Voicemails For Isabelle Director Leah McKendrick Wrote To Taylor Swift

A rom-com renaissance is upon us, and Voicemails for Isabelle should be on your watch list if you’re a fan of falling in love, yearning, and crying to Taylor Swift songs. The Netflix film, out June 19, follows Jill (Zoey Deutch) as she deals with the death of her sister, Isabelle, by leaving her voicemails, which are now being redirected to Austin’s (Nick Robinson) phone.

It’s very You’ve Got Mail meets Sleepless in Seattle, which Voicemails’ director and writer, Leah McKendrick, tells Elite Daily were both inspirations, along with The Holiday and Notting Hill. She also admits she was heavily inspired by music, which plays an important role in Jill and Isabelle’s relationship.

When writing Voicemails, McKendrick had certain tracks in mind for needle-drop moments in the film, including a few of Swift’s songs. Even though she says “it didn't hurt” to have one of the singer’s best friends, Este Haim, working on the movie’s score, the 39-year-old director still wrote Swift a personal letter to secure the rights to “Marjorie” and “New Year’s Day.”

“I wanted to show her that this is something that is so pivotal in the movie,” she says.

Below, McKendrick dishes on what went into her letter to Swift, the other music legend she’s working with next, and what she’s hoping the fans enjoy most when they watch Voicemails for Isabelle.

Spoiler warning: This Q&A contains spoilers for Voicemails for Isabelle.

Elite Daily: A huge part of Jill and Isabelle’s relationship revolves around music, specifically Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.” Was that song always a part of the script, or were there other options when you were writing?

Leah McKendrick: Always, always, always. No other options. It had to be Robyn. I was going to die on that hill. I wrote her a love letter, made her a deck, and we even showed her what the scene was going to be. I was like, “It's got to be you. There's no one else.” She gave me two songs of hers, so I guess she was like, “Of course.”

ED: As the director and writer, how much of a say do you get in choosing the needle-drop moments in the movie?

LM: I get to choose all of them. You don't always get what you want, but I got everything that I wanted.

I cried so hard at the Eras Tour when Taylor performed “Marjorie,” and I felt so close to her.

ED: How did you secure two Taylor Swift songs for the movie?

LM: I wrote Taylor a letter explaining the significance of both of my needle-drops, how meaningful the Eras Tour was to me, and how meaningful she is to me.

“Marjorie” is all about the pain of having somebody you love, and feeling that they've died but they're very much alive in you. I cried so hard at the Eras Tour when Taylor performed “Marjorie,” and I felt so close to her. I was like, “I want to share ‘Marjorie,’ and I want to have the same experience watching this film as I did at the Eras Tour.”

ED: You also used “New Year’s Day.” What was it about that song that was so important to the story?

LM: I was trying to mirror how a lot of us ladies listen to T. Swift and we're longing, dreaming, crying, singing, and dancing. At the end of the movie, the script has flipped, and Austin’s the one listening to T. Swift and crying, yearning, regretting, and grieving. I was trying to show that in many ways he became more open-hearted, and foreshadow the fact that it’s New Year’s Eve, and by New Year’s Day, they’re going to be back together. They’ll be picking up bottles together on New Year’s Day.

I was really pushing it already with two Taylor Swift songs. There was no way they were giving me a third.

ED: Were there any other Taylor Swift songs that you thought about including?

LM: I had “London Boy” playing after she has the night with Tyler. We ended up having Amanda Yamate and Este Haim make an amazing score, but that was a tough one to give up. I was really pushing it already with two Taylor Swift songs. There was no way they were giving me a third.

ED: Speaking of Amanda and Este, what was it like collaborating with them on the score for the movie?

LM: It was the dream. They really love Robyn as well, so when I met with them, I told them that Robyn was our North Star musically. They really understood that.

ED: How much does music inspire your work?

LM: It's everything. I have a dance sequence in every single one of my movies. I love a girlhood, pop dance moment, and music inspires so many of the scenes and characters that I write. Like, running through the rain to Benson Boone was the vision, and it's amazing to actually get the song that you wrote the scene to.

ED: You also star in the movie alongside Zoey and Nick. What was it like working with them?

LM: It was the best. I love them both, and it's so fun working with your friends.

ED: You’ve been working on this movie for eight years. What's the one thing you're most excited for audiences to see now that it’s premiering on Netflix?

LM: I’m so excited for them to see a sisterhood love story. A rom-com doesn't have to center around a man. The love that you feel with your girlfriends, with your sisters, with your parents, with your family, with all the meaningful relationships in your life, those are valid and worthy of cinematic portrayals as well.

ED: Your next project is a Shania Twain biopic. What's been the most exciting part about working with her?

LM: It's just my childhood dreams coming true. I am so musically driven that I really wanted to do something that had music at the center. There's no vehicle better than Shania's story.

ED: Will you be able to make it to one of Shania’s shows on Harry Styles’ Together, Together Tour this summer?

LM: I'm going next week. I cannot wait.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.