00:00I'd say like, you know, 90% of the items are probably from my parents' home, you know,
00:05and I think that is the story and their history coming from like a middle-class Midwestern America
00:11retiring in Florida, and there's something about this American dream there
00:15where so many people are aging and disabled and there's so few resources.
00:20So it just felt like we had to shoot there.
00:22It just felt like there was something so unique in the ordinary.
00:30You wrote a guest column basically like about making the short film in 2023.
00:33Yeah.
00:34And I'm curious, did you know at the time you wanted to make a feature-length version
00:39or was it that the short film did well?
00:42And then you saw like then that kind of gave you the chance to do a full.
00:46I mean, I've always wanted to do a feature-length version or tell this story in some way,
00:51and it just kept unfolding.
00:52It started actually in 2015.
00:54It's more of a documentary because everyone's so fascinated with my family.
00:58And then I just found...
01:00It's our family.
01:00Oh.
01:01Oh, good question, Hannah.
01:02It is our family.
01:04Excuse me.
01:04She will edit this well.
01:07Everyone off-duty.
01:09Not sure how much caffeine she had in the break, but here we are.
01:13Yeah, yeah.
01:15Anyway.
01:16You obviously can't contain this in a short.
01:18I mean, right?
01:19This creature cannot be contained in a short film.
01:21It must be a feature-length.
01:23I'm a person.
01:25Yes, you are.
01:25I mean creature like a magical creature.
01:27Okay, cool.
01:28Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:29Just like a magical, normal sister.
01:34Then it gets just as annoying as anyone else.
01:36All right.
01:37Listen, Anna, let me look at you.
01:39You look fabulous, okay?
01:41Thanks.
01:41We can leave it.
01:42All right?
01:43Okay.
01:43Cool.
01:44I want to tell them about how we work together on set.
01:47All right.
01:47Do you want to tell them?
01:48No, you tell them.
01:49Okay.
01:50Cool.
01:50Yeah, how'd you work together on set?
01:52Well, Anna is a great improviser.
01:56She really learned to take risks.
01:59And Allie is a great gymnast.
02:02That's what I call her.
02:05Well, basically, Liz created this structure where she had this beautiful script that was
02:10sort of our roadmap.
02:11And then we would kind of do a take where we would try.
02:14Anna would, we would try to do all the lines sort of as they were written.
02:18And then we would kind of open it up.
02:20And we would do these like 10, 15 minute takes.
02:23And Anna, in the process of shooting, like you became so skilled.
02:28Do you remember that scene where you were like adding lines into our fight?
02:31Yeah.
02:32Yeah.
02:32She got so, you got so mad at me.
02:35Do you remember?
02:35Yeah.
02:36She's really good at getting angry.
02:38She's like, you know, she's a bossy.
02:39She's in touch with that feeling, for sure.
02:41Yeah.
02:41So a lot of what I saw in the movie was from out of the improvising scenes, would you say?
02:46A lot of, yeah.
02:47It's like, yeah.
02:48All we used to do was a structure and then it grew into something else.
02:51And it sort of just depended on, you know, where we were for the day, you know, and
02:55how it organically evolved.
02:57And I think that's why it's so incredible what all the other actors in Allie could do.
03:01With Anna, it's because we just had to know the heart and the meat of the scene.
03:05And then it would become something that made sense and felt really alive and honest.
03:10Yeah.
03:10And I was sort of watching where Anna was engaged or what she felt like doing.
03:14I mean, there was a scene that Liz had written about character.
03:16Anna, do you remember the scene where I was supposed to be cutting your toenails?
03:19Yeah.
03:19And do you like to get your toenails cut or no?
03:21No.
03:22No.
03:22She does not like it.
03:23And that was what the scene was about, was that she didn't want me to cut her toenails.
03:26But you knew I wasn't going to actually cut your toenails.
03:28So she wasn't responding as though she didn't want me to do it.
03:32And so we couldn't get that scene.
03:34And so we just kind of left it.
03:36And I was so sad because the scene was really, it was just this lovely moment of where you
03:40have these daily rituals that can turn into contentious things.
03:44And, but then the next day we did that scene where we were improvising.
03:48Do you remember what the wet wipes we were doing?
03:51Like, we did this, we did this scene where it's just another, another moment of caretaking.
03:56And it turned, we started playing with each other.
03:58Remember when I started teasing you about how you smelled?
04:01Yep.
04:01Do you remember that?
04:02And you told me that I smelled worse than you did?
04:03Yeah.
04:03And do you remember, you smelled my armpit?
04:06Yeah.
04:06Yeah.
04:07And then the scene suddenly became like actually really silly.
04:10And there was an element of play that it was so important to their relationship that
04:14we, we couldn't have predicted, you know, just how it happened.
04:18And I imagine it felt much different than like other jobs you've done where it's been
04:23very much the script and, and complete choreography.
04:27Yeah.
04:27Moving around.
04:28It requires a lot more surrender and faith and trust in Liz, Liz's eye, and also like,
04:33but I think we're in service to, to Anna and her magic.
04:37And I think anyone who sees the film can see that Anna is so present and so alive.
04:43So if you're acting next to Anna, everyone will know.
04:47Like everyone will know.
04:49So you can't be obvious, you know?
04:51I mean, what do you think Anna?
04:52Do you, who do you think was the best?
04:54You?
04:55Oh, come on.
04:57Oh, come on.
04:58Did you always know you were going to do it?
05:01Cause that's your parents' house, right?
05:03Where you shot the film?
05:04It is my parents' house.
05:05And did you, was that always your goal to do it there?
05:08You know, we looked everywhere, like everywhere in the country, you know, and nothing sort
05:15of captured this Midland, Florida, American thing.
