Geraldine Viswanathan on “The Broken Hearts Gallery” and Why You Should "Feel Heartbreak Fully"
Australian-born actress Geraldine Viswanathan has quickly become known for her ability to make people laugh. She stunned viewers in the 2018 film Blockers with her impressive comedic timing, and only further cemented her place in Hollywood with her performances in Hala and Bad Education.
Now, Geraldine stars as the leading lady in the Selena Gomez-produced rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery.
Given her natural affinity for comedy, it’s just a little ironic that Geraldine wasn’t always comfortable with people laughing at her. As the actress tells Student Edge, she discovered her love for comedy at school.
"I feel like from a younger age, I actually didn’t like it when people laughed at me," she says.
"When I was in Year 5, I had a small part in the school play and got to tell a joke, and that feeling of the audience laughing was so exhilarating.
"What a privilege to try and make people laugh. Now I’m doing the sort of movies that I would want to watch myself."
Geraldine plays Lucy in The Broken Hearts Gallery, a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York City who also happens to be an emotional hoarder. After she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend, she’s inspired to create a pop-up space for the items love has left behind.
"I thought the writing was so funny, and the character of Lucy was so magnetic and inspiring," she explains.
"She’s just someone who is so unapologetically herself and wears her heart on her sleeve and feels everything so intensely and loudly.
"I just wanted to kind of feel what it was like to play someone like that."
Geraldine stars alongside fellow Aussie and Stranger Things actor Dacre Montgomery. After Lucy is dumped by her boyfriend, she meets Dacre’s character, Nick, when she mistakes him for her rideshare driver.
The actress believes their authentic chemistry on screen was a direct result of their friendship.
"I think our dynamic in real life really lent itself to Nick and Lucy’s dynamic," she says.
"This was [Dacre's] first time doing comedy, so he was a little bit more on uncertain footing, and I think Lucy really tries to bring [his character] out of his shell."
Geraldine also highlights how creatively freeing it was to work with first-time director Natalie Krinsky.
"Natalie was so open and collaborative, and really encouraged me to bring my own thoughts and ideas and jokes to the movie," she says.
"We would improvise a lot; we were writing scenes together on the day and rehearsing. It was such a team effort and it ended up being one of the most creatively rewarding experiences.”
Working on The Broken Hearts Gallery also taught Geraldine a bit about heartbreak. The actress holds that it’s important not to let your pain "bog you down".
"Pain and heartbreak are inevitable and it’s a part of life," she says.
"We should allow ourselves to feel it fully and lean on the people around us and do what makes us feel better in the moment.
"It’ll come to a point where what you do with that pain is what matters. This movie is really about that.”
As Geraldine points out, Lucy turns the sadness she feels into art instead and encourages others to do the same.
"In this movie, Lucy turns her pain into art, and I think a lot of great art is made from that place," she says.
"I think if you accept sadness and let it inspire you to create or consume art, or just feel fully alive, that’s a beautiful thing."
The Broken Hearts Gallery lands in Australian cinemas on 17 September. It’s rated M for sexual references and coarse language.
Header Image: Sony Pictures
