STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Maggie Gyllenhaal is an honorary Staten Islander now.
The A-list actress is spotted on the Staten Island Ferry in multiple scenes from her latest film, “The Kindergarten Teacher," which was released last month on Netflix.
And while the movie has received critical acclaim, including a 89 percent “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the cast and crew have been vocal about its financing -- or lack there of.
The budget was so tight, Gyllenhaal, who also produced the film, said she had to do the unthinkable to change from outfit to outfit.
“You can imagine how difficult it was to finance this movie,” Gyllenhaal said, according to From The Grapevine. “I was changing my clothes in the bathroom of the Staten Island Ferry. Nobody should be naked in the bathroom of the Staten Island Ferry."
“The Kindergarten Teacher,” based on the 2014 Israeli film of the same name, is about a teacher living on Staten Island who becomes obsessed with one of her 5-year-old students whom she believes is a poetry prodigy.
“I used to say this is a movie about the consequences of what can happen if you starve a vibrant woman’s mind, but it’s really about watching somebody falling apart,” the Oscar-nominated actress said. ”We all could fall apart. We all do fall apart. I’m interested in what that does to you. It’s scary. You’re both with her and not with her from early on because she does things that are really problematic.”
“The Kindergarten Teacher,” which is rated R for some language and nudity, is now available on Netflix.