Pop Culturalist Chats with Sorry to Bother You’s Deirdra Govan

Deirdra Govan is no stranger to fantastic projects. She’s been a costumer on shows like The Night Of…and Boardwalk Empire and is the costume designer for the highly-anticipated film adaptation of The Sun is Also a Star.

We were able to chat with her about her recent work as the costume designer for one of this summer’s most buzzed-about films, Sorry to Bother You.

PC: What drew you to this project?
Deirdra: Quite simply, it was our incredible producer Nina Yang Bongiovi who sent the script to me. After I read it I was blown away. Then I met with the Director Boot’s Riley and at that moment it was like a trifecta of all things you hope for as a designer, and incredible producing team with a visionary director who was able to articulate what he wanted without the ego, yet with an infectious genius, honesty, and humility. And of course, a lightning rod of a script that was so visually rich and explosive. I just knew early on that a film like this was a unicorn and would have something to say and leave an indelible mark on the public discourse.

PC: How did you prep for this film? How long did you spend researching?
Deirdra: My prep time for this film was between 3 to 4 weeks. I front-loaded a lot of my research process very early on (prior to prep) because I was so inspired and just could not wait to get into the process of bringing these characters to life. Plus I knew that it would be a daunting task because my costume budget was so tight.

PC: How much did you collaborate with the actors on their characters look/style?
Deirdra: As a costume designer, I felt was really important to communicate with the actors about my vision for their character very early on. They have to be comfortable with how I dress them, otherwise, the costuming won’t deliver as well on screen and they can’t really inhabit and feel that their characters are fully formed. Thus, it was paramount that I took the time to pitch and present the design, look and feel that I was envisioning for each of their characters. This is not always a common practice, as our prep time is often cut very short on small budget indie films like this. But to me, it was integral to my creative process and most importantly I needed to get their buy-in very early on because firstly what I was creating was unique and I would need every moment of the day to create, source, shop and build in some cases these costumes. After all, they are the ones who have to inhabit their characters. So it was very important for me to get their feedback and to make sure that they were comfortable with what I had proposed and was about to set into motion.

Sorry to Bother You

PC: Do you have a favorite look or a favorite character to dress?
Deirdra: All of them are my favorites. Like children, it’s not easy singling one over the other out. It’s an impossible Sophie’s Choice. Each look encapsulates the purity of creating and bringing something to life. So it was like giving birth to something new and when it’s finished you can’t help but love each and every aspect of what you brought to fruition.

PC: What do you hope audiences get out of your designs?
Deirdra: That clothing can be either an active or passive statement of one’s individual style. I didn’t design this film to be trendsetting. My designs for this film were the purest form of self-expression that showed who these characters are. So what I hope is that people will truly trust themselves to well, just be themselves. The art of dressing one’s self can be a mindful act of art meeting activism, an outright demonstration of the power of personal style. It doesn’t need to feel contrived by the latest trends to be relevant. In short, just do you!

PC: Do you see yourself in any of the characters? If so, who?
Deirdra: I see myself most in a mix personality between “Detroit” and “Cassius”.

PC: Aside from Sorry to Bother You, is there a genre of film/tv you would like to design costumes for?
Deirdra: Film: A period film spanning the 1920’s to 70’s; TV Show: A new kind of era of Sex In the City meets Girls Trip, with a “Me Too Movement” tone and has a very fashion-forward style.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Last TV Show You Binge-Watched
Handmaid’s Tale

Favorite Movie
Of 2018: Call Me By Your Name

Favorite Book
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck

Artist/Musician You Could Listen to on Repeat
Nina Simone

Favorite Place
Paris

Place You Most Want to Go to
Umbria / Tuscany

Person You Most Want to Meet
Obama / Oprah