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There is a level of realism that cannot be manufactured in Nomadland, which is in large part due to director Chloé Zhao’s decision to employ nonprofessional actors in many of the film’s roles. Though the decision to hire “real people” began from budget constraints with Zhao’s debut feature Songs My Brother Taught Me, it has become a creative choice synonymous with Zhao in this hybrid form of documentary and fiction.

In Nomadland, Hollywood heavyweight Frances McDormand portrays the protagonist Fern, but she shares many scenes with real people playing versions of themselves. Zhao has made clear that she avoids rehearsing the nonprofessional actors and having multiple takes for scenes in order to capture that authentic magic on camera. And because McDormand is a seasoned professional, she can feed off her costars’ authentic selves with ease.  

The film is loosely based on the nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, and in this work Bruder highlights the real Linda May who lives on the road as she saves up to buy land for her “Earthship.” This is a storyline not all too dissimilar from Linda May’s in the film adaptation, who ultimately says goodbye to Fern in order to finally pursue her dreams of building her Earthship. Bob Wells, in addition to Linda May and Swankie, portrays a version of himself. His “CheapRVLiving” YouTube channel really exists with new videos being uploaded all the time. Swankie’s full name is Charlene Swankie, whom Zhao met while visiting with Linda May in prepping for the film. The sling Charlene wears in the film is not a prop as she was getting ready for shoulder surgery while the film was in production. Unlike the version of the character she plays, Charlene is alive and well with no terminal illness, but the fusion between real and scripted creates an unbelievably powerful performance. 

Even for the “professional actors” there is a level of authenticity. Though Fern’s character is fully fictional, she is inspired by real people. Frances McDormand often goes by Fran, which bears a striking resemblance to “Fern,” and in one scene Fern spells out the first three letters of her last name: “McD.” David Strathairn, who portrays Dave, is one of the other few Hollywood actors in Nomadland, and his name too is similar to his character’s. Dave’s son James is played by Strathairn’s actual son Tay, and much like his character in Nomadland, he is a musician with experience in a band. All of this helps close the gap between reality and fiction. 

Zhao maintained authenticity in her approach to Nomadland. The compact crew of only a couple dozen (small for Hollywood standards) mainly lived out of vans during production, further leaning into the realism in the same way documentary filmmakers embed in the environments of their subjects. Rather than being a sensationalized, dramatized interpretation of this nomadic community with a glitzy Hollywood treatment, the production of Nomadland makes a compelling case for a more authentic and respectful way to capture the true heart of real people while still implementing some creative flourishes. 

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