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
00:10America retiring in Florida.
00:13And there's something about this American dream there where so many people are aging
00:17and disabled and there's so few resources.
00:19So 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 and then you saw it like then that kind of gave
00:44you 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.
00:58Um, and then I just found, oh, it is our family.
01:04Excuse me.
01:05She will edit this, this, this well, off duty.
01:09Not sure how much caffeine she had in the break, but here we are.
01:13Yeah, yeah.
01:15Um, anyway.
01:16You obviously can't contain this in a short.
01:18I mean, right?
01:19This, this creature cannot be contained in a short film.
01:21It must be a feature length.
01:23I'm not a creature.
01:24I'm a person.
01:25Yes, you are.
01:25I mean creature like a magical creature.
01:27Okay.
01:28Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:29Just like a magical, normal, uh, sister.
01:33Then it gets just as annoying as anyone else.
01:36All right.
01:37Listen, Anna, let me look at you.
01:39You look fabulous.
01:41Okay.
01:41Thanks.
01:42We can leave it.
01:42All right.
01:43Okay, cool.
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, cool.
01:50Yeah.
01:50How'd you work together on set?
01:52Um, well, I'm, 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.
02:04Well, basically, Liz created the structure where she had this beautiful script, um, that
02:10was sort of our roadmap.
02:11And then we would kind of do a take where we would try, where Anna would, we would try
02:15to do all the lines sort of as they were written.
02:18And then we would kind of open it up and 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.
02:33Yeah.
02:33So you got so mad at me.
02:35Do you remember?
02:36Yeah.
02:36Um, she's really good at getting angry.
02:38She like, you know, she's in touch with that feeling for sure.
02:40Yeah.
02:41So a lot of what I saw in the movie was from out of the improvising scenes, would you say?
02:46Or?
02:46A lot of, yeah, it's like how, yeah.
02:48All we used to do is 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 how
02:55it organically evolved.
02:57And I think that's why it's so incredible what all the other actors and Allie could do
03:01with Anna.
03:02It'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.
03:09Yeah.
03:10And it 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 caretaking.
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, she 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.
03:44But then the next day, we did that scene where we were improvising.
03:48Do you remember what the wet wipes we were doing like?
03:52No.
03:52We did this scene where it's just 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.
04:04And do you remember you smelled my armpit?
04:06Yeah.
04:07Yeah.
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
04:14that 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 complete choreography.
04:27Yeah.
04:27Moving around.
04:28It requires a lot more surrender and faith and trust in Liz, Liz's eye.
04:32And also like, but I think we're in service 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.
04:48Like everyone will know.
04:49So you can't be obvious, you know?
04:51I mean, what do you think, Anna?
04:52Who do you think was the best?
04:54You?
04:55Oh, come on.
04:59Did you always know you were going to do it?
05:01Because 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.
05:22You 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 and 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.
05:37You 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.
05:47Right, Anna?
05:48And it was in her room.
05:50And, you know, in a way, you know, with adjustments, this house is, is the story and, you know, is
05:58a piece of my parents and the history.
06:01So, and it helps 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 dolls.
06:19Like it's like, it's all real, um, which is so helpful.
06:23Yeah.
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?
06:37Yeah.
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 America,
06:50um, 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.
07:08And we didn't want it to become 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 lent you their front yard in Broadway?
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.
07:33Um, 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
07:49and watch these cruise ships that I think is also something about this American dream of vacation
07:55and luxury and seeing the world.
07:57Um, yeah.
07:59Did you know how to play basketball before you guys made this movie?
08:02Um.
08:03Because you were good.
08:04Anna's really good.
08:05You're, you're like a champion, aren't you?
08:07I don't know.
08:08Because, yeah, you play Special Olympics, right?
08:12Yeah.
08:13And you're sinking those shots.
08:14I know.
08:17Anna's very confident, as you can tell.
08:20She knows when she's good at something.
08:22But, Anna, you play basketball.
08:26What else do you play?
08:27Bowling, uh, video games.
08:32Oh.
08:32Are you a champion?
08:33Are you a champion video gamer?
08:35Yeah.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Okay.
08:36Yeah.
08:37She's a pro, no.
08:38But 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?
08:50No, I was actually, I mean, the final FaceTime, I was actually back home in New York.
08:55I had actually wrapped.
08:56But, no, I wasn't in the room.
08:58We were actually FaceTiming.
09:01Yeah.
09:01And we were just shooting.
09:03I think they made this contraption where they put a phone onto the back of the actual phone
09:07I was carrying, like, holding to try to film me get that coverage.
09:11But, no, the actual cameras were on Anna.
09:14And I was just alone on a different location.
09:16Yeah.
09:17We believe in everything reality, but also because it's all improv.
09:21It'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, like, I would imagine, like,
09:34in The Diplomat, when it's all these phone calls.
09:36Yeah.
09:36There's a hardest to shoot.
09:37Because you're just monologuing by yourself, and you're like, oh, what?
09:40Yeah.
09:40And so, it's actually great, because we did it all real-time.
09:43Yeah.
09:44Yeah.
09:44Very cool.
09:45Have you, I guess, have you, did you come to, you both came to Sundance?
09:49We didn't.
09:50We didn't come in, 2023 is when the short premiered.
09:54But Anna's on festival tour with us now, and she's a party animal.
09:58So, the real question is, how is Anna going to party?
10:00What is the best part?
10:01So, 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?
10:13Hanging out my face.
10:17On stickers.
10:17Yeah.
10:18The stickers.
10:19Anna's autographing her stickers and giving them to people.
10:22Yeah.
10:23A good promotion.
10:24She's excited to be a celebrity.
10:26Old school flyering.
10:27That's what Anna is doing.
10:29Guerrilla marketing.
10:30That's right.
10:30That's right.
10:31I like that.
10:31Awesome.
10:32Well, thank you guys so much for coming in and for talking to you about the movie.
10:34I appreciate it.
10:36Thanks for having us.
Comments