an extra. But, So honestly, you know, Georgia had gone to Northwestern, and she stayed in Chicago, and I knew that she was working kind of in the independent film community and doing some producing and writing. So yeah, she called one day and said, "I've written this script, and we're gonna make it, and I wrote a part for you, so I'm hoping you'll say yes." And I said, "Yes." And she's like, "Well, you wanna read it?" And I said, "Well, of course, but I, the answer's yes. Of course I'm gonna be in your movie." And then, when I did get the script and was able to read it, I was very taken with the script, but I was also very intrigued to, have a peephole into Georgia's brain, into areas that I wasn't really aware existed in there. She's such a sunny, delightful girl, and then there was this, like, dark, mysterious, hypnotic, erotic...
7:01Guest 2So I was like, "Okay, Georgia, we're gonna have some fun with this one."
7:05Guest 3But Miā¦ you, Mimi was the, you, maybe you brought those out in me. Mimi was the cool mom growing up. Aā¦ as I like to say, my mom was very strict and Mimiā¦ ... Was the cool mom.
7:16Guest 2You know, that's true, because you'd come over in your Puritan outfit, and I would let you wear Lucy's trampy clothes.
7:23Guest 3Exactly.
7:23Guest 2That's right. That's right.
7:24Guest 3Very formative and important for me.
7:29Jawad MirThanks. Thanks.
7:29Guest 2I brought out the slut in her.
7:32Guest 3Exactly.
7:34Jawad MirThanks for that, Taā¦ how do I, hā¦ how do I pronounce your name? Is it Yomera? Is it, do I have itā¦
7:44Guest 3Yeamere.
7:44Jawad MirYeamere, sorry, I apologize.
7:46Guest 3No.
7:47Jawad MirSo my question to you is that your character Eleni walks into the world that's already, you know, complicated, and at what point did you stop thinking about her as a character and start sort of reacting if you were actually living her experiences, you know, as a person that you are in your real life?
8:04Guest 3I guess I never thought about, her as, like, just, like, a separate character. I think, Georgia beauā¦ beautifully puts this, that you can never escape yourself.
8:20Guest 2You can't hide yourselfā¦
8:21Guest 3You can't hide yourself
8:22Guest 2... The camera.
8:24Guest 3But which I do think is true, and it is also... I guess basically the answer is, like, I don't think about it as, like, this separate character that I'm going in and out of, but, like, I guess me in a different mindset or something, or, like, a different circumstance or a certain state of mind. So, none of the, like, work or preparation I did was surrounding being like, "Let me construct this completely different person that I can, like, slide into." It was, it all, it more so was about, like, how do I morph myself into the world, if that, if that makes sense.
9:02Jawad MirSure. You know, any, every film has its own challenges. There's new inspirations every moment based on location, based on actors' performance, the whole nine yards, right? What, if there's something that all, each of you can remember that was something in the script, and it was to be in a certain way, but because of the location, but because of what the other actor's performance or, you know, just the environment, it transformed into something different. And that happens on every movie set, but if you can remember specifically an example that kinda lives with you that, as a memory, that would be really cool to know.
9:44Guest 2JeanamrƩ?
9:48Guest 3Yeah, so yeah. I'm trying to...
9:51Guest 2So we're looking for a moment that we may have envisioned a certain way, but due to circumstancesā¦
9:57Jawad MirYeah. Yeah
9:58Guest 2... It came out differently.
9:59Guest 3Maybe this is not exactly the sā¦ one moment, but, we shot very out of order, and we ended up shooting all of, Douglas and Eleni's scene at the beginning. And I think that was, I do thā¦ now I realize, I think inevitably, like, the order you shoot things in influences things because it was almost like we shot their arc in a concentrated manner first, and then it changed our approach to some of the other scenes where we're, like, almost trying to bā¦ bring ourselves from, like, that one scene to that next scene.
10:40Guest 3So, I don't think that necessarily, changed what we would have done, but that's, like, a logistical thing we had to do for, likeā¦
10:50Jawad MirSure
10:50Guest 3... Shooting, like, actor availability and stuff that, maybe didn't affect the final, I guess we can't know. Maybe it probably didn't affect the final product, but I think affected, like, how we approached whatever comes next. I don't know. Do youā¦
11:05Jawad MirYep, makes sense. What about you, Mimi?
11:07Guest 2I'm thinking about, the scene where I'm in the house in the living room speaking with Douglasā¦ ... And JeanamrĆ©'s sort of watching from a corner and the EMTs come to take him away.
11:23Guest 3Yeah. Oh, yeah.