05:19And my parents' house is so specific, you know, it's small.
05:23It's not ideal to shoot in.
05:25We shot in August in Orlando with the rainstorms and lightning storms.
05:30And none of it was ideal.
05:32But we also said, you know what, we're going to lean into that.
05:35And that became a part of the film.
05:36You know, the rainstorms and also the smallness of the, of the, of the home.
05:41And also this is a place where Anna's comfortable.
05:43She knows she has a shortcut.
05:45You know, she's playing a version of herself, right, Anna?
05:47Mm-hmm.
05:48And it was in her room.
05:51And, you know, in a way, you know, with adjustments, this house is, is the story.
05:57And, you know, is a piece of my parents and the history, so.
06:01And it helped all of us as actors who are stepping in to really understand the real stakes
06:06of what the story is about and, and to immediately familiar, familiarize ourselves with Anna's life.
06:13I mean, you were showing me like the things in your room, like the, you know, her favorite
06:18dolls.
06:18Like, it's like, it's all real, um, which is so helpful.
06:22Yeah.
06:23So everything I see in the movie, that's all your stuff or your parents' stuff?
06:27Or did you bring in a few things or move things around?
06:30Um, there are definitely adjustments.
06:32Yeah.
06:32My face is in a photo in one of the, with that.
06:34Yeah.
06:35And I think it's still up there.
06:36Oh, really?
06:36Yeah.
06:37It was strange.
06:38But I'd say like, you know, 90% of the items are probably from my parents' home, you know?
06:44And I think that is the story and their history coming from like a middle class, Midwestern
06:49America, um, retiring in Florida.
06:52And there's something about this American dream there where so many people are aging and
06:56disabled and there's so few resources.
06:59Um, uh, yeah.
07:01So it just felt like we had to shoot there.
07:03It just felt like this, like also this lower middle class world and we didn't want it to
07:08become like a poverty porn film.
07:11Um, so yeah, there was something so unique in the ordinary.
07:16Was the, um, the basketball scene, was that like your, was that in your neighborhood?
07:20Was that one of your neighbor's house who let, lent you their front yard in Blasway?
07:24It was, you know, our neighbors were heavily involved.
07:27That was holding, that was, you know, they were, uh, background in the film.
07:32Um, yeah, I mean, everything is like, you know, the, yeah, the, the world, the, that, you know,
07:41my parents, what they do for fun often is to go watch cruise ships and they do sit in their
07:48car and watch these cruise ships that I think is also something about this American dream
07:53of vacation and luxury and seeing the world.
07:57Um, yeah.
07:58Did you know how to play basketball before you guys made this movie?
08:02Um.
08:03Cause you were good.
08:04Anna's really good.
08:06You're, you're like a champion, aren't you?
08:07I don't know.
08:08Cause.
08:08Yeah.
08:09Yeah.
08:09You play special Olympics, right?
08:11Yeah.
08:13And you're sinking those shots.
08:15I know.
08:17Anna's very confident as you can tell.
08:20She knows when she's good at something, but Anna, you play basketball.
08:26What else do you play?
08:26Bowling, uh, video games.
08:32Oh, are you a champion?
08:34Are you a champion video gamer?
08:35Yeah.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Okay.
08:36Yeah.
08:37She's a pro.
08:38No, but all those baskets, like, you know, she makes 90% of her shots.
08:43Nice.
08:44Yeah.
08:44When you were filming the FaceTime scenes, were you like just in the next room or no, I was
08:50actually, I mean, the, the final FaceTime, I was actually back home in New York.
08:55I had actually wrapped, but no, I wasn't in the room.
08:58Um, we were actually FaceTiming.
09:01Yeah.
09:01Um, and we were just shooting.
09:02I think they made this contraption where they put a phone onto the back of the actual phone
09:07when I was carrying, like holding to try to film me, get that coverage.
09:11But no, the actual cameras were on Anna and I was just alone on a different location.
09:17Yeah.
09:17We believe in everything reality, but also because it's all improv.
09:20It's all about like Anna reacting to, you know, the other actors and letting it flow.
09:26And I didn't want to make any of it feel like restricted in that way.
09:30So you're having a real conversation, which is probably rare.
09:33Like I would imagine like in the diplomat when it's all these phone calls.
09:35Are you just, there's a hardest to shoot because you're just monologuing by yourself
09:39and you're like, Oh, what?
09:40Yeah.
09:40And, and so it's actually great because we did it all real time.
09:44Yeah.
09:44Yeah.
09:44Very cool.
09:45Have you, I guess you, have you, did you come to, you both can just on dance?
09:49We didn't, we didn't come in, 2023 is when the short premiered.
09:53Um, but, uh, Anna's on festival tour with us now and she's a party animal.
09:57So the real question is how is Anna going to party?
10:00What's the best part?
10:01So, or what are you excited about?
10:03Especially because it's the last year in Park City.
10:05It's so special.
10:06What did you do yesterday with Aubrey?
10:08What were you doing yesterday on the street?
10:11Weren't you handing out, painting, painting out, um, my face on stickers?
10:17Yeah.
10:17The stickles.
10:19Anna's autographing her stickers and giving them to people.
10:22Yeah.
10:23The promotion.
10:24She decided to be a celebrity.
10:25Old school flyer, flyery.
10:27That's what Anna is doing.
10:29Guerrilla marketing.
10:29That's right.
10:30That's right.
10:31I made it.
10:31Awesome.
10:32Well, thank you guys so much for coming in and for talking to you about the movie.
10:34I appreciate it.
10:35Thanks for having us.
10:37Thanks for having us.
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