Films: 'The Nativity Story'

Director Catherine Hardwicke was online Friday, Dec. 1 at 12:15 p.m. ET to take your questions and comments about her latest project, "The Nativity Story."

A transcript follows.

The film shows the journey of Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes, "The Whale Rider") and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. Hardwicke's previous films include "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown."

Read The Post's review.

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New York City: Thanks for taking the question: I am shocked that the director who glorified 13-year-olds shunning all sexual morality would take on this subject. Did you have an alternative motive to somehow sexualize the Virgin Mary, or try to "update" the story of the Nativity?

Catherine Hardwicke: First, instead of "glorifying 13-year-olds shunning all sexual morality", "thirteen" was a cautionary tale and was screened as "cinema therapy" by schools, churches, rehab centers, police stations around the world (including an hour show on "Oprah") -- professionals who used it as a tool to deal with serious issues teenagers face today. Secondly, I grew up in the Presbyterian Church and was fascinated to learn that most scholars today believe that Mary was 12 or 13 years old at the time of Jesus's birth. I found it compelling to imagine a girl going through this difficult opportunity.... I wanted to take the beautiful but spare Gospels of Mathew and Luke and fill in the humanity... As you know, the film has been embraced by the Vatican and many other churches and religious leaders, so your possible fears that we "sexualized the Virgin Mary" can be put to rest.

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Kingston, Mass.: We're looking for something the whole family can see. Will our kids enjoy this film? They're 10 and 12 (boy and girl, respectively), and we're not hard-core Christians. We're Unitarian Universalists...

Catherine Hardwicke: I'm seen the film several times with families and kids seem to really love the film, especially the donkey!

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Washington, D.C.: Where all did you go to film this movie? Did you use local actors? How was the project received?

Catherine Hardwicke: We filmed in Matera, Italy (where Mel Gibson filmed some of the "Passion of the Christ") and in Ouzzarate, Morocco -- for its beautiful landscapes. We used some local actors in each place, but ended up casting actors from all around the world -- from Trinidad to Guatemala to Lebanon..... 23 different countries.

People of all faiths ( and no faith) seemed to connect with the spirituality of the story.

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Rockville, Md.: How much was it your goal to stick to the biblical accounts of the story?

Catherine Hardwicke: The screenwriter Mike Rich and I both wanted to do an accurate and faithful retelling of the Gospels of Mathew and Luke.... The two Gospels, of course, tell different parts of the story, and in some cases, contradict each other. We made a "blend" of the two, and tried to breath life into the scenes between the events.

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Alexandria, Va.: What were some of the unexpected problems you had while filming it?

Catherine Hardwicke: 135-degree heat in the desert, rainstorms in Italy, sandstorms in Morocco, and ANIMALS!!!! There were no camels in Italy -- we had to import some untrained ones from a German circus.

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Hershey, Pa.: Catherine:

What was the most challenging item during the filming of this wonderful story?

Who was your favorite character?

Catherine Hardwicke: Film the actual nativity scene with animals and a real baby! We had to get everyone's biorhythms in sync... all the animals had to lie down at the same time and the beautiful 7-day-old babies had to be peaceful.

My favorite characters were Mary and Joseph -- I was so moved by their difficult and beautiful relationship.

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Arlington, Va.: Can you comment on the scandal surrounding the pregnancy of Keisha Castle-Hughes? Did you know when you were filming? It seems like an actor's personal life is unrelated to the film's message, but people have been commenting on the parallels. Thanks.

Catherine Hardwicke: Keisha did not become pregnant until after she returned home to her normal life. She had to make a difficult decision, with the options available in this day, and she chose to do what she felt was right, no matter what other people would say -- no matter what the gossip was. I feel this was very brave for a 16-year-old, and I respect her decision. She is a wonderful person and I'm sure she'll be a wonderful mother. I hope this special child is showered with love!

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Arlington, Va.: Are you satisfied with the MPAA rating that the movie received?

Catherine Hardwicke: Yes, I think very small children might need to cover their eyes during the "Innocents" scenes at the beginning and end of the film.

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I gotta ask: What's it like to write lines for a character (Joseph) who never says a word in Matthew or Luke?

Catherine Hardwicke: Mike Rich, the screenwriter, did a great job of putting himself in that difficult situation and imaging what a man would feel if his beloved fiance came home pregnant and he knew he wasn't the father.

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Chicago: Is it true that the actress who played Mary is now pregnant, and that she was disinvited from the movie's premier?

Catherine Hardwicke: Yes, it was announced about six weeks ago that Keisha is pregnant. No, she was not disinvited to the premiere: she is shooting a film in Australia, co-starring with Toni Colette. It has been scheduled to film in November since the first time I spoke with Keisha about this role, so we always knew she wouldn't be at the premiere (even before we heard about the Vatican). It's a film she has been attached to for three years, so I'm glad it's finally getting made.

