Motherless Brooklyn's producers on the film's respect for Tourette Syndrome

Ed Norton’s latest, Motherless Brooklyn, is about a mid-century detective with a tic. Lionel Essrog sprung from the mind of author Jonathan Lethem, and made his debut in the novel Motherless Brooklyn over 20 years ago. As head of a seedy detective agency, Essrog’s brain is firing faster than his mouth, leading to additional conflicts beyond just Motherless’ typical crime tale.

The A.V. Club talked to MWM Studios’ Rachel Shane and Adrian Alperovich, who acted as producer and executive producer on the film respectivel, about how the film took on Tourette Syndrome, and how it made sure the disorder was more than just a punchline.