11:24Guest 2I had, I had envisioned that as, I think, a fairly straightforward scene, but Bruce is so antic and so trippy with crawling under the table and, you know, sort of on the floor like a dog. A fair amount of that scene was improv because I'm basically, as the doctor, just trying to herd him and get him to calm down, until they give him the injection and get him on the gurney. So, yeah, that was, that was actually a lot of fun to shoot.
12:03Guest 1Yeah. That's a great example. That's a great example. For me, I feel like theā¦ it's, it's also a scene I'm moā¦ one of the scenes I'm most proud of, which is, like, the first phone call, in the kitchen. For me, like, the phone calls specifically were always going to be a big challenge of the movie. Like, they had to make the entire movie work. And I think that Jemere and Bruce just brought something, like, so special to those scenes. It was, like, better than I had even thought in my head. So I think took me... Their performances and, like, their approach to it, like, in our rehearsals and then eventually when we filmed it, like, took me, took me by surprise in such a positive way that I, like, they've become, like, my favorite, my favorite parts of the film.
12:51Jawad MirAmazing. Amazing. Two questions, guys. I know we're short on time. Number one, the opening sequence, right? And, what was the, what was the catalyst behind that? Like, how did you sort of arrive to that? Because the whole camera movement in thereā¦
13:08Jawad Mir... It really keeps you guessing what's going on, and it kinda sets the tone of the film. What was the inspiration, the catalyst? And even for you, Georgia, but also for Mimi and Yamra, is that when did you guys see that, and was that something that gave you the chā¦ what kind of reaction that you guys got after watching that?
13:27Guest 1So actually, the opening sequence is not in the script, and we didn't film it in principle photography. So, but it was clear to me, like, from the very first assembly like, "Oh, we need, an opening, and we need to root people in this wā¦ in this, like, strange world." and I just, like, knew immediately that it would had to be, like, a close-up on the phone cord wrapped around Jemere's body. It had to be sort of, like, abstract, and I wanted to hear the phone call, and I felt like it was, would really help the film to just hear that call up front. And then my DP was like, introduced me to this thing called the robo arm.
14:09Guest 1And we shot it on this machine called the robo arm where, you program, you program the machine, using code. And then it, like, moves on the same trajectory, and we just, like, did it over and over again. And it... Normally, you do it around, like, product placement, like commercialsā¦
14:28Guest 1... And stuff where you're likeā¦
14:29Guest 3Like a Coke can
14:30Guest 1... You're, like, zooming into, likeā¦
14:31Jawad MirYeah
14:32Guest 1... You know? You're like, "Er". And it's like it, this is not a living thing, so it's like, it easily works with the code of the machine. But Jemere had to, like, lay completely still for six hours on a table anā¦ while the machine would, while we just, like, perfected the motion of the machine. And it was quite complex because, it's impossible to, ask a living organism to, like, be stillā¦
14:57Jawad MirYeah
14:57Guest 1... For so long. So it was, like, an exciting and fun challenge. And yeah, I think, like, circling back to Crash and Exotica, which both open with
15:10Jawad MirRight
15:10Guest 1... Like, beautiful title sequences, I think it just, like... And I think also, like, a ton of amazing erotic thrillers do the same is, like, it's kind of like a bit of a throwback to do aā¦
15:20Jawad MirSure
15:21Guest 1... A opening sequence like that. And I'm, I'm, of course, extremely proud of it. I think a lot of people respond positivelyā¦
15:27Jawad MirAwesome
15:27Guest 1... To the opening.
15:29Jawad MirAā¦ and you being in it, Yamra, is, you know, just be honest. Like, the film production's done and everything, and here you are trying to figure this out. Like, what was that experience like? Why am I here? Why am I lying down for six hours? Like, justā¦
15:42Guest 3Oh.
15:43Guest 1Be honest for once.
15:43Guest 3Be honest for once in your life. I'm gonna confront Georgia right now. Well, the funny thing is I think, like, I was trying to be... When they told me, like, they, when they told me this is gonna be really intense, I'm a really, I think I'm a really stubborn person, and I was being like, "Nothing is, nothing is too hard for me. I can do it."
16:06Jawad MirAh.
16:06Guest 3And then it's actually really hard. It was,.. But I'm, I'm just, I frankly, they found, like, one of the three robo arms in Chicago, and everyone came together for, like, this important... I guess every part of the, filmmaking process is like that, where, you look around and you're like, "I have to do it for these people. I have to, I have to."
16:33Jawad MirI have to do it.
