‘The Chronology of Water’: Jim Belushi and Thora Birch Praise Kristen Stewart as a ‘Marvel’ as Actress Makes Directorial Debut (Exclusive)

Kristen Stewart was a “marvel” to work with as she amazed actors Jim Belushi and Thora Birch with her skill behind the camera in her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water.

Ahead of the nationwide release of The Chronology of Water on Jan. 9, following its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Belushi and Birch opened up to PopCulture.com about working with Stewart on the unflinching adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir.

“I mean, Kristen, she is an amazing… I’m going to have to use the word creature because she has so many facets to her ability,” said Belushi, who plays author Ken Kesey in the film. “She has the mind of a writer, the heart of an actress, and the soul of a director. And she was quite amazing to work with.”

“She probably brought out the best performance for me for years and years, and I don’t know how she did it,” he continued. “But that was the thing that attracted me [to the film] the most, because I’ve always had a great respect for her acting. So I just knew that it would transfer to the [role of] director.”

He recalled to PopCulture his agent asking him to read the script before signing on, to which he responded, “I don’t need to read it, just make the deal. Let’s go.”

Birch, who plays Lidia’s sister Claudia, called Stewart “a bit of a marvel” as an artist, praising her “dedication to this story and her connection to it.”

Imogen Poots stars as Lidia in The Chronology of Water, which chronicles the life of a young woman who finds escape from her abusive home in competitive swimming, only to find her derailed dreams leading her through love, loss, addiction, sexuality, and her own self-destructive impulses in search of healing. Earl Cave, Tom Sturridge, Charlie Carrick, and Kim Gordon also star.

“When you talk about what the film is about and the themes explored and Lidia’s journey, it all sounds very daunting and dark and intense,” Birch explained. “A little bit like, ‘Why do I even want to go through that?’ [But] I like to remind people it’s also fun. You know, there is a love of life at the end of the day, infused in it. … It’s a wild ride in a very contained, but grand way.”

Birch added, “While we were working on it, if you were to ask me if I felt like I knew what we were doing fully, I probably would have answered, ‘No. I’m unsure.’”

“And then I saw it, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s what we were doing.’ Wow, I was blown away. I had no idea.”

The Chronology of Water opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Jan. 9.