EXCLUSIVE: Cory Michael Smith Talks Playing Georgie in Netflix’s ‘May December’

Cory Michael Smith is no newcomer when it comes to playing intense characters. From Edward Nygma / Riddler in the hit TV series Gotham to Lee Harvey Oswald in the play, Assassins, Smith has brought to life an array of characters, but his performance as Georgie in Netflix’s May December might just be his best.

We sat down with Smith to chat about playing the character, finding the headspace to play the character, singing live, working with director, Todd Haynes, and so much more. Watch the video above, or check out the interview below.

Let’s talk about your fantastic film and the role that you play. Wow. Huge kudos to you and the standout performance. You come in like a wrecking ball and you leave like a wrecking ball.

“Thank you very much.”

You’ve worked with the director before, so besides wanting to work with him again, what drew you to wanting to be a part of this film?

“He asked me to do it, so I said yes. He asked me to do it. I read the script. Georgie is a killer part on the page, and so I was like, 1000% I will do this. I was really so honored that Todd [Haynes] asked me to do it, because it’s a role that’s unlike other things I’ve been able to do and there was something about that extension of trust from him that just amped me up and really made me want to make sure that I was showing up to the role that was on the page. So we made some really fun physical decisions about him to make sure that it really genuinely felt far for me.”

Your character is in his thirties, but his mindset is a teenager. He acts like a teenager and a lot of things he says is teenage like. Was that something that was discussed prior as you guys were crafting a character or was this something that you brought to life more than what we saw already on the page?

“I don’t remember the exact conversations that we had, but I’m certain that Todd and I talked about his arrested development. It was very, very important to me that this is someone who the damage is done from teenage years. To live in that head space and communicate that way, the thing that was most important to me was understanding who his mother is and how controlling she is in the relationship with Joe and her younger children and to imagine the way that that’s… It’s in the script that way. Then of course Julianne’s performance is incredible and stifling in a really troubling way. To imagine having that mother up to 13, really keeping someone in check and in line. Then when that goes away and a dad is destroyed by this and what happens to a teenager when they’re not attended to.

That’s a really interesting conception to me. That he really started making choices. There were some tattoos that I designed and we put on me that we made look like they were… People would know this, but some of them, I made them be really stupid. Like, oh, he would get that when he’s young and that one should be more faded, so that we know that was a juvenile choice made for attention that maybe he regrets. I had the word shady written on my wrist that we faded out. It’s like a word that was of an era and something regrettable, and it was really bold. I don’t even know that you see it, but it’s like that stuff was really helpful for me. Physical signs of regret on the body in the midst of what’s happening outside of him.”

Yeah. It’s got to help you get into the head space of the character, because this is not an easy character to get into.

“No. He comes in twice and it has to be really vivid.”

You did it though. You made it very vivid. Both the scene, everything about your performance is just so memorable from the movie.

“Thank you.”

I think that takes obviously a lot to Todd, but a lot to you and the trust that the two of you have with each other. One of the other things I really liked about it was it allowed you to use your musical theater background and go in. So what was that like?

“It was really fun. Todd didn’t know that I sang before he asked me to do this. He was like, “By the way, do you sing?” I was like, “Yeah, yes I do. I also played piano.” So it was nice. So… Yeah, my piano’s right there. I was able to pick the key and record myself playing at the tempo that I wanted it to be at. I think they had a couple recording sessions ahead of time down in Savannah with the band, the local band that they used there. They were great. Then they rerecorded stuff to make some adjustments. So we used that recording of the music and then I ended up singing live, because I could and also because it just sounded better. Then there wouldn’t have to be the awkward lip syncing, which always looks-”

It has no emotion.

“In movies, it just looks bad. So yeah, it was nice to just be able to actually sing in that space. That was my first day though. I didn’t really know that many people on set. So I’m just fully belting out these songs all day long at the local Crab Shack in Tybee Island. It’s fun.”

Meaghan Pacious:
What would you do when all was said and done after that day of shooting, because not only are you singing live, but you’re singing live over and over and over again.

“Yeah, it’s great.”

That’s also a lot of trust and it all goes back to what you started with in this conversation is the trust that you have with Todd, and that’s what I’m assuming keeps you coming back and working with him and helping allow you to feel free.

“100%. It’s really nice. I’ve been very lucky in my career having jobs from people that know me. The woman, Phyllis Nagy, who adapted Carol, directed this film called Jane and she brought me onto that project. It is nice when you find people in this industry who want to work with you again and give you… They trust you. They want to see you do something else that you haven’t done before. It’s like the best gift.”

Photo credit: Francois Duhamel/Netflix