16:34Guest 3I have to be still, or I have to perform, or, likeā¦
16:36Guest 1Yeah
16:37Guest 3... Not, like, an obligation, but, like, I feel, obviously, like, responsibility towards everyone. And I'm just, like, so happy that everyone got what they wanted and such a, such a fan favorite. So, yeah, that was, likeā¦
16:53Guest 1And you got to keep your arm.
16:54Guest 3And Iā¦
16:54Guest 1You lost, she lost all the blood in her arm for six hours
16:57Guest 3... I lost circulation.
16:58Guest 1But she's okay.
16:59Guest 3But I'm okay. And I have both of them. So.
17:04Jawad MirWell, at least you can keep, pick up the phoneā¦
17:06Guest 3Yeah
17:06Jawad Mir... Still, right?
17:07Guest 3Yes, exactly. I have all sensory. But everyone was, everyone was sā¦ super nice to me, and I, and I tried my hardest, and it worked out.
17:18Jawad MirAmazing.
17:19Guest 3But that was the only ones I actually did watch 'cause I had to, like, time certain events. I was, like, watching the robo arm do its thing. It was crazy.
17:27Jawad MirWhat weā¦
17:27Guest 2And I didn't see it until I saw the first, the first time I saw the movie. And if you can make a telephone cord that sexy, that is saying a lot. I thought it was incredibly sensual and beautiful and sexy. And I have two photographs by this, female photographer, Sally Mann, who does these beautiful dream-like sort of close-ups of a floā¦ a flower and a body part. Yeah, I, to me, it sets the tone of the movie perfectly because the kind of hypnotic quality starts there, and then you just, and you just keep going. I also love that it's a contemporary movie That has no cell phones in it. I love that.
18:22Jawad MirYeah. I had noticed that too, which was awesome. I thought it was awesome.
18:25Guest 2Yeah.
18:26Jawad MirIt was really cool.
18:27Guest 1Yeah. I wanted it to feel... Oh, are we frozen?
18:30Guest 2Oh.
18:30Guest 1Oh, no, we're back. I wanted it to feel like we don't know what time period we're in, which is sort of like the feeling,.. Yeah, I just, I wanted it to feel like we didn't know where, what time we were in, and I think that's the feeling of, like, a lot of, like, retirement communities is, likeā¦
18:46Jawad MirYeah
18:46Guest 1... You don't know. You could be in any era, 'cause it's, like, the mix-match of decor andā¦
18:52Guest 2Yeah, the objectā¦
18:52Guest 1... Technology andā¦
18:53Guest 2... Furniture
18:54Guest 1... Yeah.
18:56Jawad MirOne, just to wrap it up, guys, one last question. You know, after working on, Night Nurse, what is one thing you'll never look at the same way again, if there was one thing?
19:07Guest 2That's easy.
19:08Guest 1Phone cords, of course. Cords.
19:12Jawad MirBesideā¦
19:12Guest 2What aboutā¦
19:13Jawad MirBesides phone cords.
19:15Guest 1Chicken. Chicken. There's a scene, there's a scene in the movie where Douglas, Jemrie Fā¦ Jemrie's character feeds Douglas, like, a, what is, what was it?
19:26Guest 2It, likeā¦
19:26Guest 1Like aā¦
19:26Guest 2... Leanā¦
19:27Guest 1Lean Cuisine. Likeā¦
19:29Guest 2And he went through so many
19:31Guest 1... I wā¦ we didn't feed him actual Lean Cuisine, but we did have, like, the, in the, like, little plastic container, we, I think Brianne got, like, jā¦ just, like, a rotisserie chicken or something.
19:42Guest 2Yeah, and then sheā¦
19:44Guest 1He ate a lot of chicken.
19:46Guest 2A lot of chicken.
19:46Guest 1And then the whole placeā¦... Kinda smelled like chicken. It was aā¦
19:50Guest 2Just like chicken.
19:52Guest 1Yeah. And there's a line cut from the movie,... Where he says, "Who doesn't like chicken?"
19:58Jawad MirOh, that would've taken the audience right out of the movie.
20:04Guest 1So that's on the cutting room floor. Maybe it'll be in the outtakes on theā¦
20:07Guest 2Yeah
20:07Guest 1... DVD or other things movie.
20:09Jawad MirYeah. Thank you, ladies, for your time, for the film. Really appreciate it, and looking forward to all of your future works.
20:16Guest 1Thanks, Julius.
20:16Guest 2Thank you.
20:16Guest 1It was so nice to meet you.
20:17Guest 2Thank you.
20:18Jawad MirPleasure. Thank you so much.