NEW YORK — Hollywood favorite Diane Lane is back on the silver screen, this time in the thriller "Let Him Go."

NY1 interviewed the native New Yorker back in early November, while she was quarantining in Canada, gearing up to film the new FX series “Y: The Last Man.”

Here is an edited portion of their interview:

NY1: So first off, can you just tell us about the film “Let Him Go”? 

Diane Lane: “Let Him Go,” I guess you'd say, it's a period piece. It's 1959 to 1962. Kevin Costner and I play newly minted grandparents, and it's a wonderful life, and he's a retired lawman. And for a profession, I've trained horses with my adult son, who's given us a new grandson.

So there is a tragedy of epic proportion. And the short version is that our daughter-in-law remarries. And when she does, it's into a family that is, I would say, unhealthy for our grandchild and my character witnesses something that is every grandparent's nightmare: that your grandchild would be endangered.

So she takes it under her own advisement that she needs to basically rescue her grandson. My husband in the film, George [Kevin Costner], is sort of putting up with my great idea and going along with it but not really what he would advise to do. 

NY1: Tell us a little bit about your character, how you got into that mindset, how you found how to portray her. 

DL: I found the theme in the film pretty timeless in the sense that it is such a primal need and a primal act to have your offspring survive you. And people processing grief — we've lost our son, but we have the grandson still alive. He was our only child. And now it's our only progeny. So when you have that level of grief and shock, it's a hard place to go to emotionally to try to fathom it. You don't really want to, but that's what we're asked to do as actors.

So I was trying to be very respectful of people that have actually had such tremendous loss and the hope that resides in the future generations. So it was an interesting situation because my character is a trainer of horses. We see that she is gifted in teaching and encouraging and all the qualities that go into being a good mom, essentially, I would assume. I mean, certainly compared to other moms that are also in the film, because we do have two other mothers and everybody's struggling and fighting over this grandchild, but it comes out in unexpected ways. Let's put it that way. And I just found the material very fresh. It's more than one genre, this film. It's kind of a road trip into beautiful territory, by the way, a lot of eye candy around the country of what you get to see and visit in this story.

NY1: You mentioned how your character trains horses. We saw you horseback ride. Did you have to take lessons? 

DL: Well, I had a lot of help. I did practice quite a bit. It’s not like riding a bicycle. I mean, your brain, you think you can do it because you've done it. But, then again, human bodies change over time. You, you need a refresher course in something like that. It's not like swimming or something you've cooked before. I mean, it's a thousand-pound animal underneath you with a mind of its own, so you have to negotiate.

I also had a wonderful stuntwoman, Jerri Duce, who's incredibly overqualified to be doubling me in this film, but she also was my buddy in getting me familiar with horses. First time I got on a horse was in New York City, underground. My mother found me a place and we rode in a circle and that was so exciting for me. It was those same horses that I guess you could take in Central Park and you could rent one for. I don't know what they charged in 1970, when I was five years old, but I remember his name. He was named Champagne and he was 17 hands high, which is very tall for any horse. I can't imagine what I was thinking, but you have no fear when you're four years old.

NY1: What was it like reuniting with Kevin Costner in this film? 

DL: Kevin is a beautiful soul. I mean, to work with him again was a dream come true because we wanted it. We said so. We knew we wanted to work together again and we just needed to find the right material, and we did. I think this was a great match for both of us. He gets to be the quintessential hero in an unexpected way.

And he's very gracious with me, both in character and as an actor and leading man movie star, and just in every way, he's just a dream come true. To get another whack at it, that's what actors always want. We're never satisfied. We want another chance to be up at bat and take another swing. So that's great. 

NY1: What does the title “Let Him Go” mean to you? I think on the surface, it's very obvious what it might mean, but do you think there's more than one meaning? 

DL: The title of the film has so many meanings. To me, it was one of the first things that made me curious about the movie, because it's sort of a voice of God. It's an instruction. And I don't hear many film titles that have that. So you kind of wonder, is this a line that's going to pop out of somebody's mouth and the dialogue of the movie, or what's going on there?

But it turns out that there's actually five different meanings, points of view, references, that unspoken phrase that is the underlying message of the entire [film]. I mean, you feel it, you feel "let him go" throughout the story. It's the tension, it's the undertow, it's the current that she's — that everybody's — swimming against. You have to see the film to unwrap how many meanings the title has.

NY1: The film also dives into a lot of heavy topics: domestic violence, custody battles, and a sense of belonging.

What do you want the viewer to take away from this film after seeing it in regards to some of these issues that are brought up? 

DL: Well, I've thought about that. And I think in some ways I like films that make me imagine and ask myself, What would I do in that situation? And how far would I go? And would I respond the same way? I think it's such a primal response for a mother to have about her kid or her grandkid. And it just goes past the frontal lobe of the brain. It goes to the limbic system. It goes to survival mode. They used to say [with] adrenaline that you could flip an automobile within a situation. And also processing grief, and watching the dynamic of a couple who've been a couple for over 30 years. One is taking care of the other through it, which I think is a very loving act.

I think during the time of this pandemic, it's been an interesting experience to be so tenderized in my heart. I could cry so easily. Missed opportunities for tenderness I think is something that is very prioritized right now in a lot of people's minds. Like, gee, if I had known this, I would've gotten more hugs in 2019.

So I know it doesn't sound like that would be what the film is about, but I feel that the preciousness of life and the protection of innocence and being willing to go to extraordinary lengths to fight for good is thematic to what we're living right now. 

