Jeannine Oppewall, born in Massachusetts, earned an M.A. in literature from Bryn Mawr College before moving to Los Angeles to work in Charles and Ray Eames’ studio, where she learned design while the office produced furniture, films and exhibitions. She later joined the art department of Paul Sylbert, with her first film as production designer being Tender Mercies. Her credits include Catch Me If You Can, The Bridges of Madison County and The Music Box, and she has received Academy Award nominations for L.A. Confidential, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Good Shepherd. Oppewall also served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Centered on Jeannine Oppewall’s reading of the essay she wrote about designing Maria’s Lovers, the first episode of Apotheosis: Notes From the Field unfolds as an intimate exchange that draws listeners into the lived reality of the film’s making.
As she reads, Oppewall shares vivid anecdotes from the field, including discovering that the steel-town locations already carried more truth than anything that could be built, and how practical choices inside Maria’s home—from the worn kitchen table to the spareness of her bedroom—were guided by character rather than decoration.
She also recalls working with extremely limited resources, relying on observation of real environments and respect for people who inspired the story, including moments where restraint became the most powerful design decision.
Together, Oppewall and Apotheosis host Alexander Whittenberg explore how production design lives in details and memory, offering a look at how a film’s soul is shaped through human truth.
Maria's house in Maria's Lovers.
“I can't define it, but I know it when I see it.”
— Jeannine Oppewall on creativity
A wallpaper plan for the interior of Maria's house in Maria's Lovers.
Set photo of Maria's house in Maria's Lovers.
"Curiosity is one of the things that you really do have to have as a designer."
A watercolor sketch that Oppewall created for Maria's house in Maria's Lovers.
