Pursuing Your Passion: Embracing the Challenges and Daring to Dream Big

In the bustling L.A. office of Working Title, Executive Producer Alexandra Loewy stumbled upon a project that immediately piqued her interest – a script for a film called The High Note. Excited, she promptly shared her enthusiasm with the company's co-chief, Tim Bevan.

The screenplay, penned by Flora Greeson, caught the eye of Greeson's former boss at Universal Music in New York, who was so taken with the script that she signed Greeson as a client. Greeson, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, had honed her craft in the music industry, working with catalog music and promoting artists who had retired or passed away.

The High Note tells the story of a gifted striver determined to carve out a place for herself in the music business, her complicated relationship with her demanding employer-international superstar Grace Davis, and the young musician she hopes to help propel to mainstream success.

The film's central relationship between Maggie and Grace is not one of two women at odds with each other, but rather an odd intimacy that happens to big celebrities due to their isolation. Dakota Johnson, who portrayed Maggie, connected with the character due to her passion for music and inner fire.

Tracee Ellis Ross, who played Grace Davis, had never sung on screen before, but her performance was praised by director Nisha Ganatra and music producer Rodney Jerkins for her natural talent and vocal prowess. Ross found much she could relate to in terms of the music world and a woman wrestling with her own desires and dreams.

Ganatra, a Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee for her work as the director/producer for Transparent, praised Ross's performance, calling her a movie star, a great actor, and a kind and generous person. Greeson echoed this praise, stating that Ross carries all her music world experiences with her and is one of the funniest people in the world.

Greeson was interested in flipping the usual gender script in music movies, portraying a woman who was just as passionate and just as smart about music as the male characters. To bring her vision to life, the producers turned to Sundance Award-winning filmmaker, Nisha Ganatra, to step behind the camera for The High Note.

Dakota Johnson expressed her excitement about the character of Maggie, stating that she never felt like she was compromised or compromising herself or selling herself short in the script. Johnson's portrayal of Maggie was praised by Ganatra, who noted that Johnson had playlists for all of her scenes to set the mood for her character.

Johnson likened the character of Maggie to a great role model for young women, as she ultimately gets kicked in the stomach but doesn't give up. The High Note is a testament to the power of ambition, the complexities of relationships, and the magic of music.