NY1: There are a lot of parallels. And speaking of the pandemic, I'm curious: what has quarantine been like for you? Did you ever expect to be doing press remotely? This must be a very strange experience. 

DL: I mean, there there's so many layers to it, right? There's a world within a world within a world. And to actually go through 14 days of solitary confinement, be allowed into Canada as an essential worker for the entertainment industry, is another layer of surrealism. I value a crew so much. I kind of feel guilty of having taken them for granted before, but, my gosh, there's so much work to be done, to get things, to look the way they ought to on television. I mean, whew, there's a lot there. When you go see a movie and you think about the people, the names that you remember from the cast, and then you sit and stay in the theater and watch all the names that come up in the credits. It is such a collaborative art form, and it involves so much technical experience to make it look easy and just right.

So it’s a testament to the art form for sure that we're all struggling to throw it together. I hope we keep our standards up through this time. It'll be an interesting thing when we don't have to have all of these protections — what things will remain and what things will change, in terms of, do we go back to the way things used to be and how much?

NY1: Switching gears slightly, we wanted to ask you - you have your roots in New York theater

DL: Yeah, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club on East Fourth Street, with Ellen Stewart.

NY1: How did that shape you, having that close relationship with a New York theater institution? 

DL: I mean, I think I peaked before I was 10 years old, for sure. And in many ways, and in my heart and artistically and in terms of learning every lesson there is to learn, pretty much the hard way, because I was so young and I didn't have any training. I just learned on the job with everybody sort of tolerating the young person.

I think back about how generous and kind and tolerant and inclusive [they were]. When people are kind to a child, when people take the time to be patient and keep the curiosity going. And it’s a tough business, show business, for young people because you can become sort of jaded very young in a way, and that's a nightmare. You don't want to see a young person have [that].

And so, to protect and keep their teen spirit intact for the product that you're all there to make, which is make-believe, it was wonderful to have the what I feel was love from the theater community. I mean, to me, that is what love is: encouragement to increase the heart. And that's why people go and sit in the dark and want to hear stories together, and experience and have a communal experience. We are mammals, we are social creatures. We need that. So I'm having a remote experience just right now, talking with you, and it's doing me good.

NY1: I know. And I can't wait until we're all able to gather in person again, when it's safe to do so. We last saw you on Broadway back in 2016 in “The Cherry Orchard.” When we are able to gather again in person and it’s safe to do so, might we see you on Broadway in the future? 

DL: It's always nice to be invited and asked, because I don't have a clue about the future. Do any of us — I mean, we're throwing it at the wall, like we've never thrown it before, to see if it might stick. So, you think you're doing one thing and you wind up doing something different and you just got to stay flexible. I mean, this is what they call inner yoga. You know, we have to keep our expectations in check and keep our humor and increase our compassion for each other and ourselves.

But as far as the theater, that's an incredibly demanding, sport, if you will. I mean, eight shows a week is really — and to do it on Broadway, where the standards are so high, it's such a dare, it's such a personal challenge to accomplish. I've looked forward to having another opportunity to do it. Yeah. It would be fun.

NY1: Well, I know we would love to see you back on the New York stage, when it’s safe to be back. All right. So, last question: as a native New Yorker, we wanted to quickly just run through some of your favorites in New York City. So first, do you have a favorite restaurant?

DL: Oh, you're going to hit me with this out of the blue. Wow. You know, what's funny about New York. You can have a favorite restaurant and nobody will know it. That's so unfair. I mean, the thing I love about New York is that it's such a resilient city and I hope to see the restaurants survive, come back, come back with a vengeance, recalibrate, reform. I love how people are supporting the restaurants by getting takeaway, or takeout as we call it. So I don't have a favorite — that's like asking for your favorite child. You couldn't possibly be asked that question or favorite movie.

NY1: Do you have a favorite neighborhood in New York City?

DL: Well, I lived in Midtown, which is funny. A lot of people don't think about that as a residential neighborhood, but every area is residential in New York. I also lived right near the Ed Sullivan Theater, which has had many names over the years, but to me it's still the Ed Sullivan Theater.

I remember going to school right near Columbus Circle, which has changed quite a bit since then. I mean, P.S. 59, where I went to public school on 57th Street, is now a Whole Foods. So go figure. You got to stay flexible in New York. There's a great book by E.B. White that tells a lot about New York, “Here is New York.” It talks about every generation of New Yorkers feeling betrayed by the city because it, by necessity, has to keep changing and evolving, and that's just the beauty of the city and the betrayal of the city at the same time. 

NY1: Your favorite attraction or activity? 

DL: Wow. You know, I love getting to go around the island of Manhattan in a boat, that is extraordinary. So any way that you can get some distance and to be on the water and see New York in all its majesty while you're on the natural water of the river. It makes you think about the history of the city and what it must've been like when it was the Native Americans, or when it was just small neighborhoods that were existing around and what the village was.

NY1: Lastly, what is your favorite mode of transportation? 

DL: Well, I'd have to say New York cab because my dad drove one in my childhood. We were the only people I knew that had a car because it was yellow. I mean, very few people have a car in Manhattan. So expensive to park one, but 6F99 was his number. And I still get all excited if I even see a number that's close to being 6F99, I get excited. 

NY1: I love that. I love that so much. I grew up in New York City myself too, and we didn't have a car growing up. So I know exactly what you mean.

DL: Everybody wanted to be my friend. You could go to Jones Beach because they knew my dad had a cab.

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“Let Him Go” is now available at home on demand. For more ways to watch, visit focusfeatures.com/let-him-go.

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