Laura Dern Q&A: 'I Will Never Retire'

Like almost every film made by Laura Dern, 52, Trial by Fire (opening May 17) is truly a movie for grownups: a fact-based drama about writer Elizabeth Gilbert (Dern), who fought to get Cameron Todd Willingham (Jack O'Connell) freed from Death Row. Willingham was convicted of arson in what one expert called “the ultimate triumph of junk science.” Accusers included a goose-hunting pal of the judge — a marriage counselor without crime expertise who never met Willingham but testified that his Led Zeppelin poster indicated satanic motives — and a jailhouse source who said he was promised leniency for claiming that Willingham, whom he didn't know, confessed to him (a claim he recanted). Is there room for such a thoughtful, mature film in an era dominated by superhero flicks and kid-friendly cartoons? “There had better be, or I'm out of work, man,” Dern cracked to AARP. Her unemployment is not likely: She easily toggles between big-screen blockbusters (Jurassic Park, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and high-profile TV roles like Renata Klein, “the Medusa of Monterey,” in HBO's quintuple Emmy-winning melodrama hit Big Little Lies, whose second season begins June 9. She told us the truth about it all.

Watch: Clip from 'Trial by Fire' - Finish Your Job For You

Why did you want to be a part of Trial by Fire?

I'm an admirer of [Oscar-winning Glory director] Edward Zwick. He sent me David Grann's New Yorker article, also titled “Trial by Fire,” and it was so devastating to learn about Todd's case. I was also moved by Elizabeth Gilbert's small act of kindness, and how her simple gesture of compassion had a ripple effect in the most profound way and impacted change. It was really powerful to be inside that story.

You spent a lot of time with Gilbert. What did you take away from that?

It would be easy to think of her in a very saintly way, and she's raw and regular and a single mom and a playwright. She seeks truth in everything, and she's complicated. What she let me inside of was her humanness, versus this extraordinary thing she did. It's hard to play an amazing person. I really wanted her to feel relatable.

What was Edward Zwick's style like on the set?

One of the things I really appreciated about him was he didn't want this to be an art film. He didn't want to show the audience what a badass storyteller he is and how great his shots are. He wanted an accessible movie, so that people who might otherwise have believed in capital punishment could be touched by this story to reconsider our justice system. I find that selfless and supercool.

Do you ever worry that your political outspokenness might alienate audiences?

I never worry about it having a negative impact because I feel that it's my requirement as a citizen and especially as a mother [to son Ellery, 17, and daughter Jaya, 14] to speak out whenever witnessing any injustice. I consider myself more a humanist than someone who's political. It's about social justice, so I care deeply about stories like Big Little Lies and [last year's HBO movie] The Tale that address domestic violence and sexual abuse.