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NYC: Anyone who thinks "Thirteen" glorified teen sexuality needs to have their head examined. The movie was terrifying (and on another note--although I loved Keisha Castle-Hughes in "Whale Rider," if the Academy was going to nominate younger actors for Best Actress, they should've gone for Rachel Evan Wood over KCH--Rachel was extraordinary in that role. She sent chills down my spine).

Does "TNS" depict Gabriel's appearance to Mary? And how does her community receive the news that she's pregnant? I'm always fascinated with how the divine and the mundane reconcile--we're told only that Mary was a virgin and was pregnant, but the mind immediately jumps to "how would a normal person deal with that situation?"

Catherine Hardwicke: These are the exact issues that made me interested in directing this film. Yes, Gabriel visits Mary in the film. And no, the community does not receive the new with open arms -- in fact the law at the time was that unwed mothers should be stoned to death.

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Washington, D.C.: How was it to shoot in Italy and Morocco? How long were you over there, and what did you think about both countries?

Catherine Hardwicke: I was in Italy about three months and Morocco about two months total. Both were amazing experiences -- the crews were dedicated and excited to be working on this film. Even though they came from different religions, they found emotional and spiritual connections to the story. Matera, Italy is amazing ... I lived in a cave! This town has been inhabited for 8000 years ... really a cool place to visit.

And Morocco was stunningly beautiful....

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Fairfax, Va.: I know that you were the production designer on, among others, "Three Kings" and "Tombstone." Two films that are not only well written but fun to look at as well. It must have been very rewarding working on these two classics.

And "RoboCop"! Now what was THAT experience like?

Catherine Hardwicke: I only got a "thank you" on "RoboCop"... but I loved working on "Three Kings" and "Tombstone" -- Arizona is amazing.

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Columbus, Ohio: We've all seen this story illustrated hundreds of times - but when I saw the previews of your movie, the background, the coloring of the film and the actors faces, I felt that if I don't see this film, I will be missing something special.

How were you able to capture this "feel" for the movie?

Catherine Hardwicke: We had a "Nazareth Boot Camp"! A month of milking goats, making cheese, crushing olives -- trying to take us back 2000 years to what life was like before cell phones.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Was producing this film your idea or were you recruited to direct this film? How did you become involved and what personal perspectives did you bring to the film as a director?

Catherine Hardwicke: The script was sent to me kind of "by accident" -- along with a pile of scripts from my agency. I read it and was fascinated with the idea, so I did a bunch of research and went in to New Line and tried to get the job. I talked to them about trying to make Mary and Joseph human and real -- to breath life into a story that we think we know.

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Elizabeth, N.C.: I've viewed a behind the scenes clip where you describe the selection process for the role of Mary and how you felt very strongly that Keisha was perfect for the role. I have seen the film and loved it. Can you explain how you were able to prepare Keisha and Oscar for the roles of a lifetime as Mary and Joseph? And how you prepared yourself mentally to take on such a task?

Catherine Hardwicke: We all did our month long Nazareth Boot Camp to learn the physical aspects of life and survival 2000 years ago. We also had an "ancient Judaism scholar" come to our small Nazareth synagogue and teach us how people prayed in the first century and how they tried to become closer to God.

Keisha and Oscar and I also rehearsed the scenes and tried to explore personal feelings and emotions. We tried to understand how it would feel to have these amazing events occur.

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Fairfax, Va.: What do you think about the controversy over Keisha being pregnant? Is it really that big a deal? Do you think it will help or hurt how the movie does?

Catherine Hardwicke: There is a scene in the film, when Mary returns home pregnant and the town is condemning her. Mary says: "There is a will for this child that is greater than my fear of what others may do." I'm not sure, but I think saying that line helped Keisha make the decision to embrace this baby. I think it took courage for her to stand up to the world and do what she thought was right -- in spite of the deluge of Internet gossip that would inevitably follow. One of the most important ideas in Judeo-Christian thought is not to judge others. It seems that when government or religious leaders get the most judgmental, sometimes they are the ones with the most personal issues. Hopefully we are moving to a time of tolerance and acceptance.

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Arlington, Va.: How much did the success of "Passion of the Christ" have to do with this getting the go-ahead?

Catherine Hardwicke: Even though the "Passion" is a completely different film, I think it gave some companies hope that people might want to see other spiritual films. I don't think anyone is naive enough to think that a company can make a religious film and automatically a whole segment of the population will show up.

We hope that "Nativity" connects with people looking to experience Christmas in a new way.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: What does your film offer that audiences have never seen in previous films about the nativity?

Catherine Hardwicke: We tried to show Mary as a very young Jewish peasant girl, as historically accurate as we could, and bring you into her world and her difficulties. We tried to make Mary and Joseph feel like real people -- show "the humanity beneath the halos."

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What's your response to reviewers?: At least a few are saying your approach was a bit too careful or like a documentary. (Loved "Lords of Dogtown," by the way.)

Catherine Hardwicke:

As with every film, some people feel it, some don't. We tried to make Mary and Joseph seem like real people... really draw you into their hearts...

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Catherine Hardwicke: Merry Christmas!

Love, Catherine

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